Lord Mayor of London William Russell is leading a business delegation of some of the UK’s most innovative fintech and venture capital firms in his first ever virtual visit to North America this week (19^th-22^nd October).

The delegation will engage with investors from across the continent, including New York, San Francisco, Toronto and Chicago. He will lead meetings with predominantly venture capital firms, such as Amex Ventures and NYCA Partners.

It is the first time that a business delegation has assisted the Lord Mayor on a virtual visit, and follows the Lord Mayor’s last visit to the US when he visited San Francisco in December 2019.

The visit comes as new data from London & Partners and Dealroom reveal that London ($3.6bn) was second globally only to San Francisco ($5.1bn) in terms of total VC investment from January to September this year, comfortably ahead of third-placed New York ($2.2bn).

Lord Mayor of London William Russell said:

I’m delighted to see that London remains one of the world’s most attractive and in-demand destinations for investment. This is a welcome vote of confidence as I lead a business delegation of innovative fintech firms and VCs from across the UK to North America this week.

“The digitisation of the global economy will be a major driver of the global economic recovery on both sides of the Atlantic. The trading relationships that we will build this week are a huge opportunity to strengthen links and drive investment.”

The data also revealed that over 60 per cent of investment came from the US, while the City was top in the world for the number of deals secured, closing 167 transactions in the first nine months of 2020 compared with 107 for San Francisco and 95 for New York. 

--ENDS--

Notes to editors

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk