Fuel Ventures announce £20 million round of Chinese investment  – London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com

One of the UK’s leading venture capital funds, Fuel Ventures, has announced a round of Chinese investment of £20 million, with investors including Shijingshan Industrial Fund and Zhongguancun Development Group.

According to Fuel Ventures, these partnerships confirm that ‘the UK is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for Chinese investors’ due to the education standards of the UK, culture, and strong tech focus.

Mark Pearson, founder of Fuel Ventures, shared, “We’ve been working closely with our Chinese partners to direct investments into UK startups, focusing on exciting areas like fintech, AI, and SaaS. This growing UK-China partnership is part of a broader push for international collaboration as we see more cash directed from the US to the UK following Trump’s election. Together, we’re creating opportunities for startups and entrepreneurs in both countries, building a strong connection between their tech ecosystems.

“Strategic investors from China bring immense potential to unlock new opportunities for UK and European-founded tech companies, enabling them to enter and succeed in the vast Chinese market—one of the largest and most dynamic in the world. By fostering these relationships, Fuel Ventures positions itself as an attractive fund for entrepreneurs and founders with ambitions of achieving true global domination, offering access to both Western and Eastern markets and a pathway to long-term international success.”

Jing Jing Xu, Managing Director at Fuel Ventures Asia, said, “With the UK tech industry standing as Europe’s leading ecosystem and ranking third-largest globally, the UK is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for Chinese investors. The quality of UK technology and innovation stands out globally, offering more consistent growth opportunities compared to other markets.

“Chinese investors have always valued education highly, and the UK is home to some of the world’s best universities and secondary education institutions. These not only nurture top-tier talent but also create strong ecosystems for research and innovation.

“Over 154,000 Chinese students were enrolled in studies across the United Kingdom in 2023, which represents an increase of more than 80% in the number of Chinese students attending British higher education institutions over the past decade. Not only this, but the UK and China have also established 47 joint institutes and over 260 approved joint programmes at the bachelor’s degree level and beyond.

“After our recent meeting with the Deputy Mayor of Beijing, who emphasised a strong commitment to introducing advanced technology into China, we are delighted to have established a robust partnership with both the Mayor and Chinese investors, strengthening collaboration opportunities through our latest round of investments.”