BusinessCloud’s long-awaited ‘101 Tech Start-Up Disrupters’ and ‘101 Rising Stars of Tech Start-Ups’ lists have been revealed, with the first 25 companies from the disrupters list being showcased today.
Every day this week we will showcase 25 of the most disruptive tech start-ups from across the UK, with the Rising Stars list coming next week.
All the companies on both lists have been invited to attend a prestigious half-day conference at UKFast’s Manchester campus on June 7th, where they will hear from the best business minds how to turn a big idea into big business.
To comment on Twitter on either list use the hashtag #BCloud101
The list is sponsored by office fit out and refurbishment specialist Overbury.
LONDON
JUKEDECK
Jukedeck is using AI to revolutionise making and consuming music.Traditionally, users would browse stock libraries for royalty free tracks.But Ed Newton-Rex was inspired to teach computers how to compose professional-quality music after sneaking into a Harvard University lecture.Today, his artificially intelligent composer can write royalty free, original tracks in seconds and has received £2.6m in funding.
BLAZE
Blaze’s Laserlight tech started out as a university project of founder Emily Brooke and improves the safety of city cyclists at night.The device projects a fluorescent bike image six metres ahead, improving visibility for the rider and making road users more aware of their presence.It is being rolled out on London’s ‘Boris bikes’ and an agreement has been reach with New York’s similar bike hire scheme.It has raised £6.5m investment to date.
CERA
Cera believes technology will be the catalyst which allows elderly loved ones to live in the comfort of their own home for longer.The company has partnered with the NHS, digitalising all processes operations, recruitment and care reports.As a result, the health sector is able to pay carers higher wages. Cera has also received significant VC funding.
FOOTY ADDICTS
Fancy a kickabout but don’t have any mates to play with? Footy Addicts is a social platform which enables people to find and sign up to play in matches in London, Manchester and Nottingham.With more than 35,000 registered users, it plans to expand around the UK before raising funds to move into European cities.
HUBBLE
Bringing together the worlds of AI and office rental, it’s no wonder Hubble has already attracted investment. Its world-first artificially-intelligent office agent cuts a process that would usually take three days down to just 30 seconds.Aimed at helping start-ups and SMEs, Hubble cuts out old-fashioned brokers, slashes fees, and is expected to roll out to two more cities in the next 12 months.
HEADBOX
Fancy hosting your next business meeting on a boat or in an art gallery? HeadBox believes it can help. Its online marketplace is unlocking thousands of previously unknown or inaccessible creative meeting spaces that businesses can search through and choose from with ease. No surprise then that the company is attracting big investment and growing fast.
TRUSSLE
Most people know how stressful buying a house can be – so Trussle is using tech to disrupt the mortgage world.The firm tracks thousands of products and continuously monitors mortgages using an algorithm which automatically notifies borrowers when to switch to a more suitable deal. Launched by Ishaan Malhi in 2015, it just closed a £4.5m funding round.
HOUSEKEEP
Award-winning and attracting the UK’s best-known VCs, Housekeep brings cleaning and technology together. Launched in 2014 with the intention of making life easier for customers and cleaners, the start-up now boasts 1,000s of subscribers.Its high-tech database means users book, manage and pay in minutes – and cleaners can find more work, and reduce travel.
LEXOO
Finding the right lawyer as an SME has gotten easier thanks to tech platform Lexoo.The company’s ‘lawyer matching’ service brings top quality solicitors to small businesses at transparent prices. It’s free for customers and quotes are usually returned within 24 hours, explaining why the team of eight has attracted significant investment.
DIGITAL MUMS
In just three years, Digital Mums has helped more than 700 mothers learn vital tech skills to get them job-ready. In that time, its revenue has grown by 600 per cent. The company’s approach is about learning by doing work that fits in around family life. Most of its team of 35 are mums working flexibly – and 17 per cent of them never step foot in the office.
SMARTER
Going straight to the heart of the British home, Smarter is on a mission to bring old kitchen appliances into the connected world. By introducing the Internet of Things (IoT) as a new ingredient, the company’s 23 staff has brought the first connected ‘iKettle’, a Smarter Coffee Machine and FridgeCam to more than 100,000 users.
YOUR.MD
You’ll never have to rely on an inaccurate Google self-diagnosis again. Your.MD is one of the world’s most advanced chatbots, and the only personal health assistant to harness AI. Offering anyone with a mobile access to pre-primary care information, its brain is based on professionals and is capable of reaching a comparable result to a doctor. Available in 150 countries YourMD has raised more than £6.9m funding.
OLIO EXCHANGE
OLIO is the only mobile-first food sharing network in the world and has garnered significant investment. The company’s 150,000+ users shared over 200,000 items in the app’s first year, and over 10,000 volunteers are spreading the word about OLIO in their local neighbourhoods.
DR CARE ANYWHERE
Doctor Care Anywhere is an online doctor consultation service that already serves patients in over 70 countries and has attracted significant investment.The company provides 20 minute phone and video consultations with GPs 365 days a year. Doctor Care’s GPs can also refer patients for in-person GP consultations and diagnostics with Nuffield Health professionals.
KISHA SMART UMBRELLA
A smart, fashionable umbrella it is almost impossible to lose? Sounds too good to be true. A world-first, Kisha’s unique brolly blends tech with style and notifies its owner if they lose it in a public place. So far it has been sold in more than 50 countries worldwide.
THIRD SPACE LEARNING
The company is the largest provider of one-to-one tuition in English primary schools, working with over 6,000 pupils in 500 schools each week. Schools see accelerated progress and increased confidence in pupils, with a trial last year finding that students using Third Space Learning make on average 7 months progress in 14 weeks.
SAFETONET
SafeToNet has made a business out of safeguarding children from the threat of social media and social network users.The company uses artificial intelligence to find and block harmful content in real time, and its app helps parents make sure that their children are safe while they surf. SafeToNet is now also selling licenses to schools.
KANO COMPUTING
Kano’s DIY-computer kits can be used to make PCs, screens, radios, artwork, music, games, Minecraft hacks and more, letting people of all ages play and learn with technology. As part of the Obama administration’s ConnectHome initiative, the company helped bring digital literacy training and devices, along with internet access, to over 275,000 low-income households in the US. Kano has doubled its sales each year and raised $19 million investment to date, shipping over 150,000 kits to 86 countries.
PENSIONBEE
Proving that pensions don’t have to be old-hat, PensionBee is disrupting the sector with its online pension manager. The company puts the user in control of their savings by finding and combining old pensions into a good-value online plan. PensionBee also wants to demystify pensions for a younger audience, with 65 per cent of its customers coming from Instagram and Facebook.
CAMPAIGN & DIGITAL INTELLIGENCE
How do you turn web traffic into customers? Ask Campaign and Digital Intelligence. The firm lets businesses track visitors who don’t make purchases to help generate better sales leads. It is disrupting marketing automation by integrating with all web providers – which means there is no need to tear out existing platforms.
BISCUIT LABS
Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, Biscuit Labs sifts through the world’s largest institutional real estate investors, developers and managers.Its goal? To reduce global carbon emissions and ultimately make buildings self-sufficient in terms of power. The sensing, control and micro-grid company can create significant operations efficiencies across large portfolios of properties.
WINNOW SOLUTIONS
Winnow helps chefs dramatically reduce food waste by using data to measure and monitor usage in kitchens, and can typically enable them to cut wastage in half. In less than four years the company has grown from a small team in London to 40 people in three offices around the world and is currently operating in more than 20 countries. Winnow has also attracted large amounts of investment from high-profile investors.
SQUIRREL
A new way of banking – especially for those who have trouble sticking to a budget. Squirrel’s app makes it easy for users to take control of their finances. Pay is diverted, funds are held back for saving and budgeting, then the rest goes into a bank account as normal. The company’s growth plans are throughout the UK, then to the US, Australia and South Africa.
PROVENANCE
Ever wondered where the products you buy come from? Provenance gives shoppers an idea of where products are made, what from and by who. Using mobile, blockchain and open data, it is disrupting the supply chain and demanding greater transparency. In 2016, it launched its first international pilot tracking tuna from Maluku through the South East Asia fishing industry.
IMPROBABLE
Improbable saves developers potentially millions when it comes to simulation by providing the unseen back-end tech that makes it simple for developers to create colossal virtual worlds. With $20m investment and backed by Google, Improbable makes anything possible – from simulating the human body to help fight disease to urban planning.