UK startup valuation benchmark
What's a fair pre-money for your sector, stage and region? Get an indicative UK range, built on verified UK funding data rather than US figures, and the dilution it implies.
What moves a UK pre-money up — and what holds it down.
- Revenue growth and retention — real, repeatable traction
- A team that has done this before (proven founder-market fit)
- A large, fast-growing market with a clear wedge
- Competitive tension — more than one investor at the table
- SEIS/EIS advance assurance in hand (de-risks UK angels)
- No revenue or weak retention at seed and beyond
- A single founder with no domain edge
- A crowded market with no differentiation
- Only one term sheet — no leverage
- Capital-intensive model with a long path to revenue
Indicative ranges from verified UK funding data, adjusted for sector and region. Treat it as a starting point for negotiation, not a formal valuation.
Ranges start from base UK pre-money figures by stage, drawn from verified UK funding data (2024–25), then adjusted for your sector and region. Treat them as indicative: a starting point for negotiation, not a formal valuation. We're tightening these into round-by-round benchmarks from the verified funding record, and this page will switch to that data as it lands.
Questions founders ask
What's a fair pre-money valuation for a UK startup?+
It depends on stage, sector and region. As a rough UK guide: pre-seed pre-money often sits around £0.6–2.5m, seed around £2–8m, and Series A around £10–35m — with AI and deep tech at the higher end and consumer at the lower end, and a London premium. Use the tool above for a range tuned to your specifics.
Why not just use US valuation data?+
US benchmarks run materially higher than the UK and use different round conventions, so they over-state what UK pre-seed and seed founders should expect. This tool is built on verified UK funding data, so the ranges reflect the market you're actually raising in.
How is the valuation range calculated?+
We start from base UK pre-money ranges by stage, drawn from verified UK funding data (2024–25), then adjust for your sector and region. It's an indicative starting point for negotiation, not a formal valuation.
How much equity should I give up?+
UK rounds typically dilute founders 15–25% at seed. The tool shows the implied dilution for your raise across the pre-money range — raising more, or at a lower pre-money, means giving up more.
My range looks too low — what can I do?+
Valuation is set by leverage and proof: revenue and retention, proven founder-market fit, a big fast-growing market, and competitive tension between investors. SEIS/EIS advance assurance also de-risks the round for UK angels. Strengthen those and your range moves up.