67. Wylde Market Traceability and sustainability are lacking in the UK food industry, but this startup has challenged that with a new field (or wave) to fork marketplace. 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: Nick Jefferson and Ella CooperYear founded: 2022Website: wylde.marketWhy is it so hard to know where our food comes from? This is the question that got the co-founders of Wylde Market thinking about the lack of transparency when it comes to traceability and sustainability in the British food industry.As London-based Nick Jefferson and Ella Cooper state, “we were tired of food that came with hidden costs: animals raised in industrial systems, fed unnatural diets; crops sprayed with chemicals that strip the soil and harm biodiversity; and producers, farmers, fishers and growers squeezed by supermarkets and forced to cut corners just to survive”.They created Wylde as a totally new way of buying food. It’s a platform where independent producers are able to sell directly to consumers, setting their own prices and product descriptions. This allows consumers to see exactly where their food is coming from. Unlike traditional retailers or marketplaces, we let our producers set their own prices and tell their own stories, “Unlike traditional retailers or marketplaces, we let our producers set their own prices and tell their own stories,” says the team. “That means better food, fairer pay, and a deeper connection between the people who grow, catch, and make our food, and those who eat it.”The sellers – whether regenerative farmers, biodynamic growers or independent food producers – are all vetted for sustainability and traceability. And customers can scroll through and “meet” the makers easily on the Wylde Market website.In early 2025, Wylde Market managed to raise over £300k through a successful crowdfunding campaign that saw it smash its original target by over £100k. This was in addition to the company securing approximately £680k from prior angel investors.Backed by Noam Bar, co-founder of Ottolenghi, the business has so far had to move warehouses twice to keep up with demand. Its product range has also expanded beyond fish to meat, fruit, vegetables, funghi, dairy and eggs, and cupboard staples like oils and honey.The co-founders add that their producers are now talking about Wylde to their own networks, proving the model is now a movement. As they say, “this shift, from startup hustle to real momentum, was our proudest moment by far.”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.