Top 50 Nanotechnology Companies in the UK | 2026

Lily Ruaah,
 14 May 2026

UK nanotechnology companies raised £148m across 40 deals in 2025 — the third consecutive year above £148m and a sustained plateau just below the sector’s pandemic-era peak of £190m in 2022. In total, nanotechnology companies in the UK have raised £1.09b across all equity fundraisings tracked by Beauhurst, with 78% of that total arriving since the start of 2020. The sector has opened 2026 with £30.4m raised through the first quarter.

We’ve ranked the top 50 nanotechnology companies by total equity raised (all data sourced from the Beauhurst platform).

An overview of the nanotechnology sector

Nanotechnology covers the engineering, manipulation, and application of materials and structures at the nanometre scale — typically between 1 and 100 nanometres. UK nanotechnology companies span a remarkable range of end markets, from advanced materials such as graphene and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) through to nano-coatings, super-resolution microscopy and imaging tools, drug delivery systems, biosensors, energy storage components, photovoltaic technology, carbon capture materials, and quantum photonics hardware.

Beauhurst tracks 157 active nanotechnology companies in the UK, up from 70 in the final quarter of 2015 — a 124% increase over the decade. Together, these companies have raised £1.09b, with £848m of that arriving since 2020 (78% of the sector’s all-time total). The 19 companies reporting full financials generated £866m in turnover, and the sector supports an estimated 4,988 employees across the UK.

Key findings

  • Lightcast tops the ranking with £103m raised. The East of England-based company develops technology to manipulate cells for drug discovery, and accounts for 9.5% of all UK nanotechnology equity raised to date.
  • P2i (£100m, South East) takes second place with liquid-repellent nano-coatings for electronics and medical devices, followed by Oxford Nanoimaging (£84.1m, South East) in super-resolution microscopy, Biodexa Pharmaceuticals (£76.0m, Wales) in nano-formulated treatments for high-unmet-need conditions, and Infinitesima (£52.4m, South East) in nano-scale 3D imaging for biotechnology and manufacturing inspection. The top five account for 38% of all equity raised in UK nanotechnology.
  • The East of England hosts 12 of the top 50 — the only sector in our series where it leads, reflecting the depth of the Cambridge research and spinout ecosystem. London (nine) and the South East (10) follow, with the South West (four), North West (three), and a long tail of single-company representations across both Scottish regional codes plus Tayside, the North East, Northern Ireland, Yorkshire and The Humber, the West Midlands, and Wales. The top 50 spans 13 UK regions in total.
  • Venture-stage businesses dominate the top 50 (28), followed by growth-stage (10) and seed-stage (eight), with just two established companies, one zombie, and one dead. The two mature names make nanotechnology the most early-stage top 50 of any sector we’ve analysed — a reflection of how recently most of these spinouts have moved from university lab to commercial scale.
  • The top 50 collectively raised £809m — 74% of the sector’s all-time total.

Methodology

To be included in this list of nanotechnology companies, companies must be:

  • Headquartered in the UK
  • Operating in the ‘Nanotechnology’ Beauhurst industry classification
  • Listed as ‘Active’ on Companies House

We’ve then ranked these companies by total equity raised.

If you’re a Beauhurst subscriber, you can view this list directly in the platform and apply additional filters to refine the results.

Analysis accurate as of 7 May 2026. The table below is updated weekly to reflect the most recent data from the Beauhurst platform.

Top 50 nanotechnology companies in the UK

10.

Total amount raised: £185m
Total equity rounds: 5
Established: 2014
Location: Oxford

Oxa develops software designed to power driverless vehicles, with technology that uses features such as cameras and lasers in order to sense and navigate the surrounding environment. In 2023, the UK government announced that Oxa had been included in their Advanced Manufacturing Plan, setting out £150m of investment to supercharge the self-driving vehicle sector. They have received £185m to date through five rounds of fundraising, including £113m in December 2022, aimed at selling its software to a wider range of industries and growing worldwide.

9. Callsign

Total amount raised: £215m
Total equity rounds: 5
Established: 2010
Location: City of London

Focusing on creating smooth customer interactions, AI company Callsign has produced technology for passive authentication, fraud prevention, and intelligence. Its proprietary technology uses artificial intelligence to mimic how humans recognise each other. In October 2021, Visa choseCallsign as their preferred behavioural biometric and device intelligence identity partner across Europe. Callsign is the world’s fastest-growing behavioural authentication and intelligence company. It has raised a total of £215m in investment, across five funding rounds. The company’s main investors include JP Morgan, AllegisCyber, and NightDragon Security.

8. Lendable

Total amount raised: £216m
Total equity rounds: 7
Established: 2014
Location: Hackney

Lendable is a fintech company developing a peer-to-peer lending platform for consumer finance. The company’s AI software matches users with appropriate investors, leveraging artificial intelligence and automated underwriting to quickly approve loans. Lendable also offers loans to those with lower credit scores to provide a fairer borrowing solution. Lendable has raised £216m, across seven funding rounds, since 2014. It’s expanded to offices in New York, Nairobi, and Singapore, and has featured in several high growth lists: 2022’s FT 1000, the Deloitte Fast 50 in both 2019 and 2020, and the Fast Tech Track 100, also in 2019 and 2020. Additionally, in 2018, Lendable participated in Addleshaw Goddard’s AG Elevate accelerator programme for scaling fintech startups.

7. Huma

Total amount raised: £236m
Total equity rounds: 10
Established: 2011
Location: Westminster

​​Huma (previously Medopad) is developing a web-based portal for hospitals and healthcare professionals to contain, manage, and collect health records. This data is then accessible to patients through a mobile app. Alongside its main goal of managing healthcare data, Huma also works on digital health insights and has developed wearable technology to detect digital biomarkers and assess health in real-time. Huma has been working with many organisations around the world, including the NHS, to monitor COVID-19 patients remotely. The AI company has secured £236m in fundraisings, from investors including Healthbox, Nexus Investments, Bayer, and NWS Holdings. In 2020, the company acquired two businesses: stress and productivity biometric startup BioBeats, and Tarilian, an optoelectronic sensor company that makes technology for measuring blood pressure and heart monitoring. They have since acquired Alcedis, developers of a platform for the digitisation of clinical trials that can be integrated with third-party systems, and iPLATO, developers of an app that improves patients’ access to GP practices through an online booking system, and provides a platform for healthcare campaigns.

6. Patsnap

Total amount raised: £251m
Total equity rounds: 4
Established: 2007
Location: Southwark

Patsnap has created a web-based platform to help clients assess intellectual property patents, with access to patent expiry dates, licensing, renewal, and legal information for tech companies. The lawtech company’s platform is powered by artificial intelligence algorithms and natural language processing, to parse patents and IP, as well as extract and cross-match critical information. It can even analyse more complex documents, like clinical trials, chemical structures patents, and litigation records. Patsnap has over 10k customers in over 50 countries, including big names like Tesla, Dyson, and NASA. So far, the company has secured £251m in investment, across four funding rounds.

5. Quantexa

Total amount raised: £286m
Total equity rounds: 6
Established: 2016
Location: Lambeth

Quantexa is a cybersecurity firm that develops AI technology to secure organisations’ data and flag illegal activity. It works closely with industries that handle large datasets (such as banking, e-commerce, and the public sector), to create analytical models that uncover data risk, reveal opportunities, and enhance decision making. The company is backed by AlbionVC, Dawn Capital, HSBC Enterprise Fund, and Accenture, among others. In its latest funding round, Quantexa raised £104m in investment. This took the company’s total fundraisings to £286m. Quantexa has attended both the Microsoft ScaleUp accelerator and Tech Nation’s Future Fifty accelerator. It has also appeared on several high-growth lists, including The Telegraph’s Tech Hot 100, Fast Track’s Tech Track 100, InsurTech 100, and the 2021 edition of The Regtech 100.

4. Gousto

Total amount raised: £321m
Total equity rounds: 14
Established: 2012
Location: Shepherds Bush

Gousto is a meal kit delivery service that provides exact ingredients and portions to customers with instructions on how to prepare the dish. The food tech unicorn, backed by celebrity fitness coach, Joe Wicks, and Japanese investment giant SoftBank, is powered by AI, a technology used since its founding. They have received £321m in funding to date, through 14 rounds of funding. The most recent of these was in February 2023, which saw £50m invested to support them during times of economic uncertainty. Their post-money valuation was listed as £239m. They have been named on a number of high-growth lists, including the FT 1000, Fast Track Tech Track 100, and Top 100 – Britain’s Fastest Growing Businesses. They also attended the Future Fifty accelerator in 2017.

3. Cera

Total amount raised: £366m
Total equity rounds: 9
Established: 2015
Location: Islington

Cera provides homecare, telehealth consultations, and prescription services, which can be managed through a mobile app, which also allows users to book appointments with nurses on demand. To date, they have secured £366m through nine rounds of fundraising. In August 2022, they raised £81.3m to invest in increasing their capacity to help more patients, a project that was invested into by 8090 Partners, Evolve Healthcare Partners, Guinness Ventures, and Jane Street, amongst others. They have attended DigitalHealth.London Accelerator, PwC Scale Programmes, and Govstart.

2. Thought Machine

Total amount raised: £392m
Total equity rounds: 8
Established: 2011
Location: Islington

Thought Machine develops fintech software Vault, which enables banks and financial services providers to centrally manage a range of products. Its core banking platforms can be used to run day-to-day operations, improving the cost, speed, and adaptability of legacy systems. Thought Machine’s software is accessed through an API and has a large artificial intelligence component. The AI company has raised £398m in growth capital so far, across seven funding rounds, with the likes of Molten Ventures (previously Draper Esprit), IQ Capital, Playfair Capital, and British Patient Capital. Its most recent fundraising, secured in July 2020, saw the company valued at £221m pre-money. Alongside new investors ING Ventures, JP Morgan Chase Strategic Investments, and Standard Charter Investments, this latest raise also saw Thought Machine reach unicorn status.

1. Graphcore

Total amount raised: £528m
Total equity rounds: 9
Established: 2016
Location: City of Bristol

Graphcore operates in the semiconductor processing chip industry, developing and manufacturing chips made specifically to accelerate artificial intelligence and machine learning tasks. Graphcore’s chips use Intelligence Process Unit (IPU) technology, housing 1,472 separate IPU-Cores, capable of executing 8,832 separate parallel computing threads. The Bristol-based AI startup has grown from strength to strength since 2016, with a total of nine funding rounds under its belt, which saw it reach unicorn status after just four years of trading. Graphcore has raised more than half a billion pounds in investment, and is partnered with large tech companies such as Microsoft and Dell Technologies. The company has offices in London, Cambridge, Oslo, Beijing, Seoul, and across the US.
Last Updated: 14 May 2026
# Company Region Stage Employees Total Raised
1 Lightcast East of England Growth 100-249 £103,194,239

Lightcast

Lightcast develops technology designed to manipulate cells for drug discovery.

https://www.lightcast.bio/
Industries Biotechnology Research tools and reagents
2 P2i South East Established 100-249 £100,168,045

P2i

P2i develops liquid-repellent nano-coating technology designed to completely cover 3D objects and protect from accidental submersion, humidity and weather.

https://www.p2i.com/
Industries Electronics hardware Manufacturing Materials technology Medical devices and instruments
3 Oxford Nanoimaging South East Growth 100-249 £84,061,475

Oxford Nanoimaging

Oxford Nanoimaging designs, develops, and manufactures super-resolution microscopes.

https://oni.bio/
Industries Clinical research Pharmaceuticals Research tools and reagents
4 Biodexa Pharmaceuticals Wales Venture 10-24 £76,005,237

Biodexa Pharmaceuticals

Biodexa Pharmaceuticals develops biopharmaceutical treatments which aim to target serious conditions which currently have high unmet clinical needs.

https://biodexapharma.com/
Industries Alternative medicine Biotechnology Clinical research Manufacturing Pharmaceuticals
5 Infinitesima South East Established 50-99 £52,357,181

Infinitesima

Infinitesima develops technology that allows the user to take 3D high-speed, nano-scale images in a non-vacuum environment, used in areas such as biotechnology and manufacturing inspection.

https://www.infinitesima.com/
Industries Distribution and wholesale Electronics hardware Heavy equipment and machinery Manufacturing Physical product design, testing and quality assurance
6 Echion Technologies East of England Growth 50-99 £50,901,736

Echion Technologies

Echion Technologies seeks to commercialise the production of lithium-ion batteries by developing cost effective components, such as using alternative materials for the battery's active anode.

https://www.echiontech.com/
Industries Energy storage Manufacturing Parts and components
7 AQDOT East of England Growth 25-49 £30,299,999

AQDOT

AQDOT develops supramolecular chemistry technology designed to enable the capture and release of materials as and when it is required.

https://aqdot.com/
Industries Chemicals Physical sciences research
8 Immaterial East of England Venture 25-49 £29,200,915

Immaterial

Immaterial has developed technology to shape metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) from their powdered form, into pellets which have greater density and volumetric storage capacity. The company uses the technology to produce highly porous nanomaterials for more energy efficient gas separation and storage, tailored to be selective for specific gases.

https://immaterial.com/
Industries Materials technology
9 CamGraPhIC East of England Venture 10-24 £25,323,699

CamGraPhIC

CamGraPhIC develops graphene-based technology designed to improve 5g telecommunications.

https://www.camgraphic-technology.com/
Industries Materials technology Telecommunication infrastructure
10 NanoSyrinx West Midlands Venture 10-24 £23,809,640

NanoSyrinx

NanoSyrinx develops a nano-syringe that aims to allow medicine to efficiently access the interior of a cell.

https://www.nanosyrinx.com/
Industries Pharmaceuticals
11 Cambridge Medical Technologies East of England Growth 10-24 £22,240,163

Cambridge Medical Technologies

Cambridge Medical Technologies (CMT) develops LabPatch, a plaster with an integrated chip that tracks certain bodily metrics through fluid sampling.

https://www.cambridgemedtech.com/
Industries Chips and processors Electronics hardware Manufacturing Medical devices and instruments Sensors
12 Anaphite South West Venture 25-49 £18,061,702

Anaphite

Anaphite develops metal oxide-graphene nanocomposites to be incorporated into L-ion batteries, with the aim of reducing cost and increasing capacity.

https://www.anaphite.com/
Industries Energy storage Materials technology Non-precious metals, steel and other alloys Parts and components Waste management and recycling
13 KluraLabs East of England Venture 10-24 £15,449,404

KluraLabs

KluraLabs develops a coating designed to protect surfaces from microbes and viruses.

https://klura.com/
Industries Materials technology Research tools and reagents
14 CelluComp East of Scotland Growth 10-24 £14,129,775

CelluComp

CelluComp develops materials based on the extraction of nano-cellulose fibres which have a range of applications.

https://www.cellucomp.com/
Industries Manufacturing Materials technology Packaging and printing Physical sciences research
15 Abselion East of England Venture 10-24 £12,750,000

Abselion

Abselion develops nanotechnology, including graphene, which is used in biosensors and aims to provide quick detection for medical and hygiene issues.

https://www.abselion.com/
Industries Electronics hardware Materials technology Sensors
16 FabricNano London Venture 25-49 £11,593,656

FabricNano

FabricNano develops nanotechnology and biotechnology to synthesise chemicals.

https://www.fabricnano.com/
Industries Biotechnology Chemicals
17 Carbometrics South West Venture 10-24 £10,972,115

Carbometrics

Carbometrics has developed a form of carbohydrate-binding molecule, called Glucose Binding Molecules (GBMs), which are designed to sense and select glucose.

https://www.carbometrics.com/
Industries Pharmaceuticals
18 Advanced Material Development South East Venture 10-24 £8,663,584

Advanced Material Development

Advanced Material Development provides funding for materials nanotechnology research programmes and also manufactures graphene products. Its subsidiary CoM3D develops technologies that focus on emerging healthcare fields.

https://amdnano.com/
Industries Investment banking and corporate finance Materials technology Pharmaceuticals
19 Graphene Composites North East Venture 10-24 £8,471,261

Graphene Composites

Graphene Composites Ltd develops a light material around 1000 times stronger than steel by combining graphene and aerogel, for use in a number of areas such as aircraft and ballistic armour.

https://graphenecomposites.com/
Industries Materials technology Military and defence
20 NextGen Nano London Venture <5 £8,275,028

NextGen Nano

NextGen Nano develops polymer solar cell technology, aiming to improve the power generation of solar panels.

https://nextgen-nano.co.uk/
Industries Renewable energy
21 AegiQ Yorkshire and The Humber Venture 10-24 £8,242,498

AegiQ

AegiQ develops quantum computing photonics hardware.

https://aegiq.com/
Industries Electronics hardware
22 Nuada Northern Ireland Growth 50-99 £7,899,997

Nuada

Nuada develops metal organic framework (MOF) technology for its use in gas storage, separation and capture, which can be used in carbon capture and in natural gas vehicles.

https://nuadaco2.com/
Industries Energy management and reduction Materials technology Waste management and recycling
23 Milvus Advanced London Venture 10-24 £7,540,000

Milvus Advanced

Milvus Advanced transforms common metals into nanomaterials and precious metals for green fuels, in order to reduce the environmental impact of mining.

https://www.milvusadvanced.co.uk/
Industries Manufacturing Materials technology Mining, boring and drilling Non-precious metals, steel and other alloys Renewable energy
24 Level Zero Health London Seed <5 £5,500,000

Level Zero Health

Level Zero Health creates wearable devices that monitor hormone levels in real time.

https://www.levelzerohealth.com/
Industries Data provision and analysis Medical devices and instruments Sensors
25 Barton Blakeley Technologies East of England Venture 5-9 £4,808,049

Barton Blakeley Technologies

Barton Blakeley Technologies develops carbon conversion technology that is designed for the production of high value industrial materials, nanomaterials and clean energy sources.

https://bartonblakeley.com/
Industries Energy management and reduction Glass Materials technology Plastics and rubber Renewable energy
26 Epigenetica Tayside Zombie 10-24 £4,486,557

Epigenetica

Epigenetica develops proprietary electric field nanobubble technology, which aims to improve crop yields and quality.

https://www.epigenetica.co.uk/
Industries Agriculture, land farming and forestry
27 Glen Clova Scientific West of Scotland Seed 10-24 £4,384,913

Glen Clova Scientific

Glen Clova Scientific develops pharmaceutical products for inflammatory diseases, which aim to allow patients to form natural antibodies.

https://glenclovascientific.com/
Industries Biotechnology Clinical research Pharmaceuticals
28 Oxford nanoSystems South East Growth 5-9 £4,268,389

Oxford nanoSystems

Oxford nanoSystems designs nanocoatings aimed at improving the heat transfer of surfaces.

https://oxfordnanosystems.com/
Industries Materials technology
29 Hardide Coatings South East Growth 25-49 £3,930,000

Hardide Coatings

Hardide Coatings develops and manufactures composite nanostructure surface coatings for metal components.

https://hardide.com/
Industries Aircraft Electricity generation Manufacturing Materials technology Non-precious metals, steel and other alloys Parts and components
30 BioZeroc East of England Seed 10-24 £3,538,335

BioZeroc

BioZeroc develops carbon-negative construction materials by using biotechnology.

https://www.biozeroc.com/
Industries Biotechnology Materials technology Provision of raw materials
31 Heart Biotech South East Venture <5 £3,485,571

Heart Biotech

Heart Biotech develops synthetic scaffold heart valves that encourage tissue regeneration, to be used in heart valve replacements.

https://heartbiotech.co.uk/
Industries Biotechnology Manufacturing Medical devices and instruments
32 Glaia South West Venture 5-9 £3,341,059

Glaia

Glaia develops biostimulants for the agricultural sector, aiming to increase crop yield, without increasing greenhouse gases, by enhancing the rate of photosynthesis.

https://www.glaia.co.uk/
Industries Agriculture, land farming and forestry Biotechnology
33 Causeway Sensors Northern Ireland Growth 10-24 £3,291,945

Causeway Sensors

Causeway Sensors develops nanotechnology designed to provide kinetic analysis during biotherapeutic production to improve candidate selection for drug discovery.

https://www.causewaysensors.com/
Industries Electronics hardware Pharmaceuticals Research tools and reagents Sensors
34 Nium South East Seed 10-24 £3,251,236

Nium

Nium develops nanotechnology with an aim of removing carbon from ammonia production and providing a fuel source to reduce pollution.

https://www.wearenium.com/
Industries Chemicals Energy management and reduction Land, water and air management Oil and gas Research tools and reagents
35 NanOptima North West Venture 5-9 £3,093,279

NanOptima

NanOptima develops nanoparticles and ophthalmic gels that are designed to improve the effectiveness of eye treatments.

https://www.nanoptima.com/
Industries Pharmaceuticals
36 Cambridge Photon Technology East of England Venture 10-24 £3,075,729

Cambridge Photon Technology

Cambridge Photon Technology designs and manufactures its Photon Multiplier Film, which is nanotechnology that enables solar photovoltaic cells to capture energy more efficiently.

https://www.cambridgephoton.com/
Industries Parts and components Renewable energy
37 LIG Nanowise West Midlands Venture <5 £3,000,000

LIG Nanowise

LIG Nanowise produce high-resolution optical microscopes. They also make a patterning system that creates structures on a nanoscale.

https://www.lig-nanowise.com/
Industries Research tools and reagents
38 Nanovery North East Venture 10-24 £2,994,993

Nanovery

Nanovery develops nanorobots for the diagnosis of diseases such as cancer.

https://nanovery.co.uk/
Industries Clinical diagnostics Robots and automation
39 Datatecnics North West Venture 10-24 £2,931,241

Datatecnics

Datatecnics develops nanotechnologies for the energy, utilities, cyber and aviation security industries such as the 'Nano-water Processing System'(NWPS).

https://www.datatecnics.com/
Industries Application software Manufacturing Parts and components
40 NuNano South West Venture 10-24 £2,628,506

NuNano

NuNano develops and produces probes which are used in Atomic Force Microscopes (AFM).

https://www.nunano.com/
Industries Electronics hardware Manufacturing Parts and components Research tools and reagents Sensors
41 Iceni Glycoscience East of England Venture 5-9 £2,357,288

Iceni Glycoscience

Iceni Glycoscience develops carbohydrate-based therapeutics and point-of-care diagnostics for infectious diseases using their own research in glycoscience, nanoparticle technology, and bioconjugation chemistry.

https://www.iceniglycoscience.com/
Industries Clinical diagnostics Pharmaceuticals Research tools and reagents
42 Cnuic Technologies East of Scotland Seed 5-9 £2,216,025

Cnuic Technologies

Cnuic Technologies develops photolithography technology for use in precision engineering.

https://cnuic.com/
Industries Chips and processors Manufacturing Materials technology Physical sciences research
43 2D Nano London Seed 5-9 £2,000,000

2D Nano

2D Nano manufactures advanced materials such as graphene.

Industries Manufacturing Materials technology
44 Nanomox London Venture 10-24 £1,903,479

Nanomox

Nanomox develops advanced materials including nano and micro metal oxide particles and ultra-thin films, providing a more sustainable alternative to traditional material manufacturing processes.

https://nanomox.net/
Industries Chemicals Materials technology Non-precious metals, steel and other alloys Physical sciences research Provision of raw materials
45 nanoTherics North West Venture <5 £1,761,890

nanoTherics

nanoTherics has developed a method of promoting the uptake of molecules by cells, using magnetic technology. It has also designed a device the facilitates this procedure.

http://www.nanotherics.com/
Industries Clinical diagnostics Clinical research Electronics hardware Manufacturing Parts and components Physical product design, testing and quality assurance Research tools and reagents
46 Molymem London Venture 10-24 £1,641,722

Molymem

Molymem develops membrane nanomaterials for use in a range of applications, such as removal of industrial pollutants.

https://molymem.com/
Industries Materials technology Waste management and recycling
47 PolyCatUK South East Venture 5-9 £1,624,089

PolyCatUK

PolyCatUK develops metal nanoparticle catalysts used in plastics manufacturing.

https://www.polycat.co.uk/
Industries Plastics and rubber
48 LiquidNano London Dead 10-24 £1,412,238

LiquidNano

LiquidNano manufactures screen protectors for mobiles and the automotive industry using nanotechnology to provide a protective coating against cracks and scratches.

https://liquidnanoshop.com/
Industries Accessories for tech devices Cars, motorcycles and other road vehicles Online retailing
49 Aegis FibreTech South East Seed <5 £1,249,965

Aegis FibreTech

Aegis FibreTech manufactures thermal insulation made from electrospun nanofibre technology.

https://www.aegisfibretech.com/
Industries Manufacturing Materials technology
50 NIVD London Seed 5-9 £1,167,575

NIVD

NIVD provides a pre-symptomatic diagnostic platform using nano sensors to help detect diseases and develop precision medicine.

https://nivd.world/
Industries Clinical diagnostics Medical devices and instruments

Unlock the full list of top 50 nanotechnology companies

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The future of nanotechnology in the UK

UK nanotechnology company formations have averaged roughly eight new businesses per year over the past decade, with the highest counts in 2018 (12) and 2017 (11) and a recent uptick to 10 in 2025. Investment trajectory tells a flatter story than most sectors we’ve analysed: after climbing to £190m in 2022, annual funding has hovered between £148m and £164m for three consecutive years, with no sharp rebound and no decline. Deal volume has stayed similarly steady at 40-49 per year since 2020. The combination — sustained capital deployment, modest formation rates, an overwhelmingly early-stage top 50, and a heavy concentration in research-heavy clusters around Cambridge and Oxford — describes a sector that has settled into a steady scientific commercialisation rhythm rather than a hype-driven funding cycle.

Advanced materials remain the most distinctive theme of UK nanotechnology and the largest concentration of companies in the top 50. Graphene specialists CamGraPhIC (£25.3m), Anaphite (£18.1m), Advanced Material Development, Graphene Composites, and 2D Nano are joined by metal-organic framework developers Immaterial (£29.2m) and Nuada (£7.90m), nano-cellulose specialist CelluComp (£14.1m), nano-coating providers P2i (£100m), Oxford nanoSystems, Hardide Coatings, and KluraLabs, plus nanofibre, nanoparticle, and membrane specialists across Aegis FibreTech, Nanomox, Molymem, and Carbometrics. The cluster captures a sector where the underlying science has moved from research breakthrough to commercial product, with applications spanning electronics, telecommunications, packaging, and surface engineering.

A second cluster is built around life sciences and drug delivery. Lightcast (£103m), Oxford Nanoimaging (£84.1m), Biodexa Pharmaceuticals (£76.0m), and NanoSyrinx (£23.8m) lead a group that also includes Cambridge Medical Technologies, Causeway Sensors, Heart Biotech, NanOptima, Nanovery (nanorobotic disease diagnostics), Iceni Glycoscience, nanoTherics, and NIVD — applying nano-scale tools to drug discovery, super-resolution imaging, biosensors, targeted drug delivery, and pre-symptomatic diagnostics. A third cluster centres on energy and sustainability: Echion Technologies (£50.9m) and Anaphite are improving lithium-ion battery materials, NextGen Nano and Cambridge Photon Technology are advancing solar cell efficiency, Nuada and Nium are working on carbon capture and clean ammonia, BioZeroc is developing carbon-negative concrete via biotechnology, and Glaia is enhancing photosynthesis for agriculture. Finally, AegiQ stands out as a pure-play quantum photonics nanotech, building hardware at the boundary between materials science and quantum computing. Together these themes describe a UK nanotechnology sector with deep scientific foundations across multiple end markets, where a handful of higher-profile spinouts are starting to reach commercial scale while a long pipeline of seed and venture-stage businesses continues to feed the top of the funnel.

FAQ

The top 50 nanotechnology companies in the UK, ranked by total equity raised, are led by Lightcast, P2i, Oxford Nanoimaging, Biodexa Pharmaceuticals, and Infinitesima. Each has raised more than £52m in equity funding to date.

Companies are ranked by the total amount of equity they have raised across all announced and unannounced fundraisings tracked by Beauhurst.

The top 50 UK nanotechnology companies have collectively raised £809m — 74% of the £1.09b raised by all UK nanotechnology companies tracked by Beauhurst.

Nanotechnology refers to the engineering, manipulation, and application of materials and structures at the nanometre scale (typically 1–100 nanometres). UK nanotechnology companies span advanced materials (graphene, metal-organic frameworks, nano-cellulose), nano-coatings, super-resolution microscopy and imaging, drug delivery and biosensors, energy storage, solar photovoltaics, carbon capture, and quantum photonics hardware.

The East of England is home to the largest number of top 50 nanotechnology companies with 12, reflecting the strength of the Cambridge research and spinout ecosystem. London (nine) and the South East (10) follow. The top 50 spans 13 UK regions in total, including all four nations.

Yes. The number of active UK nanotechnology companies has grown 124% over the past decade, from 70 in the final quarter of 2015 to 157 today. Annual fundraising has held steady at £148m–£190m every year since 2022, with 2025 closing at £148m and 2026 already off the mark with £30.4m through the first quarter.

UK nanotechnology companies operate across a wide range of sub-fields including advanced materials (graphene, MOFs, nano-cellulose, nanocomposites), nano-coatings, super-resolution microscopy, drug delivery and nano-formulated pharmaceuticals, biosensors and pre-symptomatic diagnostics, lithium-ion battery materials, solar photovoltaics, carbon capture materials, and quantum photonics hardware.

Yes. The ranking includes companies at all stages of evolution. Within the top 50, venture-stage companies are by far the largest group with 28 entries, followed by growth-stage (10) and seed-stage (eight), alongside two established companies, one zombie, and one dead — making nanotechnology the most early-stage top 50 of any sector we’ve analysed.

The underlying table is updated weekly using the latest data from the Beauhurst platform. Analysis and commentary were last refreshed on 7 May 2026.

All data in this article is sourced from the Beauhurst platform, which tracks equity fundraisings, company financials, and growth signals for UK and German companies.

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An associate will work with you to build a sophisticated search, returning a dynamic list of organisations that match your ideal customer profile.

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