46. Resting Reef Resting Reef transforms human or pet ashes into underwater reef structures – helping people to honour loved ones while restoring marine ecosystems. 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: Aura Elena Murillo Pérez and Louise Lenborg SkajemYear founded: 2022Website: Resting ReefWhen Aura Murillo Pérez’s father died unexpectedly in 2018, the confusing and drawn-out arrangements of his funeral only amplified her grief. She found that while other business sectors moved with the times, the funeral industry has remained largely unchanged for over a century – leading her to face an end-of-life service that felt empty and disconnected.Years later, when working with Louise Lenborg Skajem researching sustainability and biomaterials, the pair connected over their personal experiences and decided to create something purposeful for both people and the planet. And so, Resting Reef was born.Offering a meaningful and sustainable alternative to traditional funerals and memorials, its service turns human or pet ashes into custom underwater reef structures, which are placed in marine environments in need of restoration.However, entering a traditionally conservative industry meant that people were reluctant to try something new. Moreover, actually getting the reefs underwater is complicated, and requires several permits, approval, and a lot of planning.But when talking about Resting Reef’s life-affirming side – turning loss into something that helps new ecosystems grow – people quickly resonated with its mission.“We knew it was essential to work closely with local communities. We engaged them early, listened to their needs and had conversations face-to-face, and by integrating their knowledge into our process, we built a collaborative approach,” explains Murillo Pérez.“This not only helped us navigate regulations and restoration strategies but also allowed us to elevate the trust of the communities we partner with.”After launching their pilot reef in Bali, the founders discovered that marine life bounced back fast – showing 14x more biodiversity than nearby damaged areas, with 84 different species found. Having proven both its concept and its impact, this revelation helped the company secure multiple business grants – including from Innovate UK – and Murillo Pérez was featured on Forbes’s 30 Under 30 Social Impact list in 2024. We knew it was essential to work closely with local communities. Beyond its vision to expand globally, the company wants to change how we think about death – from how we deal with loss to the way we commemorate life – by giving people a meaningful and sustainable way to remember those who they love.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.