9. Better Dairy Better Dairy is growing breastmilk protein in the lab for a nutritious and sustainable milk alternative that’s better for babies and adults. 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. Founder: Jevan NagarajahYear founded: 2020Website: betterdairy.comIt’s well-known that health experts believe human milk is the best nutritional choice for babies. But do you know the reason? It’s high in a nifty protein called lactopontin (LPN), which research has shown is vital for immunity, cognition, and bone health.Breastfeeding may not be possible for all women, however. And while cow’s milk is the natural alternative for infant formulas, this ingredient is significantly lower in lactopontin. As with all natural proteins, it’s also costly and difficult to extract. In fact, the founder Jevan Nagarajah calculated that 40,000 litres of water is needed to obtain just 1kg of pure LPN.Describing this as an “enormous inefficiency”, the Better Dairy team realised that it could make the essential protein “affordable, scalable, and sustainable for the first time” through a process called precision fermentation. Taking a leaf out of beer brewers’ books, Better Dairy is using genetically-modified yeast to whip up an LPN protein that’s ‘bioequivalent’ to humans.It’s a new tack for the company. When we listed it in seventh place in last year’s Index, its R&D team was focused on producing animal-free casein proteins to make udder-less cheese.Since then, perhaps recognising the overwhelming potential for the technology, the business has zeroed in on the nutrition market. And, thanks to learnings from its casein work, it’s made quick progress.This year, the startup proved that its lab-made LPN can replicate the functionality of the natural LPN found in breastmilk. For the numbers-people among us, Better Dairy’s recipe produces 75-95% the amount of amino acids found in human LPN, versus 15% in the closest cows’ milk alternative. And yields are “two to three years ahead” of rivals, says the firm.What’s better for humans is also (finally) better for the Earth, too. Compared to the dairy industry, the technology is much cleaner to produce, reducing water consumption by 60% and greenhouse gas emissions by 85%, according to company estimates.Since securing $22 million in Series A funding in 2022, the business has so far partnered with manufacturers, and is in early discussions with leading infant formula brands. But our nutritional concerns don’t end at childhood, and Better Dairy is already eyeing its next product steps into adult supplements and healthy ageing products.By 2030, Better Dairy wants to have scaled production to become the leading supplier of lab-made bioproteins globally. Seeking to gain regulatory approval in the US as early as next year, it’s on a mission to make the best of nature accessible to everyone, everywhere.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. Knocking down barriers also means we use our time, technology and experience to tackle digital inequality, economic inequality and the climate crisis.