Commercialising Science

According to Beauhurst, 43 unicorns are headquartered in the UK, just under 4% of the ‘global herd’. But eight have exited in recent years having reached mystical creature status, while a number of others have been acquired by overseas companies albeit remaining UK based.

As seen globally, the pace of unicorn creation has slowed in the UK during the post-pandemic period, but more concerning for the UK, success remains focused in the Golden Triangle of Oxford, Cambridge, and London. Globally leading R&D and innovative SMEs are not successfully translating to the growth of knowledge-intensive companies and employment in the vast majority of the country.

While the global investment environment is a factor in the recent slowdown, understanding the underlying domestic barriers to innovative SME growth is crucial for our ability to redirect our economy, which holds such potential.