Roughly 2,000 UK-based investors backed equity deals last year, creating a competitive landscape where strategic positioning is crucial.
To differentiate themselves, top UK firms like Index Ventures are aggressively pursuing deals in high-growth areas like AI that position them to capture outsized returns.
Using CB Insights data, we analyzed which investors are building the strongest foundations for portfolio success. Below, see our picks for the top 50 venture investors in the UK, key takeaways on the list, and a note on methodology.
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Key takeaways
- Index Ventures leads our ranking with 118 startup deals since 2023 (as of 4/17/2025). Of those, 52 deals (or 44%) went to AI companies — including Mistral AI, which Index backed 6 months before it became a unicorn.
- Index Ventures and Octopus Ventures show the best exit track records, each backing 25+ startups since 2018 that went on to exit. Their AI focus is clear — at least 14% of exits from each firm are AI/ML companies, including Index-backed Wiz (cloud security; acquired by Google) and Octopus-backed Peak (inventory optimization; acquired by UiPath).
- Lightrock leads in terms of the quality of its recent investments. Its investments since 2023 have a higher average Mosaic score (687 out of 1,000) than any other investor here. Top performers in its portfolio include Octopus Energy (888) and MediBuddy (808).
Methodology
We used CB Insights data to review the dealmaking activity of hundreds of UK-based investors that fund private-market startups in exchange for equity, and rank them based on the strength and performance of their portfolios.
Our scoring model factors in deal volume since 2023; unicorns in investors’ portfolios that were backed prior to a $1B valuation; and the share of portfolio companies invested in since 2018 that have gone on to exit. We exclude government vehicles, startup accelerators, incubators.
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