25. Spotted Zebra No more nightmare mis-hires for business owners – this AI-powered Interview Intelligence and assessment platform is the antidote to the global hiring crisis. 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: Ian Monk and Nick ShawYear founded: 2020Website: spottedzebra.co.ukCo-founders Ian Monk and Nick Shaw wanted to fix a problem for enterprise organisations they couldn’t even see for themselves: they were neck deep in a global hiring crisis. They wanted to create a platform that benefited both candidates and hiring managers, and put a stop to game-changing hires slipping through the cracks of an out-dated system.The two had a shared realisation: roles were evolving rapidly but hiring practices were still stuck in the 20th century. A suit, tie, and hearty handshake just weren’t going to cut it in the post-AI work landscape.The big problem at the heart of this crisis, according to the founders? “There was no way to objectively evaluate whether someone had the right skills for a role before hiring them.”At the heart of Monk and Shaw’s mission is the belief that “everyone has superpowers” – important and valuable skills that aren’t displayed in an outdated CV format, simply listing out previous roles and which university they went to.To solve this, the founders combined rigorous psychological science with cutting-edge technology to create a unified platform that reveals the true capabilities of every candidate – not just their qualifications or job titles, but the skills that determine success.Spotted Zebra’s platform merges AI-powered Interview Intelligence with robust Skills Assessment, ending the era of fragmented point solutions. Recruiters and hiring managers now benefit from AI-guided interview frameworks, instant transcription, and bespoke skills-based evaluations validated across nearly one million assessments.Meanwhile, the platform’s Proprietary Role Skills Profiles combine personality, cognitive, technical, and motivational measures, ensuring that organisations can make confident, data-informed hiring decisions at scale.Spotted Zebra has proven its value by raising an impressive £7.7m in Series A funding in 2023. It now also has an impressive roster of high-profile, enterprise level clients that include Walt Disney, Virgin Media 02, Paramount, and Merlin Entertainments.In the founders’ words, “we’re not just growing our platform; we’re architecting the future of enterprise talent acquisition.”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.