18. PetShop.co.uk

Founders: Adam Taylor and Lexi Tamasan
Founded: January 2011
Website: www.petshop.co.uk

Claiming to be the “UK’s friendliest online shop”, PetShop specialises in discounted pet food which it delivers directly to homes across the country. Borne out of co-founder Adam Taylor’s frustration at seeing his mother struggle with a bulk bag of pet food and with £5,000 backing from the Prince’s Trust, the online retailer launched in early 2011 and has never looked back. Its focus on saving pet owners time, money and hassle has seen it emerge with a no.1 spot in a highly competitive industry with over 4,000 regular customers using its service. The young duo recently extended the company’s offering to mainland Europe and have expanded their subscription service which offers customers regular repeat deliveries. With projected revenue figures of £3m for 2013 and a recent second place win at the RBS EnterpriseU competition, you don’t have to be barking mad to see that this early-stage start-up is going places.