Today BusinessCloud and GM Business Growth Hub reveal the second annual ‘GM Rising Stars of Business’ list, celebrating 200 of Greater Manchester’s most exciting companies.
Last year’s list was focused upon four key growth sectors. For 2025, it has been extended to include all companies which are harnessing technology for growth or making a name for themselves as leaders in innovation.
The 200-strong list showcases companies from the 10 local authority areas of Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.
See the list in full:
We have also compiled a list of the city region’s Ones to Watch – 40 up-and-coming businesses that are on course for success in the future – which you can find here.
Companies on both lists needed to be headquartered or have a significant presence in Greater Manchester. Judges were looking for ambition and evidence of growth.
The judges were Janine Smith, director of the GM Business Growth Hub; Jonathan Symcox, editor of BusinessCloud; and Chris Maguire, executive editor of BusinessCloud.
Maguire said: “Last year’s list was incredibly well received. For this year we decided to increase the number of businesses featured on the main list from 125 to 200.
“It’s a real mix of established businesses and much newer names to the market. We wanted more companies from the wider Greater Manchester area who are driving the economy forward, so we extended the criteria beyond pure tech to include other sectors such as manufacturing: many of these firms are well-established but are innovators in their field and have tech embedded into their processes.
“It’s never been harder to run a business, but they have all shown an ability to adapt and evolve. What they do collectively is to put the ‘great’ into Greater Manchester.”
Registrations are now open for a ‘GM Rising Stars of Business 2025’ launch event – you can sign up for free here – will take place in the Manchester offices of KPMG on 1st May, with several of the names on the Rising Stars and Ones to Watch lists set to speak.
This will be followed by a series of sector-specific roundtables.
Janine Smith, director of GM Business Growth Hub, said: “The GM Rising Stars of Business was such a success last year that we are delighted to partner with BusinessCloud again to produce a fresh list for 2025.
“We changed the criteria this year so it’s open to all businesses harnessing tech or leading in innovation, rather than being restricted to certain sectors. It’s a real celebration of Greater Manchester’s thriving business community: the city region is home to an amazing range of businesses, with many choosing the area to set up or relocate to.
“We are proud to work with so many business owners and founders to help them understand the support, assets and infrastructure available to them to guide their journey when scaling.
“We have a team of specialist advisors who can provide help on everything from raising investment; innovation; reaching international markets; building teams; skills and workforce development; and a lot more besides.
“I can’t wait for the launch event on 1st May, while we will also be hosting a series of roundtables with BusinessCloud featuring the successful companies this year.”