EMEA Scale-Ups show resilience amid uncertainty

Commercial execution is the biggest growth challenge. 88% of UK scale-ups cite customer and revenue expansion as their primary focus for 2026, the highest proportion among surveyed markets. But despite ambitious growth plans, 63% of UK respondents identified market demand and sales execution as the main obstacle to achieving growth ambitions. 

Operational excellence is a major focus area. UK scale-ups place greater emphasis on operational improvement than many of their European peers. 61% identified operational excellence as a key area for improvement, reflecting a focus on scalable processes, efficiency, and disciplined execution as companies mature.

AI adoption is primarily focused on efficiency. The UK stands out for its pragmatic approach to AI. 57% of scale-ups use AI internally to drive productivity and efficiency rather than directly generating revenue, suggesting that businesses are prioritising operational gains before fully commercialising AI-enabled products and services.

Technology investment prioritises innovation and scale. Technology spending is concentrated on growth-enabling capabilities. UK respondents reported the highest emphasis on product and customer experience innovation (78%), while 71% are investing in scalability and operational architecture and 59% in automation and AI.

Hiring plans are strong, while specialist talent remains difficult to secure. 69% of UK scale-ups expect headcount growth, however 24% anticipate a hiring freeze. The most significant talent challenge is the scarcity of specialist skills (51%), followed by rising candidate compensation expectations (33%). UK respondents also reported relatively high concern around employee flexibility and wellbeing expectations compared with other regions.

Funding ecosystem is more diverse and mature. Although 63% of UK scale-ups are seeking additional funding, this is lower than most surveyed markets. The UK also records the highest use of high-growth debt financing (37%), indicating a more mature funding ecosystem with alternatives beyond traditional equity investment.

Exit ambition is modest. Only 41% of UK scale-ups have a formal exit plan, while the majority remain without a defined strategy. Among those planning an exit, M&A is the dominant route, although the UK shows one of the highest levels of IPO ambition in the survey at 15%.