Home Startups 100 2019

The Startups 100 2019: the UK’s best and most exciting new businesses revealed

Startups 100 2019

Our experts

We are a team of writers, experimenters and researchers providing you with the best advice with zero bias or partiality.

Having received hundreds of entries over a two month period, Startups is excited to announce this year’s Startups 100 list – featuring some of the UK’s newest and most exciting ventures.

Now in its 11th year, the Startups 100 has become an annual milestone in the UK business calendar, highlighting up-and-coming businesses with the potential to change their industries for the better. To capture entrants from a wide range of sectors and serve up a sumptuous snapshot of the year’s businesses to watch the criteria for entry into the Startups 100 is simple: to be a UK business, and to have launched in the last five years.

Now household names, previous years’ Startups 100 winners include business big dogs Deliveroo, Zoopla and Monzo and with our knack for spotting startup potential, this year’s list promises to be just as exciting.

Read on to find out more or select an option from the list below to dive in to the specifics.

Collectively raising finance just shy of £1 billion, the 2019 top 100 have been ranked according to three primary criteria: the company’s age, finance raised, and turnover for the last financial year. However, good ideas deserve to be recognised and so, to bolster our rankings, the Startups team reached out to industry experts to pick out the ideas that deserve mention.

Judges Titus Sharpe, Gemma Metcalfe-Beckers, Gi Fernando, Tim Rodber and Alex Farrell were tasked with arranging the top five overall businesses, as well as selecting standout businesses in several categories: Tech, Family, Social, B2B, B2C and Regional. After a day of judging, the top picks were selected, including a few commendations where judging was too close to call.

So without further ado, meet the Startups 100 2019!

The Startups 100 Top 5

The Startups 100 2019 include a notable mix of finance and tech-enabled companies, a trend present in a large number of entries. However, what is most interesting is how these tech and finance companies have worked in ways to disrupt or evolve traditional sectors.

PositionCompanyFoundedSector
1.Revolut2015Finance
2.Igloo2017Energy
3.Trouva2015Retail
4.Soldo2015Finance
5.Elder2015Healthcare

1. Revolut

With over four million customers in the UK and Europe, Revolut is one of a number of challenger banks to have emerged in recent years. First attracting users with competitive international spending options, Revolut are planning to become a truly global bank, offering a full suite of financial services to users around the world.

2. Igloo

On a mission to make customers’ homes smarter and more efficient, Igloo is an ambitious challenger energy retailer. Combining smart technology with simple and actionable advice, Igloo makes use of clever algorithms to generate recommendations. A shrewd partnership with Tesla also means that Igloo customers can charge their hybrid or electric cars using the greenest possible power sources.

3. Trouva

The only retail entry in this year’s top 10, Trouva is a software-enabled marketplace, bringing customers and independent retailers together. Previously a Startup Award winner, and featuring in Wired Magazine’s hottest European startups, Trouva is disrupting the retail space with over 150,000 unique products on offer.

4. Soldo

Soldo’s aim is to help companies balance their budgets, providing a single account to manage all staff and department spending. Each employee is provided with a prepaid card with set limits, giving complete control to finance teams while enabling staff to spend when they need to. With allocated funds and controlled spending, Soldo is on a mission to streamline a process that has baffled businesses for years.

5. Elder

A tech-enabled healthcare business, Elder helps older people live in the comfort of their own homes for longer. Matching families with professional, vetted carers, Elder uses personality compatibility along with preference matching to ensure that every carer can be a trusted source of companionship. Founded in 2015, Elder is a one-stop-shop for arranging care or finding work as a carer.

To view the top 5’s full profiles, click here.

The Startups 100 Top Trends

As well as being an excellent opportunity to highlight the UK’s top new businesses, the Startups 100 also provides insight into the latest business trends.

This year, the Startups team has worked hard to uncover the budding businesses that challenge traditional methods, provide disruptive digital solutions, and aim to make the world a better, more efficient place.

Some of the companies will already have been included above, but others have also earned spots in our other categories. For example, did you know that there is a business that can provide NHS prescriptions straight to your door for free? Recruitment platforms matching candidates to jobs in more innovative ways than ever before? There’s even a Scottish enterprise supporting the race to space!

The Startups 100 List: Full List

SU100 banner

The businesses on this year’s list have raised more money than ever before, with cumulative investment of a phenomenal £1 billion and annual turnover of a quarter of a billion pounds in the last financial year. We may be living in the shadow of Brexit but these UK startups show that British business is still alive and kicking.

Click here to begin reading the profiles in full, or scroll down to see which names made it into this prestigious list.

RankCompanyFoundedSector
1Revolut2015Finance
2Igloo2017Energy
3Trouva2015Retail
4Soldo2015Finance
5Elder2015Healthcare
6Glenhawk2018Finance
7Zego2016Finance
8Streetbees2015Tech
9Guestready2016Hospitality/travel
10Thriva2016Tech
11Mindful Chef2015Consumer
12Airsorted2015Hospitality/travel
13Cazoo2018Tech
14Echo2015Consumer/lifestyle
15Trint2016Tech
16Patch2016Retail
17Feast It2017Hospitality/travel
18Attest2015Tech
19GoGram2017Tech
20Tempo2017Business services/products
21PolyAI2017Tech
22WeGift2015Tech
23Trussle2015Finance
24Lumen2018Tech
25Dozens2018Finance
26Ravelin2014Tech
27Goodlord2014Tech
28GoodBox2016Finance
29MyTutor2014Education
30Cudoni2017Business services/products
31Birdie2017Tech
32Gadget Discovery Club2018Consumer/lifestyle
33H2O Hygiene Ltd2017Construction/services
34Senseye2014Tech
35Floom 2016Business services/products
36Quorso2016Tech
37Attachment2017Media/communications
38Brand Advance2018Media/communications
39Panaseer2014Tech
40Feedr2017Tech
41Debut2015Tech
42Shepper2016Business services/products
43Big Youth Group2018Education
44Home Made2016Tech
45Hazy2017Tech
46Fat Llama2016Tech
47By Miles2017Finance
48The Cheeky Panda Ltd2016Consumer/lifestyle
49Countingup2017Finance
50Mayku2015Consumer/lifestyle
51Edgify2015Tech
52Tide2015Finance
53Switchee Ltd2015Tech
54Rentuu2018Tech
55Muzmatch2015Tech
56Fancy Dress Worldwide2016Consumer/lifestyle
57Farillio2018Legal
58Issoria2016Business services/products
59Capitalise2014Finance
60Red Rickshaw2016Tech
61Howamigoing2018Tech
62Learnerbly2017Education
63Skyrora Ltd2017Tech
64Atom Learning2017Education
65Nivo2017Finance
66Scape Technologies2016Tech
67OneFifty Digital2016Media/communications
68KASKO2015Tech
69Talentful2015Business services/products
70Broadstone2018Tech
71Laundryheap2014Consumer/lifestyle
72Maddox Events Limited2015Media/communications
73mmadigital2016Tech
74ideal flatmate2016Tech
75Concured2015Business services/products
76Freetrade2016Finance
77Tutor House2015Education
78StateZero Labs2018Tech
79Tshirtify Ltd2015Business services/products
80BlackCurve2016Tech
81ChargedUp2017Consumer/lifestyle
82Factory 422016Media/communications
83Hostmaker2014Hospitality/travel
84Reedsy2014Media/communications
85Emilia’s Crafted Pasta2016Hospitality/travel
86JHP Recruitment Ltd2015Business services/products
87Perlego2016Education
88The Vurger Co2016Hospitality/travel
89The Dots2014Tech
90HoloMe2017Tech
91Stasher2016Hospitality/travel
92Bibblio2015Tech
93Encore Musicians2014Media/communications
94Sideways 62014Tech
95Vestd2015Finance/legal
96BIOS2015Tech
97Yapster2015Tech
98Baby2Body2014Consumer/lifestyle
99Linkilaw2015Legal
100Vet-AI2018Tech

With a huge range of businesses included, the Startups 100 represents the ongoing success of British business.

Of course, the table above does not provide as much information as you might like about the winning companies, so continue reading to find out more.

Leave a comment

We value your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Please review our commenting policy.

Related Articles

Startups 100 2019
2019
Startups 100 2019: 96 to 100
June 30, 2019
Startups 100 2019
2019
Startups 100 2019: 91 to 95
June 30, 2019
Startups 100 2019
2019
Startups 100 2019: 86 to 90
June 30, 2019
Startups 100 2019
2019
Startups 100 2019: 81 to 85
June 30, 2019
Back to Top