17. Carmoola Carmoola is cutting out the middleman and putting the pedal down on speedier car loans with a quick and easy 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. Founders: Aidan Rushby, Amy Rushby, Roman Sumnikov, and Igor GordiichukYear founded: 2020Website: carmoola.co.ukCarmoola wants to “make car buying as straightforward as booking a holiday online”. It’s a strong elevator pitch, but where did the idea come from?The founders’ interests were piqued by existing used car ecommerce platforms, like Cazoo or Carvana, but they felt they were missing some important parts. They decided to get under the hood of the used car market, and turbocharge it.Carmoola provides some genuine innovation in a market that’s been left out to rust: by creating a fast, app-based, efficient way of getting a car loan. Customers set their budget upfront, and then simply pay for their car with just a tap, or transfer.Carmoola makes life simpler for the customer by allowing them to sort out their car financing before even setting foot in the dealership. It takes the stress out of car finance, as buyers know exactly what their budget is up front, without being blindsided by high fees once they’re on the lot. In short, you’ll cut out the pesky middleman.Customers apply through the app, then receive their budget. Once they’re approved, they’ll receive a virtual card within the app that contains their loan amount. They can then use this card at all online car-buying websites, and thousands of dealerships.Carmoola began raising Series A a mere three months after launching, which led to an initially rocky journey. The chief technology officers (CTOs), along with the engineers, were all based in Ukraine. Half the team had then relocated to Warsaw, with the other half remaining to navigate the uncertainty and harsh reality of the war, while still trying to deliver the product as the company was growing.The team’s struggle paid off though. As of last year, it secured a £300m ABS debt facility with Natwest and Chenavari Investment Managers. And, as the team relates, “the fact we’ve now processed over five million loan applications and funded the purchase of almost £150m worth of cars is pretty mind blowing, in such a short space of time.”This landmark deal allows Carmoola to expand across the market and, to date, Carmoola has processed over 4.5 million customer applications. With no more intermediaries, and no more going in blind to dealerships, Carmoola has put the buyer back in the driver’s seat.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.