Wealth in the UK is in the hands of the landed gentry and getting investment is about who you know and who your parents were. I worked for a number of London startups and the CEOs were surprisingly often public school/Oxbridge trust-fund grads (you learn to recognise them after a while) and always part-funded through some gov grant, one even openly admitted that his startup doesn't need to make money, because his dad is an investor in the startup incubator they were a part of. The HR lady was married to a City lawyer and spent more time collecting artworks for their house than dealing with pesky distractions like paying people on time. London is great if you are of the right pedigree and want to set up a bank, an insurance company, or a payment processor. Not so great if you want to copy Silicon Valley. I tried to get people interested in projects I worked on and there is zero of the US enthusiasm or trying to connect you with the people who might be able to help you.