The uphill battle to create a British tech titan
The Government is desperate for a British Big Tech contender, but experts have warned them not to scare off foreign investment
Snap, the parent organisation of Snapchat, recently acquired augmented reality (AR) start-up WaveOptics for $500m
Credit: Snap
When Snapchat's parent Snap announced that it would acquire Oxford augmented reality (AR) start-up WaveOptics for $500m (£352m), investors rejoiced.
“It’s an amazing story, especially for UK deep tech,” says investor Simon King from Octopus Ventures, a backer of the company who sits on its board.
Just an hour after the deal was signed, however, the potential perils of selling out to deep-pocketed US tech giants came into sharp focus.