Meet the 2013 Startups 100

When we first started our hunt for this year’s Startups 100 list – it seemed an almost insurmountable challenge. 100 companies is a heck of a lot, especially when you’re looking for the absolute cream of the crop.

To be considered for this year’s list businesses need to have commenced trading on or after 1 January 2010, be privately owned and UK based, have less than 30 employees, and, most importantly, inspire and excite us either through innovation or sheer potential for growth.

However, it didn’t take long for the balance to shift considerably from drumming up entries for the list to debating about who we were going to be able to leave out of the index.

Compiling the list is a long process, we scoured the web for exciting start-up talent by trawling through award schemes, accelerators and incubators, we asked for recommendations and we went out hunting for talent at events, but it’s also an extremely rewarding one, because what we discovered is an abundance of fantastic new businesses.

Regardless of the doom and gloom still hanging over the economy, the start-up space is as vibrant as ever. And we’ve got the proof right here…

From innovative product businesses such as Jimmy’s Iced Coffee, nitrogen ice-cream brand Lick Me Delicious and bag strap problem-solver i-stay to tech companies such as software as a service (SaaS) Wazoku, ticket app Yplan  and mobile specialists Senscraft, the list spans a range of industries.

With just over half of entrants running service businesses we’ve got everything from property-focused Capital Living to Glasgow-based space burial start-up Alba Orbital, proving not all innovation is housed in Tech City.

We’ve got a host of talented entrepreneurs, 186 in total, from around the UK, including fresh-faced newbies such as Mainstage Travel and seasoned entrepreneurs like Seven Hills and we can’t wait to share them and their businesses with you (for more stats, view our infographic here).

Launched in 2008 as the first ever top 100 start-up countdown, our flagship feature is now in its fourth year (you can look through previous years here) and we’ve racked up rather impressive alumni, including Notonthehighstreet.com, Naked Wines, Huddle and Hailo to name just a few.

With the calibre in this year’s list as high as ever we’re confident we’ve discovered not only some big names of the future but industry game-changers.

An ambitious claim we know, but let us prove it.

Counting down from 100 to the prestigious number one spot, take a look at the future of British business…

See the list

What do you think of the 2013 Startups 100? Have we overlooked anyone? Are there any companies we should keep an eye on for our next list? Tell us on Twitter, using the hashtag #Startups100.