How London became the rest of the world’s startup capital

AT FIRST GLANCE London’s startup scene can look like a parody. Home Grown Club, a private members’ business haunt for “people worth meeting”, offers swanky dinners, “flow yoga” and events with titles such as “From invisible to influential”. Opus, a “curated collective for founders”, has Princess Beatrice on its board and has recently expanded to Dubai. It would be easy to dismiss Britain’s capital as living off former glories and indulging in a mildly embarrassing attempt to mimic Silicon Valley. That impression would be wrong. London is one of the best places in the world to start a company.