15. TradeKart Getting materials into the hands of tradespeople in a flash, and bringing the construction industry into the 21st century, with the rapid delivery app. 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: Alistair McAuleyYear founded: 2021Website: tradekart.comFounder Alistair McAuley knows the construction sector like the back of his hand. He grew up working in it, and went from a family business to the MD of Dulux (AkzoNobel). He couldn’t help but notice a problem with construction though: it was stuck in the past, and trades people were having their time wasted.Every other area of consumer supply has been brought into the digital age: from Netflix to Amazon. That’s when he came up with the big idea, what if there was a Deliveroo for the construction industry?That’s when TradeKart was born – with a vision of dragging the construction industry out of the dark ages and into the efficiency of modern day life. McAuley says, “our greatest asset is time. If we can be responsible for giving this back to the trade then it’s mission accomplished.” Our greatest asset is time. If we can be responsible for giving this back to the trade then it's mission accomplished. Time is the key issue for tradespeople. With the average tradesperson having to leave the work site around three to four times per week to get materials, that adds up to a tonne of wasted hours. TradeKart cuts through that wasted time like a buzzsaw, as the app gives local merchants access to materials with on-demand delivery, within a promise of two hours (but can be as speedy as 30 minutes).It didn’t take long for the industry to see the value in TradeKart either. By 2022, TradeKart had partnered with 2,000 trade merchant stores in the UK, covering 80% of the population.The business has 165,000 Karters (TradeKart’s delivery drivers) buzzing around the country, and, in 2024, TradeKart announced its partnership with Uber Direct, integrating Uber’s delivery network into the TradeKart app. But the biggest seal of approval for the startup came from its partnership with Toolstation, the building supply giant.This strategic partnership allowed for the launch of Toolstation Fast Track, Toolstation’s own rapid same-day delivery service, powered by TradeKart.Now, thanks to TradeKart, tradespeople are no longer wasting precious time with laborious trips out to merchants. Those working in construction can all get rapid access to the tools and parts they need, wherever they are. Having helped out trades people in the UK, TradeKart now plans to build on its success in the US.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.