34. Lightning Reach Lightning Reach helps people in financial need through an online portal that connects them with thousands of support schemes. 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: Ren Yi HooiYear founded: 2020Website: lightningreach.orgThe 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 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.