84. Merlin Cloud Merlin Cloud is an AI-powered retail analytics and engagement platform that helps brands to optimise physical stores and digital presence all in one place. 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: Luke Brown and Joseph MethvenYear founded: 2023Website: merlincloud.aiIf you run both a physical shop and an online store, you’ll know that analytics data into your online business’s performance is much easier to find and analyse than for your brick-and-mortar shop.This is why Luke Brown and Joseph Methven founded Merlin Cloud. The lightbulb moment came while working with major retail brands, and seeing first-hand how much valuable customer data was being lost in-store. Businesses were investing heavily in online analytics, but had little to no visibility over what was happening on the physical shop floor.The co-founders knew that if they could bring the same level of insight and optimisation to physical retail as exists online, they could transform how stores operate and help them make data-driven decisions on the spot.What retailers lacked was a unified way to track, understand, and optimise customer behaviour in physical spaces. Queues, bottlenecks, missed upsell opportunities, and inefficient store layouts were costing them millions every year. At the same time, traditional tools were either too expensive, too complex, or too siloed.Merlin Cloud strives to solve this with a platform that collates data from cameras, kiosks, and QR codes into one AI-powered dashboard, giving retailers live insights into customer flow, engagement, and sales opportunities.The startup’s biggest challenge was proving that an AI-driven retail analytics platform could deliver tangible ROI for enterprise clients without calling for a huge upfront investment in hardware.To overcome this, Merlin Cloud focused on building modular, affordable licensing tiers, and partnered directly with brands like Samsung and Philips to co-develop and validate the system in live environments.By delivering quick wins to clients, including reduced queue times and better optimised store layouts, Brown and Methven built credibility and momentum. Merlin Cloud now targets medium to large retailers, consumer electronics brands, and experiential agencies that manage physical retail environments. It currently serves several global brands, including Samsung and IQOS.Looking ahead, Brown and Methven see Merlin Cloud as the leading global platform for physical retail analytics and engagement. Their goal is to have over 10,000 active locations on the platform, and expand into hospitality and healthcare.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. 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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.