--- title: Four trends reshaping UK pre-seed in 2026 description: Explore four key trends reshaping the UK pre-seed investment landscape in 2026, highlighting advancements in AI, hardware, university spinouts, and evolving funding dynamics. image: https://sfccapital.com/hubfs/01-Diversified_Portfolio%20(1).png --- Disclaimer Please note, company introductions through SFC Capital Ltd ('SFC') are only suitable for ‘High Net Worth Individuals’, or ‘Sophisticated Investors’ as defined by the Financial Services & Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) who are familiar with and willing to accept the high risk associated with private investments. Any investor requesting to contact a company through SFC Capital does so at his/her own risk and is solely responsible for conducting any legal, accounting or due diligence review. 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The content is for information purposes only and should not be used or considered as an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell the securities mentioned herein. The SFC Angel Fund (the ‘SFC Fund’ or the ‘Fund’) is defined as an ‘unregulated collective investment scheme’ (‘UCIS’) and the promotion of a UCIS either within the UK or from the UK is severely restricted by statute. Consequently, this document is only directed at professional clients and eligible counterparties as defined by the FCA and also to persons of a kind to whom the Fund may lawfully be promoted by an authorised person by virtue of Section 238(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and COBS 4.12.4R. The SFC Angel Fund is managed by SFC Capital Partners Ltd (‘SFCCP’) which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, firm reference number 736284. Information on the Fund is intended for professional investors only; any reproduction of this information, in whole, or part, is prohibited. The content is for information purposes only and should not be used or considered as an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell the securities mentioned herein. The SFC Angel Fund (the ‘SFC Fund’ or the ‘Fund’) is defined as an ‘unregulated collective investment scheme’ (‘UCIS’) and the promotion of a UCIS either within the UK or from the UK is severely restricted by statute. Consequently, this document is only directed at professional clients and eligible counterparties as defined by the FCA and also to persons of a kind to whom the Fund may lawfully be promoted by an authorised person by virtue of Section 238(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and COBS 4.12.4R. Any decision by an investor to buy shares in a fund must be made solely on the basis of the information and terms contained within the Fund’s offering memorandum. Investment in the Fund is made entirely at the investor’s own risk and professional advice should be sought in case of doubt. The SFC Angel Fund is an SEIS/EIS fund which raises money for early-stage businesses by investing in SEIS and EIS eligible ventures with the aim of returning a profit for investors in the fund. Investment in early-stage companies involves risks such as illiquidity, lack of dividends, loss of investment and dilution. Investment in SEIS/EIS funds should be considered as part of a diversified portfolio. The availability of tax relief depends on individual circumstances and may change in the future. The availability of tax relief depends on the company invested in maintaining its SEIS/EIS qualifying status. There is no assurance that the investment objectives of any investment product will be achieved or that the strategies and methods described herein will be successful. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance and the value of an investment may go down as well as up. Investors may not get back the full amount invested. No warranties or representations of any kind are expressed or implied on this website. I Accept The Terms ## FCA Mandatory Risk Warning & Risk Summary > ## Risk Warning > > **Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment, and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong.** ## Risk Summary **Estimated reading time: 2 min** Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) considers this investment to be high risk.   What are the key risks? 1\. You could lose all the money you invest. Investments made by the SFC Angel Fund SEIS (the “Fund”) will be in shares in early-stage businesses. Investors in these shares often lose 100% of the money they invested, as many early-stage businesses fail. 2\. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker here: [https://www.fscs.org.uk/check/investment-protection-checker/](https://sfccapital.com/fca-mandatory-risk-warning-and-risk-summary/%20https://www.fscs.org.uk/check/investment-protection-checker/)    Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here: [https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers](https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers) 3\. You won’t get your money back quickly Even if the businesses the Fund invests your money in are successful, it may take several years to get your money back. The most likely way to get your money back is if the businesses invested in by the Fund are bought by another business or list their shares on an exchange such as the London Stock Exchange. These events are not common. 4\. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.  A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments.  [https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest](https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest) 5\. The value of your investment can be reduced The percentage of each investee company that the Fund owns will decrease if the business issues more shares. This could mean that the value of your investment in each investee company reduces, depending on how much the business grows. Most start-up businesses issue multiple rounds of shares.  These new shares could have additional rights that your shares don’t have, such as the right to receive a fixed dividend, which could further reduce your chances of getting a return on your investment. 6\. S/EIS tax reliefs are not guaranteed Whilst it is the Fund's intention to invest mostly in companies qualifying under SEIS legislation, SFC cannot guarantee that all investments will qualify for S/EIS relief (or IHT relief) or, indeed, if they do initially, that they will continue to do so throughout the life of the investment. The tax advantages of investing through the Fund are therefore not guaranteed.  If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website here: [https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart](https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart)  Close Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 minutes to learn more. [![SFC Logo + Title x web](https://sfccapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SFC%20Logo%20+%20Title%20x%20web.png?width=2000&name=SFC%20Logo%20+%20Title%20x%20web.png)](https://sfccapital.com) - [Startups](https://sfccapital.com/raise) - Investors - [SEIS Fund](https://sfccapital.com/seis-funds) - [EIS Fund](https://sfccapital.com/eis-funds) - [SEIS Explained](https://sfccapital.com/seis-explained) - [EIS Explained](https://sfccapital.com/eis-explained) - [Angel House](https://sfccapital.com/angel-house) - [Advisors](https://sfccapital.com/advisors) - [Portfolio](https://portal.sfccapital.com/portfolio) - [About Us](https://sfccapital.com/about-us) - [Blog](https://sfccapital.com/blog) - [Login](https://portal.sfccapital.com/login) # Four trends reshaping UK pre-seed in 2026 [Joseph Zipfel, Chief Investment Officer](https://sfccapital.com/blog/author/joseph-zipfel-chief-investment-officer) With a background in investment banking and a Master's from ESCP Europe, Joseph manages SFC Capital's investments, investor relations, and portfolio company fundraising strategies since 2014. 13 Aug 2026 ##### Share on - - - According to Sifted, SFC Capital was one of the most active venture capital investor in H1 2026. This is in line with our ‘volume with discipline’ strategy that I described in a [previous article](https://sfccapital.com/blog/volume-with-discipline). We’re certainly seeing a lot of activity in the UK pre-seed market and I thought that it would be interesting to highlight some of the new trends driving our recent investments. The sector mix of our investment is basically unchanged – we’ve invested across B2B software, health, hardware and robotics, green tech, fintech as well a few consumer investments. However, what is changing are the profiles of companies that we are seeing today, which are materially different from those raising money even two years ago. Four trends stand out at the moment in my view. #### **1. AI is moving from simple automation into complex, high-value workflows** The first wave of AI startups largely focused on relatively ‘obvious’ opportunities: generating marketing copy, summarising meetings, answering customer questions or automating administrative tasks. Those products demonstrated what the technology could do, but they were often straightforward to replicate. In many cases, they rested primarily on access to the same underlying foundation models available to everybody else. The companies that we are now seeing are tackling much more difficult processes and are integrating AI into workflows that involve proprietary data, industry-specific knowledge, regulatory constraints and security requirements. The founders are often coming directly from the industry and have experienced themselves the particular problem that they decided to solve. A great example from our recent cohorts is **Kord** (previously Checkboard). Kord brings identity verification, anti-money-laundering checks, client onboarding, document signing and payment processing into a single platform for regulated businesses (law firms, conveyancers, financial services firms etc.). The problem they solve has become more pressing as AI makes fraud and forged documents increasingly sophisticated. Kord not only checks identities and documents against a broad range of data sources but also maintains the audit trails required in regulated transactions. Another recent example is **Nayara AI**, which builds clinical-grade AI agents around specific patient-care pathways. Its platform supports processes such as pre-operative preparation, medication adherence and patient follow-up, while generating structured risk flags and summaries for clinical teams. This is considerably more complex than deploying a generic chatbot. Nayara works with healthcare providers to map the complete patient journey and define rules of how the AI should respond. These businesses point towards the next stage of AI adoption. The value is moving away from the model itself and towards everything surrounding it: handling proprietary and sensitive data, providing deep industry expertise, integrating into existing systems, ensuring security and auditability etc. On the other side of the equation, we are also seeing a greater openness from large organisations to work with early-stage startups and actually implement these solutions beyond simply piloting them, which allows startups to generate substantial revenue sooner. #### **2. AI is making hardware and robotics less hard** An interesting secondary impact of AI is that it is reducing the cost of developing, launching and operating sophisticated hardware. Historically, hardware companies were often difficult propositions for pre-seed investors. They required substantial upfront capital, long development periods and large operational teams. Prototypes could be expensive, iteration cycles slow and gross margins uncertain. Many of those challenges remain. Hardware is not suddenly easy. But AI, computer vision, simulation, edge computing and increasingly capable off-the-shelf components are changing the economics. Hardware can now be monitored and controlled more intelligently. A machine can adapt to its environment, detect faults, collect data and operate with less human intervention. Software-based improvements can also increase the capabilities of deployed hardware without requiring the entire physical product to be redesigned. This can make a hardware startup more scalable and, in some respects, more software-like in its business model. The line between software and hardware is getting blurred and we are seeing more credible robotics and advanced-manufacturing opportunities at pre-seed stage that don’t necessarily require millions of pounds of capital to get to market. **ScrubMarine**, for example, is developing autonomous underwater robots that clean and inspect ship hulls. Its lightweight Turtle robot is designed to remove biofouling while capturing inspection data, replacing work that can otherwise require dry-docking or hazardous diving operations. **Fairfield Vision** combines specialised sensors and computer vision to detect crop disease, forecast yields and generate actionable maps for growers. The resulting intelligence can also support autonomous agricultural applications. **Hydra Manufacturing**, a University of Leeds spinout, is developing a hybrid additive-manufacturing platform for advanced ceramic components. Its system uses AI-powered defect detection to identify and autonomously correct problems during printing rather than discovering them after a part has failed. We expect to see more companies combining robotics, sensors and domain-specific AI to address labour shortages, safety risks, infrastructure maintenance, agriculture, manufacturing and environmental monitoring. #### **3. University spinouts are becoming more attractive** UK universities have always produced exceptional research. Historically the challenge has sometimes been to convert that research into companies with structures, teams and commercial plans that work for external investors. We see this changing rapidly as university incubators and commercialisation programmes are becoming more professional and increasingly standardised. Founders are generally better prepared, university teams have a clearer understanding of venture financing, and investment terms are becoming more attractive. The adoption of the University Spin-out Investment Terms guides has helped establish clearer expectations around equity, licensing, royalties and due diligence. More than 70 UK universities have now adopted the guides, according to TenU, while the Royal Academy of Engineering reports that average university equity stakes have fallen to approximately 16% - down from the 22–25% range seen before the 2023 reforms. There is still considerable variation between institutions and individual transactions. However, the trend is clearly positive: negotiation and deal execution is becoming faster, cap tables more investable and incentives better aligned between universities, founders and investors. The old stereotype of a university spinout limited to drug development programmes requiring enormous amounts of capital and ten or more years before commercialisation is also becoming increasingly untrue. Our recent spinout investments are not research projects, they are startup companies commercialising valuable intellectual property with identified customers and routes to market. Some recent examples include: - **Instruct3D**, originating from the University of Sheffield, which combines physics-based modelling, sensors and data to improve the reliability and certification of additive manufacturing; - **Hydra Manufacturing**, from the University of Leeds, developing intelligent manufacturing equipment for advanced ceramics; - **RemePhy**, an Imperial College London spinout using plants and soil bacteria to remediate land contaminated by heavy metals; - **Neubond**, another Imperial spinout, developing wearable neuromuscular technology for stroke rehabilitation. University spinouts are now a significant part of our dealflow, sourced through direct relationships with universities across the UK and through our work as an approved investor partner of Innovate UK, which provides another important source of high-quality deep tech ventures, combining our equity investments with non-dilutive R&D funding. #### **4. Pre-seed is becoming the new seed** The final trend has to do with the terms of pre-seed rounds and what founders are expected to have achieved before raising their first funding round. Based on our own investment data, average pre-seed round sizes are now approximately **40% higher than they were two years ago**, while entry valuations have also increased by around **25%**.\* At the same time, the companies raising these rounds are more advanced. Pre-seed companies increasingly look like seed-stage companies did two years ago. More than half of the businesses we now invest in are already generating revenue at pre-seed. Only a couple of years ago, that figure was closer to 30%. This reflects how much founders can accomplish without external capital. Cloud infrastructure, AI-generated software development, no-code tools and easier distribution allow small teams to build and test products much faster. A company that might once have raised its first round with a presentation and prototype may now have a functioning product, several customers and real-life revenue. This is positive in several respects. It provides investors with more evidence and can reduce product market fit risk. It also raises an important question: if companies can reach revenue with less external capital, will they ultimately need fewer funding rounds before reaching Series A, profitability or an exit? That could produce better outcomes for founders and early investors through less dilution and simpler capital structures. However, that theory is not yet proven and it will take at least 2-3 years to be validated by the market. Series A expectations have also increased, and many companies are using larger pre-seed rounds to fund more ambitious milestones. Higher entry valuations will only benefit investors if eventual exit values increase correspondingly. If they do not, paying 25% more at entry could have a negative effect on long-term fund returns. #### **Discipline matters more than ever** Innovation cycles are clearly accelerating and a category that appears highly attractive today can be commoditised quickly by a new model, platform feature or open-source product. This is one reason we believe a generalist strategy remains particularly valuable at pre-seed. It allows us to compare opportunities across sectors and avoid assuming that the most heavily promoted theme will necessarily generate the best returns. Across AI, robotics, university spinouts and the wider pre-seed market, the fundamentals remain largely unchanged: does the product solve an important problem? Does the team have the ability to build the right product and commercialise it? Is there credible evidence that customers are ready to pay? Can the company build something difficult to replicate? And does the valuation leave sufficient room to generate long-term returns? The tools available to founders are changing fast and are making it easier to launch a business and generate real-life traction with limited capital. However, this does not mean that all investment opportunities become automatically more attractive and as an investor it’s essential not to lose sight of the fundamentals across all the noise. *Figures relating to SFC’s applications, investments, round sizes, valuations and portfolio revenue are based on internal SFC Capital data as of August 2026. This article is provided for information only and does not constitute investment advice.* *\** Year-over-year analysis of the first tax year cohort. 18 companies from Angel Fund SEIS 24/25 T1 vs. 16 companies Angel Fund SEIS 26/27 T1. Capital at risk. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. ## Related Articles 23 Feb 2023 ##### [SEIS and EIS Funds Explained: How to Invest in UK Startups with Tax Relief](https://sfccapital.com/blog/seis-and-eis-funds-how-do-they-work) Last updated: 11 December 2025 Key Takeaways Tax Relief: Claim back up to 50% of your SEIS investmen... [Read More](https://sfccapital.com/blog/seis-and-eis-funds-how-do-they-work) 3 Feb 2026 ##### [SEIS and EIS Loss Relief Explained](https://sfccapital.com/blog/s/eis-loss-relief) Early-stage investing is risky. Complete losses in the portfolio are part of the game. SEIS and EIS ... [Read More](https://sfccapital.com/blog/s/eis-loss-relief) 26 Jan 2025 ##### [SFC Capital Invests Into 500th UK Startup](https://sfccapital.com/blog/500) SFC Capital is marking an important milestone: We have now officially invested in our 500th portfoli... 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There is no assurance that the investment objectives of any investment opportunity will be achieved or that the strategies and methods described herein will be successful. The investment products cited herein may place capital at risk and therefore investors may not get back the full amount invested. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance and the value of an investment may go down as well as up. Investors may not get back the full amount invested. Companies’ pitches for investment are not offers to the public and investments can only be made by members of SFC Capital. SFC Capital takes no responsibility for this information or for any recommendations or opinions made by the companies. Neither SFC Capital nor any of its employees provide any financial or tax advice in relation to the investments and investors are recommended to seek independent financial and tax advice before committing. 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