Hurun UK Unicorns Roundtable & Dinner 2026
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In strategic partnership with
With thanks to
The Hurun UK Unicorns Roundtable & Dinner 2026
Rupert Hoogewerf:
"The UK punches far above its weight when it comes to Global Unicorns. The UK currently boasts 70 Unicorns, overtaking India for third place, with only 61 Unicorns. Still in the lead is the US with 758 Unicorns, followed by China with 343. The potential that the UK holds as a hub for entrepreneurial activity is immense."
Welcome address
Luca Raumland
Lürssen
Director of Sales & Marketing
We had the pleasure of hearing from Luca Raumland, director of Sales and Marketing at Lürssen Yachts, the event’s headline partner. Lürssen has earned a leading international reputation as the specialist in exclusive, bespoke yachts of outstanding craftsmanship and engineering mastery – ranging in size of 60 m to over 180 m. With a workforce of 2000, Lürssen maintains three state-of-the-art production facilities in northern Germany.
Award Categories
Under40s Awards: Founders under 40 who have created businesses worth $100M or more.
Future Unicorn Awards: Founders whose businesses are poised to reach unicorn status within three years (Hurun Gazelles) and within five years (Hurun Cheetahs).
Unicorn Awards: Founders whose companies are valued at $1B or more.
Ceremony
The 2026 Hurun UK Unicorns Roundtable and Dinner took place on the evening of 11 June at a private club in Mayfair, bringing together 30+ Unicorn founders. The evening was hosted in partnership with Lürssen Yachts. The afternoon opened with a social hour, refreshments generously provided by Raissa de Haas, co-founder of Double Dutch Drinks, the premium tonic and mixer brand, and Hurun UK U35s honouree. Champagne was provided by GDD Chapuy, a prestigious French champagne described as “goût de diamants”.
Our founder, Rupert Hoogewerf, opened the night with an introduction on the work at Hurun UK, showcasing the strength of the UK startup scene in relation to its competitors in China, the US and India. This was followed by a short presentation from Luca Raumland, director of Sales and Marketing at Lürssen, the event’s headline partner.
Anas Rahman, founder of HURUN INDIA, then joined Rupert Hoogewerf in going around the room and introducing some of the guests and inviting them to share the stories behind their work.
Following the presentations, guests sat down to an intimate private dinner, where the formal proceedings gave way to more personal and wide-ranging conversation.
from left to right: Freya Nieland, Philipp Nieland (PPRO), Ada Shan (Hurun UK), Michael Breman (Lürssen), Ada Shan (Hurun UK)
The evening concluded with a toast of baijiu, the distinguished Chinese spirit, a fitting and memorable end to a night of global conversation and connection.
A heartfelt thank you to our sponsors and partners who made the night possible: Lürssen, Alibaba Cloud, GDD Chapuy, Double Dutch and Shan Arts & Lux Consulting.
Remarkable Guests
Devansh Jain
INOXGFL, Executive Director
Inox Wind, founder
Philipp Nieland,
PPRO, founder
"The best entrepreneurs don't reinvent themselves with every new business, they double down on what they know, building successive ventures on the same foundations of expertise and passion that made them successful in the first place."
20+
FOUNDERS
30
GUESTS
5
GUEST SPEAKERS
3
UNICORNS
Event Partnerships
150 years of German engineering since 1875
Founded on 27 June 1875, Lürssen celebrated in 2025 its 150th anniversary. The family-run business, grown from modest beginnings through just four generations into a premier shipbuilder, has been built upon core principles: quality, innovation, and engineering excellence. These principles remain just as true today. Lürssen has earned a leading international reputation as the specialist in exclusive, bespoke yachts of outstanding craftsmanship and engineering mastery – ranging in size of 60 m to over 180 m.
With a workforce of 2000, Lürssen maintains three state-of-the-art production facilities in northern Germany. Lürssen also offers unique facilities and unrivalled potential to carry out multiple refits simultaneously.
The development of sustainable technologies and innovations in yacht building are firmly anchored in Lürssen's DNA. The latest generation of Lürssen superyachts boasts improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions as well as a reduction in noise levels. Lürssen is particularly driving the research and development of fuel cells powered by methanol.
Alibaba Cloud is a global leader in cloud computing and artificial intelligence services, offering scalable, secure, and reliable cloud solutions to businesses of all sizes around the world. As the cloud-computing arm of Alibaba Group, it delivers a comprehensive suite of products, from elastic computing and data storage to advanced AI, analytics, database, and security services, that help organisations accelerate digital transformation, reduce IT costs, and innovate with confidence. Backed by a vast global infrastructure and cutting-edge technologies, Alibaba Cloud enables enterprises to build high-performance applications, power marketing and customer experiences, and scale with agility in today’s dynamic digital economy.
