4. Clearabee

Founders: Daniel Long and Rob Linton
Founded: February 2012
Website: www.clearabee.co.uk

It was a venture into online marketing that led Daniel Long and Rob Linton down the road to what would eventually become an on-demand rubbish removal company. Conversations with people operating individual ‘man and van’ services opened their eyes to an enormous potential nationwide market.

They renamed their business Clearabee – which came in at 18 in last year’s Startups 100 – and a few years later the Birmingham-based company has achieved nationwide rollout. Launched with just £500, to-date the start-up has worked with more than 60,000 customers including domestic households, local authorities, housing associations and businesses. And it’s not hard to see why. A simple proposition, customers can arrange same day refuse and recycling collection, which Clearabee delivers direct to its partner processing stations – taking away any hassle.

The business is on the verge of opening its first depot in Northern Ireland, with plans to expand into the Republic of Ireland where it has a number of key accounts. The next year will see it focus on acquiring new and potentially very lucrative corporate customers such as property developers and facilities management companies.

Having turned over £4.1m in 2015, the 100-strong team is set to increase this to an estimated £7m in 2016 – proving that one man’s rubbish really is another man’s treasure.