55. Ethicronics Globally sourced electronics can be hiding anything, from malware to counterfeited components, and one venture is working to make hardware trust measurable. 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: Dr Franck CourbonYear founded: 2022Website: ethicronics.comWhat started as a research project at Cambridge University has now transitioned into Ethicronics, a startup that has delivered a way for governments and defence organisations to see, at scale, what is really inside their hardware.“While most cybersecurity solutions focus above the software boundary, we operate where the threats are most invisible: inside the hardware itself,” the team explains. “Our nanometre-scale assurance and unprecedented chiplet-level attestation uniquely close the last blind spot in digital security.”Cybersecurity is an issue for all businesses. For some organisations – especially governmental or critical infrastructure – it can become a question of national security, or even life and death. We live in turbulent geopolitical times and, as founder Dr Franck Courbon explains, “one compromised chip can undermine entire national infrastructures”. While most cybersecurity solutions focus above the software boundary, we operate where the threats are most invisible: inside the hardware itself, Seeing the systemic risk posed by hidden implants, counterfeits and tampering, Courbon realised there was an unaddressed but mission-critical need for trusted visibility into electronics at their deepest levels. “That was the spark to create Ethicronics: making hardware trust measurable, provable and scalable,” he adds.To move from theory to deployment, Courbon assembled a technical team but also brought in senior defence advisors before securing early pilot projects. The business now has prototypes and are ready for various proof of concepts to go live.The business has already won its first hardware assurance sale worth £80k with a UK defence organisation. It has also closed a £200k pre-seed and will kick off this year by fundraising further. The team has built partnerships with the University of Oxford and talks are ongoing with major industry bodies for “technology validation”. That was the spark to create Ethicronics: making hardware trust measurable, provable and scalable, Looking to the future, the company’s key ambition is to be “the UK’s anchor company for hardware trust using software” in the next three years. The team also hopes to lead international certification standards for hardware assurance, to ensure worldwide change. By 2030, Courbon adds that he is aiming for £14m revenues and an exit – leaving a legacy of trusted visibility and hardware assurance.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. 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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. 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