UK companies with international founders have seen equity investment deals fall by more than a third since 2021, according to research from Rathbones.
Over the past five years, investment into UK firms has declined year-on-year, amounting to a 36% fall in total. UK companies with international founders saw 1,086 deals made in 2026, raising £6.5bn, compared to £10.3bn raised in 2021.
In 2024, Rathbones found the number of active companies with international founders fell for the first time in more than a decade, declining from 7,431 in 2023 to 7,364. Between 2016 and 2024, this number had climbed from just 4,203, which Rathbones said shows “how sharply international interest in the UK had risen before a recent slowdown”.
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Elsewhere, the firm found more than 6,000 business owners – typically in high growth sectors such as software and technology – left the UK over the two years up until January 2026.
Michelle White, head of private office at Rathbones, said: “While the UK continues to be a recognised centre for innovation and globally minded entrepreneurship, this fall in investment activity is a real warning sign.
“These shifts mirror what we are seeing among internationally-mobile clients — increasingly, people with greater wealth are more globally mobile and this trend is shaping investment in UK companies.”
She argued a torrid combination of rising interest rates, the scrapping of the non-dom regime and phasing out Business Investment Relief “have also introduced new uncertainties for internationally-minded founders weighing the UK against other global hubs”.
“For the UK to remain internationally competitive, we must attract and retain the founders and wealth creators who drive long‑term growth,” White warned.
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