Lightning Reach helps people in financial need through an online portal that connects them with thousands of support schemes.
See our guide to this year’s hottest new businesses and most exceptional founders in the complete 2026 Startups 100 index.
Founder: Ren Yi Hooi
Year founded: 2020
Website: lightningreach.org
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic saw countless workplace redundancies and businesses closing their doors for good.
And while the end of lockdown restrictions gave us light at the end of the tunnel, the post-pandemic era brought new challenges, with the cost of living crisis and economic uncertainty weighing heavily on households in the UK.
Having worked in fintech and financial inclusion, founder Ren Yi Hooi discovered that those struggling financially were either unaware of the support available, or were simply held back by complicated application processes.
Putting two and two together, Hooi launched Lightning Reach – an online platform that connects those in need with financial support schemes, such as grants and benefits.
Users create a one-time profile, where they fill out their personal information and current financial situation. Based on these answers, the system instantly matches them with different support schemes available, which they can apply for directly through the portal.
Being a female founder and from an immigrant background, Hooi struggled to secure the funding she needed to start building the product. However, by establishing partnerships with certain charities, Hooi was able to obtain business grants from Innovate UK and Nesta, as well as pre-seed funding from the venture capitalist firm, Techstars.
This simple, yet effective solution has seen Lightning Reach achieve over 150k registered users, plus successfully helping vulnerable UK households access over £10m in funding.
“We stand out as the one-stop platform that connects people to multiple funding and support schemes across charities, councils and utilities in a seamless, verified journey,” says Hooi.
Now partnered with the UK’s largest charities, housing associations, and banks – including OVO Energy, EON Next, The Royal British Legion, Lloyds Banking Group, and TSB – there’s more on the horizon for this remarkable West Sussex venture.
Lightning Reach is already helping thousands get the support and funding they need, and with a growing user base and new partnerships, it’s on track to become the leading platform for organisations helping financially vulnerable people.
View the full Startups 100 Index for 2026
1. Omnea
2. HIVED
3. MAGIC AI
4. OXCCU
5. Lightyear
6. Neuranics
7. Hormona
8. Burbank
9. Better Dairy
10. Lenkie Technologies
11. Userled
12. Hoxton Farms
13. Rensair
14. PulpaTronics
15. TradeKart
16. 32Co
17. Carmoola
18. cheqd
19. Currence
20. Adamo Foods
21. Bold Bean Co
22. Beams Renovation
23. Pan Galactic
24. Capi Money
25. Spotted Zebra
26. ANTHROTEK
27. Unravel
28. Perci Health
29. Untap Health
30. Hair Syrup
31. Connect Earth
32. spacebands
33. Unfabled
34. Lightning Reach
35. STOCKED
36. Embeddable
37. XR Therapeutics
38. Literal Labs
39. Scooch
40. Openr
41. Fibe Limited
42. Inicio AI
43. Peachies
44. Better Nature
45. Ctrl Alt
46. Resting Reef
47. Nila
48. ROXFIT
49. Finmile
50. NavLive
51. Volunteero
52. Inntelo AI
53. Zonova
54. A&B Smart Materials
55. Ethicronics
56. Treeapp
57. kennek
58. Soil Benchmark
59. Vox Aeris
60. Asan Cup
61. Nuuri
62. Mindstone
63. MYNDUP
64. Enbiosis Biotechnology
65. JUX Food
66. Danu Robotics
67. Wylde Market
68. Air Aware Labs
69. Mimicrete Ltd
70. ALYVE
71. Happl
72. Living Things
73. Grub Club Pets
74. Mealia
75. PetProov
76. Lylo Products
77. Chest
78. ZIM Connections
79. Uptime Labs
80. Teal
81. Zero Fintech
82. Micro Thermal Energy
83. Kanjo
84. Merlin Cloud
85. My Skin Feels
86. Eleria
87. Cashblack
88. RevvedUp
89. Cosysense
90. SuperFi
91. Loom
92. Legacy Compass
93. Meshed
94. SWURF
95. Main Squeeze
96. Sampl Technologies
97. Over the Moo
98. Pioneering People
99. Bikebook
100. Recondition
