26. AnthroTek These synthetic body parts are bringing unprecedented realism to medical testing, robotics, and Hollywood. Written by Helena Young Sponsored by Sage Published on January 12, 2026 About the Startups 100 Now in its 18th year, the Startups 100 is the definitive list of the most promising new UK businesses. There's no fee for entry or for inclusion in our index. The Startups team of new business experts judge all our top 100 entrants in collaboration with specialist industry consultants. See our guide to this year’s hottest new businesses and most exceptional founders in the complete 2026 Startups 100 index. Founders: Nazmus Tareque and Dr Raoul PeltierYear founded: 2024Website: anthrotek.com Dr Raoul Peltier left his role as a senior material scientist to start making cinema-grade silicone prosthetics in his garage. But it was his co-founder, Nazmus Tareque, who saw what value Peltier’s lifelike creations could bring to the medical community, too. AnthroTek uses proprietary multi-layered silicone composites with AI-powered 3D modelling to create hyper-realistic anatomical replicas, such as artificial skin and body parts. Unlike existing synthetic models, AnthroTek’s creations replicate the complexity of actual human anatomy – they look, feel, and behave like real human tissue. Having launched from a workshop in Newmarket in 2024, AnthroTek now supplies models to medical device manufacturers, human factors research teams, robotics developers, and universities and hospitals, which use the synthetics for surgical and medical training. On top of this, the startup also provides prosthetics and stunt safety solutions to film studios, working on one occasion with an Oscar-winning filmmaker. AnthroTek has built this network in under a year, setting itself apart by creating synthetics realistic enough to be useful in medical simulation, robotics, and SFX, while other manufacturers often limit themselves to one specialism.In 2025, AnthroTek raised £950k (making for a total of £1.15 million raised), with the company choosing to handle the seed funding round with AI instead of using a law firm – a UK first. Plus, AnthroTek’s efforts have been recognised by a string of awards, including the Business Weekly Awards and the Cambridge Independent Business Awards 2025.In five years’ time, AnthroTek wants to be setting the benchmark for lifelike, safe, and intelligent silicone systems not just in the UK, but around the world. From movie sets to medical labs, AnthroTek is putting the ‘real’ in realism with lifelike silicone that feels, moves, and surprises like the real thing. Whether it’s training surgeons, integrating with robots, or wowing cinemagoers, you’ll have to see it to believe it.View the full Startups 100 Index for 20261. Omnea2. HIVED3. MAGIC AI4. OXCCU5. Lightyear6. Neuranics 7. Hormona8. Burbank9. Better Dairy 10. Lenkie Technologies11. Userled12. Hoxton Farms13. Rensair14. PulpaTronics15. TradeKart16. 32Co17. Carmoola18. cheqd19. Sightline Analytics20. Adamo Foods21. Bold Bean Co22. Beams Renovation 23. Pan Galactic24. Capi Money25. Spotted Zebra26. ANTHROTEK 27. Unravel28. Perci Health29. Untap Health30. Hair Syrup31. Connect Earth 32. spacebands 33. Unfabled34. Lightning Reach35. STOCKED36. Embeddable37. XR Therapeutics38. Literal Labs39. Scooch40. Openr41. Fibe Limited42. Inicio AI43. Peachies44. Better Nature 45. Ctrl Alt46. Resting Reef47. Nila48. ROXFIT49. Finmile50. NavLive51. Volunteero52. Inntelo AI53. Zonova54. A&B Smart Materials55. Ethicronics56. Treeapp57. kennek58. Soil Benchmark59. Vox Aeris60. Asan Cup61. Nuuri62. Mindstone63. MYNDUP64. Enbiosis Biotechnology65. JUX Food66. Danu Robotics67. Wylde Market68. Air Aware Labs69. Mimicrete Ltd70. ALYVE71. Happl72. Living Things73. Grub Club Pets74. Mealia75. PetProov76. Lylo Products77. Chest78. ZIM Connections79. Uptime Labs80. Teal81. Zero Fintech82. Micro Thermal Energy 83. Kanjo 84. Merlin Cloud85. My Skin Feels86. Eleria87. Cashblack88. RevvedUp89. Cosysense90. SuperFi91. Loom92. Legacy Compass93. Meshed94. SWURF95. Main Squeeze96. Sampl Technologies97. Over the Moo98. Pioneering People99. Bikebook100. Recondition Share this post facebook twitter linkedin Tags 2026 Written by: Helena Young Deputy Editor Helena is Deputy Editor at Startups. She oversees all news and supporting content on Startups, and is also the author of the weekly Startups email newsletter, delivering must-know SME updates straight to their inbox. From interviewing Wetherspoon's boss Tim Martin to spotting data-led working from home trends, her insight has been featured by major trade publications including the ICAEW, and news outlets like the BBC, ITV News, Daily Express, and HuffPost UK. With a background in PR and marketing, Helena is particularly passionate about giving early-stage startups a platform to boost their brands. That's one reason she manages the Startups 100 Index, our annual ranking of new UK businesses. Sponsored by: Sage Startups 100 Index Sponsor 2026 Sage exists to knock down barriers so everyone can thrive, starting with the millions of Small and Mid-Sized Businesses served by us, our partners and accountants. Customers trust our finance, HR and payroll software to make work and money flow. By digitising business processes and relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, banks and governments, our digital network connects SMBs, removing friction and delivering insights. 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