Insights into the state of the UK start-up ecosystem from analysis of 30,000 pitches to investors

A 45% rise in female founder pitches, a 35% increase in entrepreneurs over 40 and 86% of presentations including 'AI' over the last year are among the insights from an analysis of 30,000 pitch decks sent by entrepreneurs to investors.

Venture capital firm Fuel Ventures, which receives around 6,000 pitches a year, said since it was founded in 2014, the number of female founders submitting pitches has risen by 45%, with a significant 30% increase in the past five years alone.

It also found that 76% of successful pitches have come from start-ups with co-founders, rather than a single founder, and while London remains the most popular location for start-ups, other cities are closing the gap. Over the past decade, the firm said pitches from Birmingham have increased by 120% and Manchester by 95%.

Think entrepreneurs are all young? Think again. The analysis found that pitches from entrepreneurs aged over 40 have increased by 35% which it said "signals a growing trend toward experienced founders leveraging their industry knowledge to build new ventures". This tallies with Enterprise Nation research which found that the average age of an entrepreneur is 46.

When it comes to words used in pitch decks, 86% have included 'AI' over the past year. There has also been a 20% rise this year in pitch decks mentioning AI without actually having any AI capability.

Other popular buzzwords in pitches include 'disruption' (61%), 'scale' (52%), 'sustainability' (45%) and 'pivot' (32%).

Further data showed certain times of the year are busier than others for pitching, with January and September (up 9% and 10% respectively) seeing a spike in submissions. The timing of a pitch may also influence its success: decks submitted on Tuesdays were found to be 18% more likely to lead to a follow-up than those sent on Fridays.

How long should your pitch deck be? The shortest pitch in the analysis was just three slides, while the longest was 127 slides. Neither secured investment.

Fuel Ventures was started by Mark Pearson, who launched discount codes website MyVoucherCodes for £300 in 2006 and sold it for £55m in 2014. He said:

"We're fortunate to have a front-row seat to the ambition, creativity, and resilience amongst the next generation of entrepreneurs - it's something that really doesn't get old. Sorting through thousands of ideas every year isn't easy, but it's the key to finding those rare businesses that change industries or even create new ones.

"One thing we've definitely learned: the team seems much sharper on a Tuesday than on a Friday afternoon. By then, I suspect their minds are already halfway to the pub!"

Mark Pearson on what he looks for in a business:

Mark Pearson on how to pitch to investors: