44. Better Nature Better Nature produces high-protein tempeh food products that are good for gut health, are kind to the planet, and are easy to cook with. 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: Elin Roberts, Dr. Ando Ahnan-Winarno, Fabio Rinaldo, and Christopher KongYear founded: 2020Website: betternaturetempeh.coIt might not always be in the headlines, but the UK is facing a gut crisis. With one in two Brits suffering from gut dysbiosis, the lifetime cost per individual affected is estimated at more than £4.1m.And, while lean protein from chicken can be beneficial for gut problems, it only addresses part of the problem because it lacks high levels of essential minerals like calcium, iron, and manganese. That’s why the founders of Better Nature are championing tempeh as a healthy and sustainable alternative.Co-founder Dr. Ando Ahnan-Winarno, who grew up eating tempeh in Indonesia, didn’t realise its health benefits until he started studying food science. Tempeh has a similar amount of protein to chicken, but is also high in fibre, gut-friendly, and 100% natural.With this new discovery, Ahnan-Winarno and his co-founders started Better Nature with a mission to share the health benefits of tempeh with the world.But getting Brits to understand the benefits of tempeh was going to be tough, especially as it’s virtually unknown in the UK. So, through simple education, storytelling, and recipe content, the team set out to introduce tempeh to British kitchens.As co-founder Elin Robert explains, “we wanted to make it easy and familiar, showing people that tempeh can slot straight into their favourite meals – from stir-fries to spaghetti bolognese, while helping them eat better, feel better, and tread more lightly on the planet.”Soon, people began to see the benefits of tempeh, and leading supermarkets – including Tesco, Asda, and Ocado – started stocking Better Nature’s products, helping the brand reach more households and bring plant-based protein to everyday meals. We wanted to make it easy and familiar, showing people that tempeh can slot straight into their favourite meals. Meanwhile, it’s also been able to secure impressive funding from several angel investors and venture capitalists – its most recent being a £1.1m round in August 2025.Next, Better Nature wants to make tempeh the world’s go-to protein food by hitting major supermarkets across the UK, EU, Australia, and beyond – while also inspiring millions to embrace a healthier lifestyle.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.