Capital cities are always stealing the spotlight. The UK is no exception; London has long been ranked as one of the world’s top startup ecosystems. But Cambridge, Bristol, Edinburgh and Oxford are amongst Europe’s top cities for investment, and Manchester is Europe’s fastest-growing tech city. Created in partnership with Microsoft for Startups, the UK Startup Explorer uses data to highlight the diversity of 21 of the UK’s biggest startup hubs. Click around to learn about investment, talent, quality of life and more in each region.

The UK Startup Explorer was created in proud partnership with Microsoft for Startups, which provides founders with the resources they need to build and grow their startup. Access technology and tools to quickly build and run your business including Azure, GitHub and Microsoft Teams. Get community support with personalised technical sessions, content and mentorship to help you manoeuvre around roadblocks. Sifted’s community and members are invited to apply to the Microsoft for Startups programme here.

Sifted is the FT-backed media platform for Europe’s innovators, entrepreneurs and investors, providing the best journalism and an engaging community for European startups. We publish thought-provoking articles, data-driven analysis, useful directories and interviews with industry leaders to make sure our readers are one step ahead when it comes to European tech. For questions regarding the map, please contact Sifted's head of content, Georgina Ustik (georgina@sifted.eu). If you’d like to work with us on creative projects, please contact Sifted's director of partnerships, Helen Seidenberg (helen@sifted.eu).