72. Living Things Sugary and unsatisfying is the label that many soft drinks have traditionally earned. But prebiotic soda brand, Living Things, is here to shake up the market. 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: Jonathan Relph and Ben VearYear founded: 2023Website: drinklivingthings.comLiving Things founders Jonathan Relph and Ben Vear knew that having a soft drink should be an enjoyable experience – and guilt-free. But instead, they found it was “carrying a lot of guilt for consumers” because options were so often sugary and, therefore, unhealthy.They recognised that there was a huge appetite for something new, seeing as people have become more aware of the health impacts of too much sugar – including obesity, childhood obesity and diabetes. At the same time, policy was catching up to this problem as well. The Government had decided to bring in new rules on drinks with high fat, sugar, or salt content (HFSS), and the market needed to adjust.The resulting knock-on effect has seen 230 million fewer litres of high sugar fizzy drinks being sold in the last 24 months in the UK. “This caused a massive problem for retailers and consumers – they needed a new drink to replace unhealthy, high sugar sodas”, the duo explains. “While there were some alternative soft drinks available in health-food shops, we saw an opportunity for a better-for-you soda aimed at a mainstream audience”. While there were some alternative soft drinks available in health-food shops, we saw an opportunity for a better-for-you soda aimed at a mainstream audience That opportunity has become Living Things. The London-based venture focuses on gut health, low sugar, and taste. What they promise is “clean ingredients, with no sweeteners and low sugar; distinctive and full-flavour recipes with innovative flavours that consumers love”.This unique selling point, and the drinks’ distinctive packaging, has attracted clients and partners including Waitrose, Tesco, Ocado, Whole Foods, Harrods and Booths. The brand’s range of five soft drinks are now being sold in 5,000 UK stores and 14 countries.Tesco also selected the business for its accelerator program. “It was a huge vote of confidence from the UK’s biggest retailer, which was extremely valuable to a brand early in its journey,” the founders add. It was a huge vote of confidence from the UK’s biggest retailer, which was extremely valuable to a brand early in its journey, The startup’s investor base is made up of family and friends, high-net-worth individuals and business angels, including James Watt, the co-founder of BrewDog.Living Things has found fans among the “young, bold and socially conscious” but the team thinks it has a broader appeal; and this will be the focus – reaching more hands – over the next five years, as the company continues to innovate and liven up the carbonated drinks market.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. 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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.