Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the growth of UK-based AI start-ups, including the emergence of new unicorn companies; and what steps they are taking to improve access to scale-up finance, talent and long-term competitiveness in this area.

The UK has a flourishing AI start-up ecosystem, and as of early 2026, the UK is home to over 150 tech unicorns, ranking it 3rd globally for venture capital-backed innovation.

We’re strengthening the UK’s scale-up finance ecosystem to help high-growth companies - including AI start-ups - start, scale and remain in the UK. This includes strengthening long-term capital through an expanded remit for the National Wealth Fund, increasing its capitalisation to £27.8 billion and scaling up the British Business Bank to £25.6 billion, as well as increasing annual investments by two-thirds to around £2.5 billion and committing £5 billion to growth-stage funds.

We have a world leading R&D and talent ecosystem which is a major attraction globally. We have also established the Sovereign AI Unit, backed by up to £500 million, to invest in and support high-growth UK AI companies. Our AI Opportunities Action Plan demonstrates how we are delivering a long-term strategy to ensure that the UK remains one of the best places in the world to start, scale and grow AI companies.