19. miDrive

CEO: Asher Ismail
Founded: June 2013 (launched July 2014)
Website: www.midrive.com

According to government statistics, 55% of people who learnt to drive last year failed their first test, with most spending an eye-watering £1,000 or more on lessons; each.

With this in mind, it’s clear that the current system is crying out for disruption. Fortunately, tech start-up miDrive is busy doing just that.

Founded by Simon Hagger with Asher Ismail now CEO, miDrive’s learn-to-drive service has given an old system a modern update to give learner-drivers a modern alternative to the main players in the space.

Enabling learners to manage their driving education via their smartphones, miDrive emails users detailed post-lesson progress reports, offers them the capacity to digitally book and pay for their lessons – which are competitively priced – and has released a series of educational driving apps.

Furthermore, by hosting the UK’s largest online marketplace of 1,200 independent instructors, miDrive allows learners to seek out teachers who are right for them.

To date, the start-up has attracted £5m finance from investors including Holiday Extras and Initial Capital, an amount which has helped the business to accelerate at a rapid rate.

Over 300,000 people have successfully learnt to drive through miDrive in the three years since its launch, proof of its effectiveness and usability,

Now available in 100 cities and towns across the UK, miDrive is currently expanding the service to one new location per week so that more aspiring drivers can benefit from its offering.