5. Lightyear Lightyear makes investing simpler, fairer, and more transparent, using AI and a low-fee platform to help people build long-term wealth. 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: Martin Sokk and Mihkel AamerYear founded: 2020Website: lightyear.comFor many Europeans, saving is common – but investing remains esoteric. In the UK specifically, research from financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown shows only 23% of people have invested personally in the stock market, compared to two-thirds in the US.Is accessibility the problem? For those of us who have tried them, trading platforms are often layered with hidden fees and complex interfaces, discouraging ordinary people from growing their wealth. But the good news is, thanks to Lightyear, that might be about to change.After discovering they had collectively paid over £9,000 in hidden fees through investing, founders Martin Sokk and Mihkel Aamer – both former early employees at Startups 100 alumni Wise – launched Lightyear, the innovative trading platform, at the end of 2020.Despite the name, Lightyear’s idea is remarkably down-to-earth: create a transparent investment platform that the founders could “recommend to friends and family”. And that meant honing in on one key aspect for nervous, would-be investors: cost.With Lightyear, there are no platform fees, hidden charges, or penalties for withdrawing money. In fact, with over $1bn in customer assets and £0 commission fees on Stocks & Shares ISAs, Lightyear claims to be one of the cheapest platforms of its kind in the UK.Its traction so far proves how desperately that was needed. After expanding rapidly in 2022, the firm now operates in 25 countries and is reportedly valued at over $200m. Rightly for an investment platform, it also closed a $23m Series B funding round in July last year.And challenges like Brexit, dual EU and UK licensing, and scaling across borders haven’t slowed the company. Instead, it has continued investing in its customers. In 2025, the company also added three AI-powered market intelligence tools, giving retail investors the same insights previously reserved for institutions. These help users understand what drives stock and fund movements in plain language, and in the context of their own portfolio.Lightyear also offers a B2B solution for limited companies. Over 4,000 European firms are reported to currently use it as a seamless way to manage employee investments and savings, a feature that differentiates it from competitors like Trading 212.Lightyear’s focus is on expanding, deepening its use of AI tools, and empowering millions more Europeans to confidently invest. In short, it wants to prove that investing doesn’t have to be stuffy and opaque – an ethos that puts it light years ahead of much of the competition.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.