These are all the UK startup acquisitions that happened in 2025

Something exciting is happening in the UK startup scene. In recent months, we’ve seen a wave of major acquisitions, with fast-growth startups like Rude Health being bought out by well-known corporations, often resulting in multi-million-pound windfalls for the founders.

It may not be the traditional image of entrepreneur success. But for many founders, a lucrative exit is the ultimate goal. Some use their newfound capital to fund their next big idea; others stay on to grow the business using the resources of a larger parent company.

Below, we’ll highlight the biggest acquisitions so far this year, including who made the purchases and what each deal could mean for the brands involved.

April 2025

Rather than hunting eggs, it seems a number of big-name brands spent this Easter period seeking out new UK startups to put in their portfolios. Acquisitions this month included:

Runna

Dom Maskell and Ben Parker, founders of Runna

When a London-based training app for runners announced it had been acquired by Strava for an undisclosed sum in mid-April, it was big news for the UK fitness community.

Founded in 2021 by Dom Maskell and Ben Parker, Runna provides personalised training plans for every ability. Thanks to clever brand partnerships, it boasts hundreds of thousands of fans called ‘Runnas’ and in January, it also won our 2025 Startups 100 Marketing Award.

For Strava, the social media fitness app that runners use to track (and flaunt) their workouts, the acquisition makes obvious sense. Runna is the answer to a missing piece in the app’s functionality, enabling it to increase its dominance in the fitness market.

And for Maskell and Parker? Aside from a reported million-pound payout, the duo said they were excited to support Strava’s 150 million users, adding “we set out to build Runna to improve people’s lives through running and this deal enables us to do that even more.”

Wild

Charlie Bowes-Lyon and Fred Ward, founders of Wild

Another Startups 100 success story came at the start of this year, when personal care brand Wild announced it had been acquired by the global consumer goods brand, Unilever.

Wild, which came fifth in the 2023 Startups 100, made a name for its natural, refillable deodorants (complete with whacky scents) which aimed to eradicate plastic waste from bathroom cupboards. It has also since expanded into lip balms, body and hand washes.

Unilever is the company behind some of the UK’s biggest care brands including Dove soap. It bought Wild for an undisclosed sum, though reports estimate the deal to be worth £230m.

That amount would make both founders millionaires. But it seems their eyes are still firmly on the mission. The pair will stay on to run Wild from its Brixton HQ. On LinkedIn, co-founder Charlie Bowes-Lyon wrote, “our promise remains: “Great for your body, great for the planet.”

Two Chicks

Alla Ouvarova and Anna Richey, founders of Two Chicks

Fittingly for the month of Easter, the egg white brand Two Chicks confirmed it had sold a majority stake in its business to Eurovo Group, one of Europe’s largest egg producers.

Founded by Alla Ouvarova and Anna Richey in 2007, the brand featured in our first ever Startups 100 Index back in 2008. It was the first ever egg white producer in the UK, saving Brits hours of painstaking pavlova labour spent fiddling about with yolks and teaspoons.

According to reports, Richey and Ouvarova will stay in charge. The acquisition will enable them to expand into the more than 40 countries that Italy-based Eurovo operates in.

In 2022, the duo also launched the Future Female Entrepreneur programme to inspire and support the next generation of female entrepreneurs. You can hear more about it in their Speaking of Startups podcast episode, which aired last October.

Biotiful Gut Health

Kefir startup Biotiful Gut Health has been a staple on billboards across the UK, after an impressive year that saw turnover grow by over 80%. That success attracted the attention of dairy giant, Müller UK & Ireland, who acquired the brand in April for a reported £115m.

Biotiful was founded in 2012 by former figure skater and financier Natasha Bowes. Its impressive growth story partly reflects the consumer trend towards gut-friendly products (competitors include another gut brand Bio&Me).

The buyout is a natural fit for Müller, which discontinued its own kefir range in 2023. Through Biotiful, the yoghurt brand can finally get its spoon into this sought-after market corner.

March 2025

March was a popular month to shop for startups. Here’s a look at some of the most high-profile startups that were acquired at the end of the financial year.

Elvie

Femtech startup Elvie had an interesting month to say the least. The creator of the wearable pelvic floor trainer device confirmed it had gone administration in March 2025, after racking up unsustainable debts due to costly innovation and expansion abroad.

In the same breath, though, Elvie — which was nominated for our People’s Champion award in 2018 — announced it had been acquired by Willow, a San Francisco-based producer of wearable breast pumps. Willow apparently began talks to buyout Evie some time ago.

Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, however Evie’s latest valuation was $241m. TechCrunch has reported that Willow will take on Evie’s products and 170 team members, although some of those are already working out their notice periods.

Peak.ai

There’s been a flood of funding for AI startups as the UK emerges as one of the key players in this emerging market. That gravy train now seems to be attracting global interest, exemplified by the acquisition of the Manchester-based AI startup, Peak.ai, in mid-March.

Peak, which raised $75m in 2021, builds “decision-making” AI for retail and manufacturing, serving to automate functions like inventory management. Its new owner is global software firm, UiPath, which purchased the startup to build out its AI services after a difficult year.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it may have taken Peak’s C-Suite by surprise. TechCrunch has reported that the AI startup was not looking for a buyer and the deal was in cash. Peak’s team will now work with UiPath to further develop its service offering.

Lux Rewards

Six years ago, Lux Rewards — a loyalty tech startup founded in 2015 — was on the brink of failure. But in March, it concluded a remarkable turnaround when it was acquired by global rewards giant Enigmatic Smile for a reported eight figure sum.

Founded in 2015 by Bath entrepreneur James Courtney while at university, Lux Rewards began as a loyalty platform for high-end restaurants. Then, COVID hit and restaurants closed. Close to going under, Lux Rewards pivoted to partner with employee benefit software and other platforms with hefty customer bases.

Combined with a successful Crowdcube raise in 2020, the company gained enough traction to secure a major deal with Barclaycard. Post-acquisition, Courtney and his co-founders Tom Munday and Ash Dey are now millionaires, and will now stay on to grow the business further.

February 2025

allplants

Jonathan Petrides, founder of allplants

100% plant-based, chef-made meal delivery service, allplants first came onto our radar in  the 2021 Startups 100. One month later, it secured a whopping £38m in Series B funding. Then, disaster. After an initial boom in funding for plant-based brands, the money dried up.

allplants entered administration in November 2024. Production ceased at its manufacturing site and 65 staff members were made redundant. allplants began seeking a buyer and, thankfully, another F&B startup came to the rescue.

Ella Mills, the founder of Deliciously Ella, stepped in to purchase the brand in mid February. Mills had sold Deliciously Ella to the Swiss brand Hero Group in September 2024, but retained its vegan Plants brand, which it will now combine with allplants to scale at pace.

January 2025

Here’s how acquisitions kicked off in January, the same month we released our list of the UK’s top 100 fastest-growing startups..

Freetrade

Well-known sock trading app, Freetrade, confirmed it had been acquired by the FTSE 250 fintech, IG Group at the start of this year for a reported £160m. In an email sent by Freetrade CEO Viktor Nebehaj said he hoped the deal would close mid-year after regulatory approval.

There is a risk it could fall through, however, after Freetrade shareholders reacted with dismay at the news. Freetrade had previously targeted a valuation of £700m, and many of its early investors were disappointed that the profitable company had sold for so low.

Why are so many startups being acquired?

There are many reasons why acquisitions are in the air in 2025. After a few volatile years in the economy, one quarter of firms still report that they haven’t recovered from the pandemic. With no sign of improvement on the horizon, founders have become open to early exits.

Startup valuations have also dipped after the 2021/22 funding highs. Venture capital (VC) funding has somewhat dried up, with many VC fund managers nudging their portfolio companies toward exits to show returns on their investments.

And of course, the maxim remains the same: large firms have capital to spend, but struggle to adapt internally. As technology evolves rapidly, even the big players can’t keep up to date with new inventions, like AI. Acquiring innovative startups is an easy way to play catch up.

2025 could be the ideal year for a buyout. If you’re interested in selling up shop this year, then read our guide on how to build the perfect exit strategy.