About us

Startups.co.uk has a simple but powerful purpose – we exist to help UK small businesses to launch and grow.

Established in 2000, we have a 26-year legacy. We are the UK’s longest-serving online small business advice platform, and our aim is to be the most trusted and the most comprehensive resource for founders and would-be entrepreneurs. We cover everything you need to know to start, run, and grow a business.

Why does this matter to us so much? Because even amid the uncertainty of today’s economy, small businesses are the lifeblood of the UK. In fact, over 99% of all private sector businesses in the UK are SMEs.

These businesses generate over half of the turnover in the private sector, and account for nearly two-thirds of all employment. In short, the UK’s small business community is the backbone of the economy, and we want to see it grow and succeed.

Startups.co.uk wants to make sure our vibrant enterprise sector continues to thrive in the future, through small business ideas, free business advice, and business inspiration.

What we do

Whatever stage of your business journey you are currently at, our website is here to help you learn and succeed.

We INSPIRE

Through our analysis, interviews and campaigns such as the Startups 100, we work to raise the profiles of some of the best-in-class UK businesses that can inspire other founders to follow through on their own ambitions. We also provide advice guides full of business ideas and the latest trends, to help entrepreneurs find their own inspiration.

We EXPLAIN

We provide practical advice guides, recommendations and reviews that make it simple for founders to tackle specific challenges as they’re looking to launch, or as they’re making decisions for the good of their growing businesses.

We CONNECT

We seek to put our readers in touch with the best possible tools, software and services for helping their businesses to grow and succeed.

What we cover

Here’s just a taste of the advice and recommendation articles you’ll find across our website:

Starting

Want to start a business, but don’t yet have a killer idea? We can help inspire, with analysis of the latest business idea trends, plus cheap small business ideas you can start without big funding. We also offer in-depth ‘How to start guides’ to give you the low-down on how to break into specific sectors and industries.

Funding

From understanding your options around applying for a business loan to finding out if you’re eligible for a small business grant, we provide advice on essential must-knows for startup funding. We break down complex financial terms into digestible advice, and even have recommendations for small business accounting software you can use to track the growth of your business.

Running

There’s a lot that goes into running a business, and there are some areas that you might not understand right away. That’s why our guides give you all the essential know-how — including accounting, tax, business rates, and more — to help you run your business as smoothly as possible.

Growing

Whether you’re ready to hire your first employees or expand your reach to a new audience, growing your business is a big milestone. Whatever growth looks like for you, we’ve got the tools and insights to help get you there — from payroll and CRM software to marketing, company culture, and everything in between.

The Startups 100

Now in its 18th year, the Startups 100 is the definitive annual index of the 100 best newly-launched startups in the UK.

In order to qualify for our prestigious ranking, businesses must be under five years old, based in the UK and powered by an idea that’s disruptive enough to leave a real mark in its sector and that shows the potential for future growth.

Previous alumni of the Startups 100 include brands that have gone on to be huge household names, such as Deliveroo, Monzo and Revolut.

Media coverage

Startups.co.uk’s features and campaigns have won praise and coverage in several major publications, including:

Meet the team

How we monetise

All of the content on Startups.co.uk is provided free of charge – we have no subscription or paywall. We don’t charge brands or founders to be featured on our Startups 100 ranking, nor do we accept paid guest posts on our site.

Instead, we primarily monetise through affiliate and customer lead generation revenue models. Throughout our site, you’ll find recommendations for products or comparison tools for services that can help with the specific problems you are trying to solve – for example, launching a website, or finding a business energy provider or office phone system.

By clicking on our links, if you choose to enter into a contract with a service provider, then we may receive a referral fee for the introduction. This has no impact on the price you end up paying, and it doesn’t affect the independence of our recommendations, as our product and service rankings are informed by research from a dedicated insight team that focuses on the needs and interests of UK small businesses.

In addition, we accept a small number of sponsored articles throughout the year. These are chosen through a careful selection process to ensure we only work with partnering brands that have relevant products and services of interest to the Startups audience of small business owners and founders.

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