3. MAGIC AI Here to fix your gym phobia, MAGIC AI is the AI-enabled workout buddy that lives in your bedroom mirror. 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: Varun Bhanot and Sunil JindalYear founded: 2021Website: magic.fitThere are three main reasons that Brits don’t attend the gym, says the MAGIC AI team. First is inclusivity, as 56% of us find gyms intimidating. Second is, of course, cost. Personal trainers can charge up to £100 an hour. And three; lack of data. Traditional gym equipment can’t tell you how to correct your form. Or at least, it couldn’t before MAGIC AI.Appearing on the Index for the third year in a row, the fitness startup can be summed up succinctly as the ultimate AI workout buddy that lives in your bedroom mirror.This mirror can, thanks to proprietary ReflectAI® computer vision, track 845 exercises, count your reps, and offer corrective feedback live – mirroring the presence of a human trainer, without you needing to sweat awkwardly in front of one.That’s the data and form concerns sorted, and yes, MAGIC is also cost-efficient. Available for £1,499 upfront or (like every gym subscription) in a monthly payment plan, users can take advantage of unlimited training from as little as £42 a month, or less than £1.50 a day.As another perk, those sessions – spanning from yoga to bhangra to HiiT – are led by Britain’s most recognisable sportspeople, with users able to use famous faces like Jesse Lingard and Sir Alistair Cook to lead their workouts. And, unlike bulky dumbbells and benches, the required equipment can blend into the home as a tasteful bit of furniture, available 24/7.Tech breakdown out of the way, what has the business achieved since its impressive ninth place finish in 2025?Following years of iteration and testing, high-profile angels onboard, and a VC round secured, MAGIC has spent the last 12 months growing its customer base. Already live in Selfridges, the brand also launched in John Lewis, Fenwick, and Argos at the end of 2025.With its retail reach now fully extended, the business has so far logged over 58,000 hours by users, and amassed a community of thousands across social media. Its sales forecasts are (fittingly) also in good shape, with the firm on track to deliver eight-figures in sales last year.We’d be remiss to not mention the numerous awards MAGIC AI has won, which is nearly too many to count. Last year’s wins, though, include three gongs scooped at the National Startup Awards, and a £30k grant at the Startup Nurture Challenge by JCDecaux.CEO Varun Bhanot has nabbed numerous entrepreneurial awards, including Tech Entrepreneur of the Year. Plus, he became a new dad, and has discussed the trials of being a father-founder in his weekly column for Startups.co.uk, Startup Daddy.All of this gives MAGIC a clear lead over the at-home fitness market and a defensible path to the US, the industry’s hotbed. Having conquered B2C and retail, B2B is the next logical step for the company, and it’s now targeting integrations with health insurers and corporates.As one of the few British consumer startups to raise significant VC funding in 2024, MAGIC AI has proved the 150 rejections it received in its early days very, very wrong. Now a category-defining business, it’s leading the fitness tech charge with empathy.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.