Startups 100 2019: 6 to 10

Startups 100 Ranking: 6
Company name: Glenhawk
Founded: 2018
Website: https://www.glenhawk.com/

As a non-bank lender, Glenhawk does property finance differently, representing fintech with passion and deep understanding

Financial lending can be an intimidating industry, however Glenhawk is set to change this. Built upon transparency and a strong ethical foundational, this independent lender aims to provide swift, competitively priced, short-term finance to property professionals.

Frustrated with high fees and unapproachable lending teams, Glenhawk is one of the few lenders who do not charge admin or exit fees, exemplifying a client-focused experience. Instead, it offers a simple, flexible approach that challenges current commercial processes, making it a much-lauded lender of choice.

Led by expert central London property developer, Guy Harrington, and supported by property veteran, Harry Hill – founder of Rightmove and former chairman and CEO of Countrywide, this start-up has taken its first steps against a backdrop of hands-on experience.

In the last eighteen months, the company has grown in both ambition and size, having lent over £50m across 92 loans with a total Gross Asset Value of £111m, and being awarded £75m from lending challenger Shawbrook Bank and Insight Asset Management – the youngest challenger lender to do so.

Glenhawk aims to affect positive change in the financial property lending market, endeavouring to provide financial solutions for all of their clients, removing typical challenges faced by borrowers.

Find more finance content in our Raising Finance category.

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Startups 100 Ranking: 7
Company name: Zego
Founded: 2016
Website: https://www.zego.com/

Capitalising on a gap in the insurance industry, Zego is an insuretech company providing proportional motor cover

It was while working at Deliveroo that Zego founders, Sten Saar and Harry Franks, first noticed that they were losing new employees due to the demanding insurance requirements of the work and the high accompanying tariffs. Working with CTO Stuart Kelly, they built a mobile app, attracted insurance backing and, three months later, sold their first insurance policy to a Deliveroo employee.

Zego has since expanded to offer cover for numerous types of work, varying policy lengths, and different size enterprises; from self-employed individuals to fleet operators with over 700 vehicles. Zego actively seeks to keep pace with modern customer needs in a way that the industry has failed to in the past.

Since its creation, the company has built a foundation of transparency, removing the distrust many customers felt for motor insurance brokers. It’s aim was to build a simple yet flexible insurance company, fixing customer experience at the heart of their mission and regularly seeking feedback.

Boasting regular product launches, favourable employee benefits and a large customer base, Zego now operates in the UK, Ireland and Spain and looks set to go from strength to strength in the coming years.

If Zego’s product suits you, you might consider relevant small business opportunities. Visit How to become an Uber driver.

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Startups 100 Ranking: 8
Company name: Streetbees
Founded: 2015
Website: www.streetbees.com

A combination of market research and technology, Streetbees uses AI and geolocation technology to provide companies with real-time data on consumer habits

Market research is an invaluable tool for companies across the world and Streetbees has taken it to the next level, designing a way for businesses to access real-time data from real-life people.

With a worldwide user base of two million ‘bees’, the Streetbees app allows them to record and share moments from their lives via videos, photos and texts, sharing as much or as little information as they like.

Using specialised technology, Streetbees uncovers not only what consumers are doing, but why they are doing it, what motivates them and, crucially, what they might do next. World-leading brands can access this information in order to inform strategies and predict future trends with confidence.

Streetbees promotes an alternative approach to market research and is changing how big brands understand consumers, focusing on their decisions and the surrounding complexities, such as context and emotion, which many traditional approaches neglect. Current users of Streetbees include big names such as Santander, the Economist, the Times Educational Supplement, BBC, Ikea, Bosch and many more.

As they expand and continue to grow, Streetbees is continually investing in its technology systems, revolutionising software to tap into customer behaviours that have, until now, been unknown and unexplored.

Interested in digital and social marketing? Visit our Social Media Marketing category.

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Startups 100 Ranking: 9
Company name: Guestready
Founded: 2016
Website: https://www.guestready.com

Guestready is all about offering a high standard of management services to short-term rental companies to boost the success of their properties

In the current climate, where travel has morphed into a rite of passage and short-term rental providers have risen to meet this increased demand, Guestready is a management company that offers professional services to property investors, homeowners and Airbnb hosts worldwide.

Guest expectations are always on the rise and this is where Guestready steps in. Clients of the company can access 24/7 support on guest communication, personalised welcomes, concierge services, hotel quality linen and towels as well as other amenities, all designed to elevate the reputation of individual hosts through increased positive reviews.

Guestready works with travel giants Airbnb, Booking.com and Homeaway, and has recently acquired BnbLord, making it a real one-to-watch in the industry.

Attracting a number of awards and accolades, not to mention a TrustPilot score of 9.1/10, Guestready is comprised of a close-knit global team who are always on the lookout for new opportunities and the challenge of uncharted territory. It attributes this success to its dynamic team and fresh approach to property management not characterised by archaic and inefficient local processes, stalling client success, and progression.

Interested in hospitality? Visit our How to start a hotel business page to find out.

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Startups 100 Ranking: 10
Company name: Thriva
Founded: 2016
Website: www.thriva.co

Thriva’s home-based test kits enable clients to build a personalised, long-term view of their health

The dialogue of health and wellbeing is a prominent one in the modern climate, and Thriva believes that this is the way it should be.

Its mission is simple: empower individuals by allowing them to easily track and understand what is actually happening inside their bodies, while also providing actionable insights that allow them to improve the way they feel.

Thriva believes that it is a person’s right to take control of their health and wellbeing like never before through the use of their at-home test kits. The kits are easy to use, and produce results in 48 hours in the comfort of the user’s own home.

Built upon a foundation of empowerment, Thriva wants customers to use its platform on a long-term basis, so they can construct a picture that changes as their health does. This reflects their holistic attitude to health, and their belief that wellbeing is an on-going, constantly evolving self-project.

Thriva is designed to provide clients with information and insights that ensure that they are able to take steps which have a positive impact upon their lives and enable users to stay at their very best.