69. Mimicrete Ltd Concrete is the world’s most widely used construction material – but it cracks. Mimicrete has come up with a solution to slow down time. 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: Zijing Li and Lívia Ribeiro de SouzaYear founded: 2021Website: mimicrete.comBiomimicry is when designs from the natural world are replicated by humans; and Mimicrete is a perfect example of what can be achieved. It’s a novel, long-lasting concrete that’s inspired by how the human body heals.Founders Zijing Li and Lívia Ribeiro de Souza, then researchers from the University of Cambridge, saw the potential to apply vascular networks to concrete, in order to solve the pervasive issue of the material cracking over time.In this way, Mimicrete not only promises to increase the lifespan of concrete – therefore helping alleviate the environmental cost of making the material – but also saves the building industry money. Unlike traditional self-healing solutions that only seal small cracks slowly, Mimicrete’s bio-inspired vascular system heals large cracks rapidly and autonomously – restoring strength without manual intervention, “Unlike traditional self-healing solutions that only seal small cracks slowly, Mimicrete’s bio-inspired vascular system heals large cracks rapidly and autonomously – restoring strength without manual intervention,” the team explains.The results mean that Mimicrete can deliver faster repair times (within 24 hours), which is critical in the building industry where margins are often tight. “This combination of scale, speed, durability, and sustainability sets Mimicrete apart in a market that urgently needs high-impact, low-carbon innovations,” the team adds.The duo proved that their concept worked, but still had to convince what they call a traditionally risk-averse and slow-moving industry that this innovation should be adopted. They overcame this by focusing on evidence and partnerships, winning a £450k Innovate UK grant in 2022, and a £250k investment from Morgan Stanley last October. This combination of scale, speed, durability, and sustainability sets Mimicrete apart in a market that urgently needs high-impact, low-carbon innovations, “We secured early-stage funding to validate our technology and partnered with established industry leaders to run real-world trials”, the Mimicrete team tells us. “By demonstrating that our system could heal large cracks rapidly and meet international structural standards, we built the trust and credibility needed to move from lab to site.”The startup is now being trialled in live construction projects, including large-scale bridges. The team also continues to collaborate with leading UK universities to conduct structural simulation and advanced material testing.The ambition is for the material to become market-leading; but the ultimate hope is that Mimicrete could change the building industry for better. As they state, “we want to help shape a more durable and environmentally responsible built environment.”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.