The annual report by the British organisation Tech Nation, which researches and supports the technology ecosystem, is not just a glossy snapshot of the industry but a reliable thermometer: it shows where the UK is overheating, where resources are lacking, and where the country will be pulling in talent in the coming years. The key question for us is how this growth and the findings of the report affect the chances of relocating via the Global Talent and Innovator Founder routes. Relogate co-founder Roman Tsuper has analysed the report and explains what these numbers mean for IT professionals and startup founders considering the UK.
In recent years, the UK has become the most valuable technology ecosystem in Europe: the combined valuation of its companies has already surpassed $1.2 trillion — more than France and Germany together. And importantly, this is not a “one-off spike” but steady growth at around 12.5% per year. For an economy where 2–3% GDP growth is usually considered good news, these figures are striking. Investors are mainly backing companies with scalable models and ambitions for international expansion. By sector, AI, fintech, and deep tech are leading — precisely the areas now short of people who can deliver products at “industrial scale.” To put it in investor language: the market is ready to pay for those who can not only train models and write pipelines but also turn them into revenue.
The UK already counts around 163 unicorns, with about 90% of them staying and growing domestically. In the 1990s, reaching a $1 billion valuation could take “forever”; today the average is under five years. This is more than a nice metric: large players drive multiplication effects — former employees and co-founders launch their own projects, investors reinvest exit gains, and dense hiring chains emerge. According to Tech Nation, this “generation of unicorns” has already given rise to about 259 new startups — and it is often this “second circle” that absorbs international specialists.
The geography is shifting too: London still holds the lion’s share of total value (about 59%), but the fastest growth is now in regional hubs such as Scotland, the East Midlands, and the North East. For candidates, this translates into a simple reality: job and partnership options go far beyond “an office near Liverpool Street.” And yes, in the regions competition for talent is often lower and decision-making faster.
If your first thought is, “so there’s no time — I should pack my bags,” not quite. Time really is limited, but the suitcase can wait: it is more important first to understand which profiles and cases are currently being approved under Global Talent and Innovator Founder, and how rule changes will affect this. More on that in the next section.
On the charts everything looks flawless, but if you dive into surveys of startup founders, the picture becomes more complicated.
Three out of four founders openly admit: the tightest bottleneck is funding for scaling. Seed money can still be found, but when it comes to Series A and beyond, the UK market seems to stall. Large funds are cautious, and without those “heavy cheques,” companies get stuck at the “promising startup” stage and never make it to global player status.
One in three founders complains about the lack of people. The pain is felt most acutely in AI and deep tech: engineers and data scientists can take months to hire. Add to this the complexity of visa rules — and many teams simply can’t fill roles in time, even though the market is ready to pay.
Employees want stock options, investors expect clear tax regimes, but in practice the rules are confusing and subject to constant changes. Without proper “sandboxes” for experimentation, startups risk spending more time on lawyers than on product.
The most alarming signal: 43% of founders are considering moving their headquarters abroad, most often to the US. Late-stage capital is easier to access there, tax conditions are clearer. As a result, the UK nurtures startups, but the biggest IPOs and scaling often happen in other jurisdictions. The economy loses part of the very value it has created.
How did the UK government respond to these challenges? In May, the Cabinet presented a White Paper under the bold title “Restoring Control of the Immigration System.” The document is broad in scope, with a dual goal: on the one hand, to reduce overall migration; on the other, to keep pathways as open as possible for those who genuinely drive the economy forward.
The main change is an increase in the period required to obtain permanent residence (ILR) from the usual five years to ten years for most categories. But alongside this comes the concept of earned settlement — meaning that if a founder or specialist creates jobs, pays taxes, or contributes to research, the period can be shortened. The logic is simple: if you benefit the country, the country opens its doors faster.
The government has effectively divided migration into two tiers. For low-skilled routes, pathways are being closed or tightened (for example, the cancellation of the visa for social care workers and an increase in English language requirements to B2 or higher). But for talents and entrepreneurs, the trend is the opposite: the UK wants to attract more scientists, engineers, and tech founders.
The document explicitly highlights priority visas: Global Talent, Innovator Founder, and High Potential Individual. For Global Talent, easier access has been promised, particularly for specialists in science, technology, and design. For Innovator Founder, a review of the rules is planned so that graduates of British universities can more easily launch their own projects and establish themselves in the country.
Some questions, however, remain unresolved. For example, will holders of Global Talent continue to have the accelerated route to ILR in three years? At present, this is one of the visa’s key advantages, but the final criteria for who will fall into the category of “exceptional talent” are still being developed. Another potential risk is new language requirements: discussions suggest these could apply to dependants of talent migrants, which has not been the case before.
Looking closely at the Tech Nation Report 2025, the signal for candidates is clear: the UK is accelerating, and it needs a “fuel injector” of people who can build products, scale technologies, and turn R&D into revenue. Here is how to translate that into your application.
This route is for those who have an innovative, viable, and scalable project for the UK market. Not “just another marketplace,” but a technological solution with a new approach, technology, or business model — and realistic economics.
Regardless of the route, language and integration into the community are no longer “nice to have” but success factors. Aim for at least confident B2 English — enough for negotiations, meetups, and due diligence. In parallel, build a local network: attend industry events, speak at them, find UK mentors. This strengthens your case and speeds up adaptation.
The Tech Nation Report 2025 showed that the UK tech sector is growing faster than its neighbours and is already the largest in Europe. But along with success come challenges: lack of capital, shortage of talent, risk of startups moving abroad. The government is responding with reforms — from pension fund investments to simplifying visa routes for talent and founders.
In short: this is a good window of opportunity. The UK business ecosystem is pulling experienced people in, and visa routes are increasingly tailored for those who make a measurable contribution. If you want to assess your chances and understand which path suits you, we can help you build a strategy and reach approval.
At Relogate, we start with diagnostics and pinpoint what needs to be “upgraded”: public profile, letters, UK relevance, financial model. Then we collect additional evidence, edit letters for strength, check consistency and metrics, audit risks (inconsistencies, weak wording, unnecessary “fluff”), and only then submit. For Innovator Founder, we add product and financial expertise: we refine your deck, unit economics, and prepare you for conversations with the endorser and investors.
Book your first free consultation — let’s go through your case together!
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