UK Immigration Business: The Daily Telegraph recently published an article highlighting several of the most promising high-tech startups in the United Kingdom.
Shazam is a mobile application that uses audio recognition technology to help people identify music. It also provides personalized music news, allowing users to receive song recommendations from friends and musicians. It recently became the first technology startup in the UK to be valued at over $1 billion, having secured $30 million in its latest funding round.
TransferWise utilizes P2P technology developed by former employees of Skype and PayPal, enabling users to save on traditional bank transfer fees. Since its launch in 2011, the total amount transferred through the company's platform has exceeded £3 billion—saving customers £13.5 million in fees. Currently, the company is valued at nearly $1 billion after receiving $58 million in investment from Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.
Huddle is a secure cloud collaboration service that allows employees of businesses and government organizations to securely store, share, and create content in the cloud with colleagues and partners worldwide. Its clients include 80% of Fortune 500 companies and 80% of UK government departments. In December of last year, the company completed a funding round of $51 million, led by Zouk Capital.
The ride-hailing app Hailo is the UK version of Uber. Founded by three taxi drivers and three internet entrepreneurs, users can summon a taxi or licensed car with just two clicks on their mobile phones. Hailo has launched in over 20 cities worldwide, including London, Madrid, Barcelona, and Osaka, as well as throughout Ireland. The company has raised over $100 million, securing $50 million from a group of Asian investors in its most recent funding round completed at the end of 2013.
SwiftKey's keyboard application uses artificial intelligence technology to enable users to type faster and more intuitively on touch screens. The app learns and remembers each user's input habits to accurately predict the next word they intend to type, improving the accuracy of autocorrect. Its machine learning and natural language processing technology understands the context of language and how words fit together. The company's most recent funding round was completed in 2013, led by venture capital firm Index Ventures, raising $17.5 million, bringing its total funding to $21.5 million.
Citymapper is a mobile application that provides users with public transportation navigation services. The app obtains real-time data from bus and subway companies and combines this data with estimated travel times for taxis, bicycles, and walking to suggest routes for users. Currently, the app is available only for New York, Paris, London, and Berlin, but after announcing a new funding round of $10 million led by Balderton Capital last year, the company plans to use these funds to expand into new cities.
Darktrace is a cybersecurity company that uses artificial intelligence to detect potential threats to company information or intellectual property before cyberattacks occur. Its software is used by several Fortune 100 companies. The company has raised $20 million from investment firm Invoke Capital, founded by Autonomy founder Mike Lynch. The company recently announced plans to expand its market presence in the United States.
Funding Circle is an online lending marketplace that allows savers to lend money directly to small and medium-sized enterprises. In its latest funding round, led by London-based venture capital firm Index Ventures and Silicon Valley firms including Accel Partners, Union Square Ventures, and Ribbit Capital, the company raised $65 million, bringing its total funding to $123 million.
Deliveroo is a food delivery platform that delivers meals from local independent and chain restaurants to users' homes and offices based on their needs. Its online ordering and logistics platform allows real-time visibility into every step of the food preparation and delivery process. The company has launched services in London, Brighton, and Manchester, and in its latest funding round led by Accel Partners, raised $25 million to facilitate its expansion in the UK and internationally.
Skyscanner, headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, is an online travel search website that allows customers to compare and purchase airline tickets from different airlines and flights. Its free mobile app is available on iOS, Android, Windows phones, and BlackBerry, with over 30 million downloads. In 2013, Skyscanner received significant investment from Sequoia Capital, although the specific amount was not disclosed, valuing the company at $800 million.
