Future Ready Spaces: What's driving the next chapter of London's tech growth?

October 26, 2026

min read

Key highlights

From record levels of investment to the growing number of global brands choosing London as their home, the capital continues to be a leading global technology hub. At our recent event, Future Ready Spaces we wanted to take a closer look at where that momentum is building, and why..

A quick roundup of 2026 so far

In the first half of 2026, London continued to attract significant investment, nurture fast-growing businesses and welcome some of the biggest names in technology.

$12.6bn of tech investment in the first five months of 2026, the third highest of any city globally and the highest in Europe.

152 unicorns call London home, including 12 new unicorns in 2026.

Major technology businesses continue to choose London, including Anthropic, Databricks, OpenAI, Fuse Energy and Isomorphic Labs.

What's behind the momentum?

Russ Shaw, Founder of Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates, highlighted the strength of London's technology ecosystem across fintech, cybersecurity, health tech, biotech and creative technology.

"London is open and friendly. People are willing to network and connect with each other."

Russ attributes London's success to its vibrant ecosystem where businesses, talent and investors connect, share ideas and create opportunities.

Business is here to stay

Heena Gadhavi, Head of London Offices Research at Cushman & Wakefield, shared some very positive findings about companies expanding their footprint here.

"11 of the 12 largest office deals in Central London in 2025 involved businesses expanding their operations."

According to Cushman & Wakefield's London Moves report, net office expansion reached 3.82 million sq ft, up 16% on 2024 and the highest since 2019.

The research also forecasts that AI businesses alone could generate another 3–6.4 million sq ft of London office demand over the next three years.

What will London's next generation of businesses need?

As more technology businesses scale in London, the infrastructure supporting them needs to keep pace.

"Speed is absolutely everything."

Says Michael Clark, Director, CBRE, who works closely with fast-growing technology and AI businesses.

These companies are looking for workspaces where they can move in and get straight to work, with reliable, high-capacity connectivity from day one, great amenities and the flexibility to expand as their business grows.

Gavin Poole, CEO of Here East, highlighted three factors influencing where high-growth businesses choose to establish themselves:

"Geography, digital capacity and who's around you."

Here East is a 1.2 million sq ft innovation campus, home to startups, global businesses, universities and researchers.

There's plenty of positive news to shout about. Looking ahead, we're excited to see how London builds on this momentum and continues attracting and retaining the businesses driving its economy forward.