There’s a quiet but powerful shift happening in the U.K.’s startup ecosystem—one that may just define the next era of British entrepreneurship. As artificial intelligence reshapes nearly every sector of the global economy, U.K.-based founders are facing a critical question: build long-term or cash out early? For some, like Chaz Englander, the answer is crystal clear.
Fresh off a $12 million Seed round led by Y Combinator and LocalGlobe, Chaz and his brother Arnie have launched Model ML, a bold AI-powered software solution for the financial services sector. It’s their third startup, and this time, they’re not looking for a quick payday. “Arnie and I simply want to build one of the biggest companies in the world,” says Chaz. “We are not doing this because we want to be acquired.”
It’s a marked change from their previous ventures. In 2021, the Englanders were on the cusp of raising new funding for their last-mile delivery startup Fancy when an unexpected offer came from U.S.-based Gopuff. The acquisition was tempting—and after a family discussion, including a persuasive call from their mother, they took the deal. The following year, Chaz’s sharing economy startup Fat Llama was sold to Swedish competitor Hygglo for $41 million. By conventional entrepreneurial standards, both were smart exits. But for Chaz, they weren’t the finish line.
“We don’t have to work. But we’re working seven days a week. Many people think that’s very strange,” he admits. “It’s not a financial thing. We just want to be impactful”
That desire for long-term impact is now the driving force behind Model ML. Built to seamlessly integrate with the daily tools of financial services professionals—email, live data feeds, documents, presentations, spreadsheets—it isn’t just about automation. It’s about transforming how decisions are made, how quickly they’re made, and who makes them. “Agentic AI is going to revolutionise decision-making,” says Chaz, explaining how the system can autonomously perform tasks in real-time. “Given the size of the financial services market, there’s an enormous opportunity to scale globally—and London is the perfect launchpad.”
The city’s strategic position between New York and Hong Kong, combined with the remote-first nature of modern finance, makes it easier than ever to compete on a global stage. And after being backed by Y Combinator three times and building companies with dual headquarters in both London and the U.S., Englander has seen what it takes to scale fast and scale big. “There are just more entrepreneurs in the Bay Area,” he notes. “That in turn means there is a whole life cycle. If you are in the Dogpatch district of San Francisco in a coffee bar, you are constantly shoulder to shoulder with people who have themselves changed the world.”
Still, going long comes with challenges. Securing growth-stage capital, navigating international expansion, and resisting attractive acquisition offers will test even the most resilient founders. But the ambition is palpable. This time, Englander isn’t aiming for a modest outcome—he’s chasing legacy.
That same legacy-focused mindset is shared by other AI entrepreneurs, albeit expressed in different ways. Take Ami Daniel, co-founder of maritime intelligence platform Windward. Although based in Israel, Windward listed in London—until this month, when the company was acquired by U.S.-based FTV Capital. The deal wasn’t about an exit for the sake of it—it was about scaling on their own terms. “In the age of generative AI there are more opportunities and we need to double down on investment,” says Daniel. “Doing that as a public company is a bit more cumbersome.”
In a market that often rewards short-term wins, Windward’s delisting was a strategic move to enable deeper investment—even at the cost of short-term profitability. “We wanted to invest a bit more and that would not have been popular with investors,” Daniel adds. The acquisition, then, becomes a tool for longevity rather than a final chapter.
It’s a nuanced evolution in the entrepreneurial playbook. The pressure to exit is still real—especially when Series B and C rounds are difficult to close in the U.K. ecosystem. Yet, as AI opens unprecedented doors, some founders are starting to rethink the nature of success. Is it a successful exit—or is it building something that actually changes the world?
For policymakers eager to position the U.K. as a global AI powerhouse, these stories offer both encouragement and a call to action. As capital, talent, and innovation flow across borders faster than ever, the country’s ability to keep homegrown success stories anchored here will depend on infrastructure, incentives, and a supportive ecosystem that rewards long-haul thinking.
Entrepreneurs like Chaz and Arnie Englander aren’t waiting around for perfect conditions—they’re already laying the groundwork for the next global AI giant. The question is, will the U.K. rise to meet the moment?
