94. SWURF Swurf is a platform where remote workers can find inspiring, social spaces to work from on demand, while giving these venues a new revenue stream. 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. Founder: Nikki GibsonYear founded: 2020Website: swurf.coOne of the perks of more flexible working is the ability to work from spaces other than an office – but finding an energising, interesting spot can be tricky. This is where SWURF, the marketplace platform for spaces to work in on-demand, comes to shine.The idea for SWURF came to founder Nikki Gibson in the midst of the pandemic. Friends and colleagues were struggling, not just with working from makeshift desks at home, but also with the loneliness of remote work. Hospitality venues were struggling too, with few customers coming through their doors.SWURF looks to solve both of these issues at once. Based in Edinburgh, the platform connects remote workers with hotels, cafés, and community hubs across the city. It introduces workers to affordable, social, attractive workspaces, while enabling venues to gain revenue from their underused spaces and bring them back to life.Gibson’s biggest challenge in launching SWURF was navigating a rapidly evolving industry as a non-technical founder, for whom the world of apps, booking systems, and platform design was completely new.To overcome this, Gibson surrounded herself with talented technologists and designers who shared her vision, listened to SWURF’s early users, and iterated quickly based on their feedback. She invested significant time in R&D, testing different ways for venues and users to interact and generate revenue. This culminated in the launch of SWURF Pods – smart bookable spaces.Since launching SWURF, the team has focused on strategic partnerships that validate its model and expand its reach. The business is working with Edinburgh International Airport and YOTEL Edinburgh, where it has launched and installed SWURF Pods. Other partners include Kew Green Hotels and brands like IHG and Hilton.Gibson’s five year goal for SWURF is for it to become the go-to platform for on-demand spaces to work worldwide, with a goal to scale through the deployment of 5,000 SWURF Pods across the globe.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.