The 2025 Startups 100 Index is now open for entries

Entries are officially open for the 2025 Startups 100, the seventeenth iteration of the prestigious Startups 100 Index, our showcase of the fastest-growing startups in the UK.

Organised by Startups.co.uk, the list is the longest-running of its kind, with the first Startups 100 Index being published back in 2008. 

Over almost two decades, it has given an early platform to some of the UK’s most successful startups, including tech unicorns Revolut, Monzo, and Deliveroo.

Businesses which have been founded since 2019 now have just under four weeks to put themselves forward to compete for one of 100 hotly-contested spots on next year’s list.

New businesses wanted for 2025 Startups 100

The Startups 100 Index is designed to recognise and celebrate the UK’s thriving and world-leading startup community. Each year, 100 game-changing companies are chosen from hundreds of entrants to be named our ‘ones-to-watch’ for the year ahead.

In order to apply, entrants need only to be headquartered in the UK, and to have registered with Companies House after 1 January 2019. 

These broad entry requirements have helped to make the Startups 100 one of the most diverse business indexes in the UK. While the list is ranked, any startup from any industry has a chance of being named a Startups-100 featured business. 

Previous listees have ranged from vegan food producer, THIS™, to social mobility startup, Zero Gravity, and inclusive gaming brand, Frobelles.

The entry form will close on Friday 4 October 2024. After this time, the Startups.co.uk team, plus a panel of experts, will begin judging. The full list will be shared in early January 2025.

Entries are appraised on multiple criteria such as strength of concept and market opportunity. Information about the judging process can be found on the application page.

“An incredible platform for startups”

Business awards can often come with application fees that can put off new businesses from entering. But the Startups 100 is one of the few that remains completely free to apply to.

Even in today’s challenging inflationary environment, the index has no entry or listing fees, so that every founder feels welcome to apply.

The decision means interested startups have everything to gain and nothing to lose by applying. In previous years, featured companies have reported seeing an uplift in client leads, website traffic, brand awareness, and even investor interest.

George Lineker, founder of YourBusinessNumber which placed 43rd in the 2024 Startups 100 Index, said the accolade “gave YourBusinessNumber huge awareness and credibility.”

“The Startups 100 is an incredible platform for startups and SMEs,” Lineker added, “[featuring on the list] increased interest in the business and generated a lot of customers.”

‘COVID generation’ of startups grows up

The 2025 index will mark the first time that all eligible entrants were founded during or post-COVID. With every entrant having been founded after January 2019, it presents an excellent opportunity to take stock of how the ‘COVID generation’ of startups has matured.

Much has changed in the past half decade. The 2024 index made history when it crowned its first ever AI winner, Unitary. The tech-for-good content moderation product is designed to confront modern challenges like online misinformation, hate speech, and abuse.

With the UK now established as a hotbed for AI talent, next year’s list promises to be a similarly spectacular showcase of cutting-edge technology and innovation. 

Richard Parris, Managing Editor of Startups.co.uk, said: “The Startups 100 has always been proud to champion new UK businesses. But the latest Startups 100 is set to be a truly special one. For the first time, every single business featured will have been founded during the COVID pandemic, or in its aftermath when the cost of living crisis hit our nation so hard. 

“At a time when the UK, and the world at large, was facing some of its greatest challenges, entrepreneurs up and down the nation still found the inspiration to start something of their own. We can’t wait to recognise the very best UK businesses of the past five years in our upcoming Startups 100 index.”

Are you a pioneering UK business that belongs on our list? Go to the 2025 Startups 100 Index application page and start your entry!