Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy)
Coadec, operating as Startup Coalition, is a UK nonprofit founded in 2010 that advocates to policymakers on behalf of UK tech startups and scaleups across three pillars: Access to Talent, Access to Finance, and Regulation, producing policy reports such as the AI Index and open source AI work with Mozilla.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) does
The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec), operating under the brand 'Startup Coalition,' is a UK-based nonprofit policy advocacy organization founded in 2010. It serves as the policy voice of UK digital startups and scaleups, focusing on three core advocacy pillars: Access to Talent (enabling startups to hire from both domestic and international pools), Access to Finance (supporting founder incentives and a robust UK VC market), and Regulation (advocating for innovation-friendly policy frameworks across both horizontal tech regulation and sector-specific issues such as fintech). The organization represents the collective interests of the UK tech ecosystem to policymakers, producing detailed, solution-oriented policy recommendations rather than high-level commentary.
Startup Coalition does not operate as a commercial product company; its primary deliverables are policy publications and advocacy outputs. Recent outputs include the inaugural AI Index (January 2026), the first comprehensive profile of the UK's top 1,000 AI startups and scaleups by raise, showing £20.2 billion in cumulative funding and £45 billion+ in combined valuations; the AI Vision for Fintech, a formal response to the Mills Review on generative AI in financial advice (February 2026); and the 'Hidden in Plain Sight' report on open source AI policy co-published with Mozilla (April 2026), which sets out seven policy reforms to unlock the UK open source AI ecosystem. These publications function as both thought leadership and instruments of policy influence.
The organization's business model relies on membership fees, voluntary contributions, and community support from the UK tech ecosystem. Distribution and engagement occur through a website-based membership and support program, a no-cost newsletter, content and research publications, and community events. Leadership comprises Mike Butcher as Founder, Jeffrey Lynn as Chairman, and Guy Levin as Executive Director. The organization operates from a single headquarters at 4 Plough Yard, London EC2A 3LP, and serves only the United Kingdom market.
Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy)
- Legal name
- The Coalition for a Digital Economy
- Website
- https://coadec.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Coadec, operating as Startup Coalition, is a UK nonprofit founded in 2010 that advocates to policymakers on behalf of UK tech startups and scaleups across three pillars: Access to Talent, Access to Finance, and Regulation, producing policy reports such as the AI Index and open source AI work with Mozilla.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Membership and Support: Organization appears to rely on membership fees and support from the startup community. The website includes a 'Support us' page suggesting voluntary contributions or paid membership as a revenue mechanism.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Coadec, operating as Startup Coalition, is a nonprofit policy advocacy organization representing UK technology startups and scaleups to government and regulators. It focuses on three policy areas—Access to Talent (hiring from home and abroad), Access to Finance (founder incentives and VC markets), and Regulation (innovation-friendly policy)—and produces research reports such as the AI Index, AI Vision for Fintech, and Hidden in Plain Sight to inform policymakers.
Product overview
Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy), also known as Startup Coalition, is a policy advocacy organization for UK tech startups and scaleups — not a product company. It does not offer commercial software products or services. Its activities center on policy work in three areas: Access to Talent (hiring), Access to Finance (VC market and incentives), and Regulation (innovation-friendly policy). It publishes research reports such as The AI Index (a profile of UK AI startups), AI Vision for Fintech (response to the Mills Review), and Hidden in Plain Sight (open source AI policy report, in partnership with Mozilla). These are policy documents, not commercial products or modules.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,000 AI startups and scaleups with £20.2 billion raised and £45 billion+ valuations represented through AI Index research
Companies that use Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy)
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- MozillacorePublished joint report 'Hidden in Plain Sight: How Governments Can Unlock the Next Wave of Open Source AI Innovation' arguing that open source AI has become geostrategically critical infrastructure. The partnership produced seven policy reform recommendations to unlock the UK's open source AI ecosystem.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Mozilla Foundation: Mozilla is Coadec's named partner on the 'Hidden in Plain Sight' open-source AI policy report — relevant as a peer stakeholder working at the intersection of technology and policy research, with comparable functions in policy publication and government engagement.
- Nesta: Nesta is the UK's innovation foundation producing research and policy recommendations on technology, the economy, and the future of work — comparable as a UK-based ecosystem thought-producer publishing reports that influence the same policy debates Coadec engages in.
Direct peers
- techUK: techUK is the principal UK technology industry association, advocating to government on technology regulation, talent policy, and access to finance — directly overlapping Coadec's three policy pillars and serving an overlapping UK tech-startup and scaleup constituency.
- Innovate Finance: Innovate Finance is the UK fintech trade association that convenes startups, scaleups, and policymakers — closely comparable to Coadec's 'AI Vision for Fintech' response to the Mills Review and its focus on access to talent and finance for a specific tech vertical.
Broad incumbents
- Innovate UK: Innovate UK is the UK's national innovation agency funding and supporting tech SMEs — a broad incumbent addressing finance, talent, and innovation outcomes relevant to Coadec's constituency but doing so as a government grant body rather than as a startup-led coalition.
- Confederation of British Industry (CBI): The CBI is a broad UK business confederation engaging policymakers on talent, finance, and regulation across all sectors — comparable as a larger, broader lobbying body whose tech-related work competes for the same policymaker mindshare that Coadec targets.
Regional players
- DIGITALEUROPE: DIGITALEUROPE represents the digital industry to EU institutions on regulation, talent, and innovation policy — directly comparable as a regional peak industry body performing the same upstream policy advocacy role that Coadec performs in the UK.
Emerging players
- Startup Genome: Startup Genome produces recurring global reports profiling startup ecosystems (e.g., Global Startup Ecosystem Report) and is directly comparable to Coadec's AI Index methodology of surveying and mapping startup populations to inform policy and investment.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) social profiles
Digital presenceCoadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy)
What does Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) do?
Coadec, operating as Startup Coalition, is a nonprofit policy advocacy organization representing UK technology startups and scaleups to government and regulators. It focuses on three policy areas—Access to Talent (hiring from home and abroad), Access to Finance (founder incentives and VC markets), and Regulation (innovation-friendly policy)—and produces research reports such as the AI Index, AI Vision for Fintech, and Hidden in Plain Sight to inform policymakers.
Is Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) a public or private company?
Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) founded?
Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) based?
Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership and Support.
Who are Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy)'s main competitors?
Others on record are Mozilla Foundation and Nesta. Direct peers are techUK and Innovate Finance. Broad incumbents are Innovate UK and Confederation of British Industry (CBI). DIGITALEUROPE is listed as a regional player. Startup Genome is listed as an emerging player.
Does Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy) have an API?
No public API is recorded for Coadec (The Coalition for a Digital Economy).