{"id":51081,"date":"2025-10-13T09:15:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T08:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/startups-100\/?p=51081"},"modified":"2026-01-12T08:46:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T08:46:05","slug":"what-is-the-startups-100","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/startups.co.uk\/startups-100\/news\/what-is-the-startups-100\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Startups 100 Index?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n \n \n The 2026 Startups 100 Index is now live! <\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n
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Discover the innovative companies shaping the future of UK business in the 2026 Startups 100 Index<\/a>!<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n[vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text]If you have an interest in startups — maybe you run one, work in one, or want to start one — you will inevitably have come across the Startups 100 Index.\n

We’re the UK’s longest-running new business index. Each year, hundreds of startups pitch themselves via our online entry form. Those that show the most growth potential are handpicked by our judges and named ‘ones to watch’ in our annual ranking.<\/p>\n

Naturally, new founders will have questions about how this works behind the scenes. How are we different from other awards? Are we yet another award that companies buy their way into? (On this last one, absolutely not, there are strictly no fees attached.<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

This guide will help to put your mind at ease by explaining exactly why the Startups 100 Index began, how it works, and the legacy we have left so far.<\/p>\n

The history of the Startups 100 Index<\/h2>\n

The Startups 100 Index first started way back in 2008 (when a young Levi Roots submitted his famous Reggae Reggae sauce<\/a> to our judges).<\/p>\n

Having launched just after the financial crash, at the time the business landscape looked eerily similar to how it does today; threatened by permacrisis and a looming recession.<\/p>\n

Then, as now, UK startups were emerging from the catastrophe stronger, smarter, and more powerful. We were the first to set out to salute the resilient, game-changing startups who would come to exemplify the new era of UK business.<\/p>\n

18 years later, that mission statement<\/a> has never felt more pertinent. Post-Brexit, COVID, and crippling inflation, the UK economy is now starting the path to recovery. And we want to celebrate the future-facing ideas that are helping to take us out of it.<\/p>\n

Who have we featured?<\/h2>\n

Even if you hadn’t heard of the Startups 100 Index before, you will have heard of our esteemed alumni. Since 2008, we’ve published a further seventeen indexes, giving an early platform to a huge variety of new businesses. These include:<\/p>\n