36. Hiring-Hub.com

Founders: Simon Swan and Sara Jones
Founded: November 2010 (launched February 2011)
Website: www.hiring-hub.com

Making our list for the third year in a row, Hiring-Hub was recognised in 2012 and 2013 for its innovative approach to recruitment – the online marketplace gives the power back to employers by allowing them to ‘crowdsource’ candidates from competing recruitment agencies. Hiring-Hub has seen particularly impressive growth over the past year as the service’s popularity begins to snowball; the site grew 640% between February 2013 and 2014, becoming profitable for the first time.

Jaguar Land Rover is one of the latest employers to start using the site, joining other high-profile names such as Wonga, Sage, Maplin and Nisa and the business is now aiming for £100,000 EBITDA across 2014 as it looks to consolidate its market position. From a business idea initially hatched while drunk and started with less than £50,000, (the duo have since raised an additional £500,000), it seems clear Hiring-Hub is firmly en route to becoming a serious challenger to the traditional recruitment model.