9. Appear Here

Founder: Ross Bailey
Founded: November 2012 (Launched February 2013)
Website: www.appearhere.co.uk

Appear Here is a name with illustrious Startups pedigree – the pop-up shop rental platform is now on its third appearance in the Startups 100 and at the Startups Awards 2015 took home Venture Funded Business of the Year and our overall prize Simply Business Startups Business of the Year..

Founded by Young Gun Ross Bailey, the online marketplace allows users to easily book short-term retail space at key locations across London and Paris, taking a 15% transaction fee for every booking. The entrepreneur chanced upon the idea when he had difficulty trying to find space to launch his own pop-up shop during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Four years later, Appear Here has more than 25,000 brands and entrepreneurs using the platform to find space, more than 1,000 landlords – including Transport for London, Capital and Regional, Hammerson and Land Securities – and 1,500 spaces available across London and Paris.

With nearly $10m investment, thanks to a Series A round backed by Balderton Capital and MMC Ventures, Paris is just the start of the UK firm’s global ambitions to build a worldwide network of “the world’s best retail spaces”. With launch in a third major international city set for  the next few months, of the start-up is also due to introduce a tenant and landlord dashboard on the site to make booking “easier and more transparent”.