Founders: Michael and Kenny Bruce
Founded: April 2014
Website: www.purplebricks.com

Taking the prestigious number one spot in the Startups 100 2015 index is property start-up Purplebricks.com. A new entry, the early-stage business has raised £11m investment, including a £7m round led by high-profile fund manager Neil Woodford CBE, sold 2,000 properties and reached a million monthly site visits – all within just one year of its launch.

Demonstrating exactly why proptech (property technology) is one of the top business opportunities of 2015, Purplebricks.com combines the service provided by traditional local estate agents with an online platform which is available “around the clock at a fraction of the cost.” An appealing model that has helped the business achieve an impressive 50% quarterly growth rate to date.

Founded by brothers Michael and Kenny Bruce, who both have an extensive background in the property industry, the site enables users to book a property expert to come to their home, put their house on the market “within 45 minutes”, book property viewings instantly, agree offers and more.

With 70% of the company’s activity taking place when local estate agents are closed, it’s clear that the Bruce’s have created a business which capitalises on the growing demand for services that fit around the customer.

Now with 120 employees and growing, Purplebricks has established itself as a serious contender to key industry players – not just “a cheap and cheerful competitor” – and its “many hundred” 5 star reviews and conversion rates evidence this.

Over the next year you can expect to hear a lot more about Purplebricks; from next month the company will be operating nationally and there are several new “innovations” that it plans to introduce that will make the process of selling or renting your home easier.

With rumours already circulating that the young business could be gearing up for IPO – this true industry disrupter with eye-watering turnover predictions for 2015 is a truly deserving number one.

Founder: Timo Schmidt and James Carter
Founded: April 2012 (launched June 2012)
Website: www.gousto.co.uk

In second place is Gousto which, puns aside,  has a winning recipe for business success. Backed by over £9.1m funding from leading venture firms, the delivery box subscription service has become one of the market leaders in a highly-competitive sector with multi-million revenues and a team of 80 employees.

Founded by 2014 Young Guns Timo Schmidt and James Carter, Gousto’s concept is a simple one – the site enables you to choose weekly recipes you like the look of and then sends you the ingredients in exact portions, alongside recipe cards, so that you can cook “like the Fonz of food”.

The service has rapidly become a firm favourite with foodies and those lacking the time to cook properly and now has over 10,000 customers and a growing community of fans on social media; 14,000 on Facebook and over 10,000 on Twitter.

Featured in the top 20 of the Startups 100 2014 index, the recipe delivery start-up has continued to focus on improving its products and further innovation is underway having recently closed a £5m funding round led by Unilever Ventures.

While Schmidt and Carter reveal that sending fresh food all across the UK has been a “huge challenge”, the duo remain determined to execute their goal of disrupting the way people eat “for the better” and a second warehouse is also in the pipeline to support expansion.

The company’s ultimate ambition is to become recognised as a bona fide alternative to supermarkets – a vision which is becoming increasingly credible.

Founders: William Shu and Greg Orlowski
Founded: August 2012 (launched February 2013)
Website: https://deliveroo.co.uk/

Want to achieve fast-growth? Take inspiration from Deliveroo which has secured third place in our 2015 index.

In just over two years, the innovative food delivery start-up has scaled to 93 employees, signed up over 1,500 clients and fed the bellies of over 100,000 customers – and that’s not forgetting its recent £16.5m Series B Index Ventures funding round.

Founded by 2014 Young Guns William Shu and Greg Orlowski, Deliveroo (formerly known as Roo Foods) is a managed delivery platform for high-end restaurant chains, delivering food from the likes of Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Nando’s and Tossed to your home or office.

A simple concept; “food you love delivered to your door” in around half an hour, the company has already achieved multi-million revenues and expanded from its London territory to two of Europe’s “biggest foodie capitals”; Paris and Berlin.

Further expansion is also on the cards with the company set to launch in new markets in Europe and the Middle East imminently, while in the UK Shu and Orlowski have plans to roll-out the service in 25 additional towns and cities by the end of 2015.

Given its early success, it’s hardly surprising that Forbes recently identified the company as “one of the world’s next billion dollar start-ups” and we would have to agree. Deliveroo has all the makings to become Europe’s next unicorn and we wouldn’t be surprised if it follows in the footsteps of Just Eat with an IPO-listing no doubt on the horizon.

Founder: Nigel Verdon
Founded: January 2012
Website: https://www.currencycloud.com/

Listed in the top 10 of the Startups 100 2014, Currency Cloud has continued to accelerate at a rapid pace over the last 12 months. Earlier this year, the London fintech start-up revealed it had achieved a milestone $10bn payments processed and witnessed average growth of 17% month-on-month – not bad going for a company launched just three years ago.

Using cloud-based technology, Currency Cloud looks to provide an “easier, more transparent” solution for international currency transfers by offering clients an all-in-one payments engine which automates and manages overseas payments.

This proposition has attracted both businesses and investors alike and the platform is now used by over 100 fintech players including WorldRemit and Azimo and has secured over $18m in funding to date. The business’ revenue figures are equally as impressive with turnover set to double this year.

Having just launched in the US with a New York office, the payments business is now looking to drive further growth and intends to help “sophisticate” America’s fintech economy. The company’s team of 85 staff are also working on the development of a new API to improve the platform’s functionality and scalability.

A UK start-up success taking on the US – we predict big things for Currency Cloud.

Founders: Bertie Stephens and Adel Louertatani
Founded: March 2012 (launched August 2012)
Website: www.flubit.com

After struggling to find competitive prices when sourcing props for his video production company,Flubit co-founder Bertie Stephens decided to set up an online marketplace that would connect retailers directly to the consumer, avoiding unwanted commission prices.

The revenue model is based on a high volume of orders: the website does not charge marketplace fees unlike Amazon’s 15%, so the merchant gets full price for their item, and the user gets a discount that Flubit keeps a percentage of. Users simply submit a URL of their desired product, fill in some basic info and an email address, and wait for the website to find the best offer.

The founders describe their target market as “time rich, cash poor, bargain hunters”, and with £9m funding, 160,000 registered users and a turnover of more than £2m last year it’s clear they’ve hit their mark. After featuring at number 10 in the Startups 100 2014, the tech firm hopes to use the next year to grow, expand internationally and create more overseas partnerships, and hit a hugely impressive projected turnover of nearly £8m.

Founders: Jules Coleman, Alex Depledge and Tom Nimmo
Founded:  March 2012 (launched January 2013)
Website: https://hassle.com/uk

It’s not by chance that Hassle is making its third appearance in the Startups 100 index, climbing 37 places. A tech start-up with $6m investment and ambitious growth prospects, it’s a perfect example of an early-stage business that has begun to make its mark on the UK’s enterprise landscape having capitalised on a lucrative market opportunity – home cleaning.                                                              

Founded by 2014 Young Guns Jules Coleman, Alex Depledge and Tom Nimmo, Hassle is an online platform which enables users to book a trusted, local cleaner for £10 an hour. Covering all the major UK cities, the site is able to connect users with a cleaner in under 60 seconds and it’s this attractive proposition which has seen the company scale at a rapid pace.

Now with 45 employees, new mobile apps and recent expansion into two European cities, the London-based online marketplace is well positioned to take the country’s professional cleaning industry by storm.

While the start-up is currently focused on “delivering the best possible service”, it plans to start looking at other verticals in the near future and its projected turnover for 2015 – a staggering £11.5m – is proof that it has the potential to go far.