Cambridge tech ecosystem is valued at £191bn - almost a fifth of UK’s total

Cambridge’s tech ecosystem has been valued at $191bn, according to new analysis by Dealroom for Founders at the University of Cambridge.

The city is worth 18 per cent of the entire UK’s tech ecosystem – more than Spain and Italy combined.

So far this year Cambridge tech companies have raised a record-breaking $1.6bn driven by mega rounds for autonomous vehicle company Wayve ($1.05bn) and quantum computing company Quantinuum ($300m).

The new analysis by Dealroom for Founders at the University of Cambridge also reveals that the city has outpaced both the rest of the UK and London in delivering value from venture capital (VC) invested. Cambridge has produced 16.9x in value for every dollar of VC investment, significantly ahead of the UK (5.4x) and London (4.8x).

The University of Cambridge has contributed hugely to the success of the city. More Cambridge alumni have raised more than $10m on per capita basis - more than any other European university (505), ahead of Oxford (410) and Ghent (223).

Yoram Wijngaarde, founder of Dealroom, whose global data platform is a source for intelligence on high-growth companies, said: “Cambridge is a force in the scientific and technology world and for good reason, with the university producing more valuable spinouts than any other in Europe and more successful alumni founders.

“It’s particularly strong in technologies such as quantum computing, AI drug discovery and semiconductors, as well as life sciences, which are some of the most in-demand sectors for funding and development at the moment.

“The city needs to ensure it can harness its deep tech expertise to remain top and keep producing category-defining companies in the future.”

The data release coincides with Founders at the University of Cambridge’s first ever demo day in London, where 11 early-stage deep tech cohort companies will pitch the tech businesses they are building to hundreds of investors, including leading pension funds and institutional investors.

Gerard Grech, managing director at Founders at the University of Cambridge, said: “Cambridge is a powerhouse of innovation thanks to its combination of groundbreaking entrepreneurs, forward-thinking scientists, research institutions and investors and this data proves that.

“But we can’t rest on our laurels, we have to ensure that the next generation of venture scientists have the support, mentorship and funding to build the next Wayve or Arm and that is what we are hoping to achieve with Founders at the University of Cambridge.”