Record year for start-up fundingOfficial figures show venture capital investment rose to £13.5bn for the first six months of the year, more than was raised across the whole of 2020. A report from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport found 1,700 start-ups benefited from venture capital investment in the first half. Total investment outstripped France and Germany combined. Fintech investment accounted for £4.2bn of the funding over the period and fintech firms made up 11 of the 20 companies that achieved $1bn valuations in the first half of 2021.