86. Eleria Eleria’s patented portable menstrual cup cleaner – and its five different varieties of cup – makes sustainable period care more convenient, accessible, and affordable. 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: Kira Goode and Monica WaiYear founded: 2021Website: eleria.comKira Goode switched to a period cup in 2019. Not only did she save money on menstrual products, she tells us, but her cramps reduced, and the fact she only had to change it every 12 hours meant her days and nights no longer revolved around her period.Keen to understand why more people weren’t sold on menstrual cups, Goode, who is also a well-known arts and crafts influencer with a following of around half a million people, later worked with co-founder Monica Wai to survey her audience on menstrual cup use.Results showed that the difficulty of cleaning a cup in public was a significant deterrent. Most people were not willing to sacrifice personal convenience to be more sustainable, so it was essential that Eleria created something more convenient than the alternatives.So, the idea for Eleria’s patented menstrual cup cleaning case was born. It can be used discreetly anywhere (all you need to do is add water and shake), without the need to use a sink. Plus, it can be used with other menstrual cup brands.The Bristol-based business also offers five different styles of period cups to suit different flows and cervix heights, available in fun colours. Originally known as Cup Squared, it rebranded to Eleria in 2023.Fundraising as a female-founded, female-focused, pre-revenue business was extremely challenging for Goode and Wai. A lot of investors loved the idea, but as mostly older men, they couldn’t relate to the problem.Determined to bring their vision to market, the team cut their raise to the bare minimum, didn’t take salaries, ran with zero marketing budget, and kept unit orders small, even though it lowered margins.Eleria leaned on grant programmes and accelerator support, and received a £50k grant from Innovate UK, and won one-to-one mentorship with Dragons’ Den’s Deborah Meaden.Eleria closed its pre-seed funding round in April 2024 and, after a year of manufacturing and development, launched its products in April 2025. They’re now available online, including through Amazon.Looking ahead, Eleria aims to replicate the same achievements for every environmental disruptor product, making sustainable products convenient, affordable, and accessible for all.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. 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