At a time when the technology markets are at all all time high and private equity valuations for high-growth early stage companies routinely exceed the $billion mark, it was galling to see Blue Prism succumb to the bid from Vista PE yesterday. 

Blue Prism is one of the UK's best technology companies. It was the first company to develop software robots and it created the RPA sector into which followed UIPath and Automation Anywhere. If we were likely to create a global $multi-billion valuation software company HQ'd in the UK anytime soon, then Blue Prism was the most likely prospect by a distance. However, the UK public markets just didn't see it that way, and that's a tragedy. It seems most likely that Blue Prism will be folded into Tibco and I am certain that as Tibco looks to exit it will cite RPA as one of its highest value business areas. 

Small wonder that UK tech companies are looking to the US public markets in their droves as they plot their routes to global growth.