Founder: Tajinder Banwait
Founded: January 2012
Website: urbanapothecarylondon.com

Beauty industry heavyweight Tajinder Banwaith started her design-focused, luxury homeware products business in 2012 from her kitchen table, hoping to inject a little indulgence and creativity into the candle and scent diffusor industry.

By 2014, Banwaith had secured listings in a number of universally recognised luxury stores as well as more mass-market retailers such as John Lewis, Bergdorf Goodman and Waitrose – proving her products appealed to both high-end and middle markets. Impressive market placements combined with the company’s growth potential and innovative products enabled the female entrepreneur’s start-up to make it into our 2014 Startups 100 index.

Now, the profitable business returns but on the merits of sheer growth power, having exceeded its turnover predictions for 2014, the creative company looks set to reach turnover of over £1m in 2015. The next 12 months will also see the business expand on its existing revenue streams, it currently sells its products through over 100 wholesale partners and its signature e-commerce site, into contract manufacturing and international distribution. The start-up also has a new candle brand planned for the upcoming year, which its ambitious female founder says will be “significantly different to Urban Apothecary”. Watch this space…

Founders: Louis Schena and Chitresh Sharma
Founded: January 2014
Website: www.swipiicard.com

Stemming from an idea for a nightclub loyalty platform, Swipii founders Louis Schena and Chitresh Sharma realised many independent retailers were crying out for an affordable and effective digital rewards system.

Their loyalty solution allows the end user to receive points and rewards from local merchants using one multi-function app or card – all retailers have to do is install an iPad at the point of sale. As a result, the company claims users of the platform increase visits by 12-44%.

Founded in 2014, the Glasgow company currently has 239 merchants live – with another 1,000-plus scheduled to join – and an impressive 70,000 end users. Businesses on a 12-month contract choose between three payment tiers of £39, £49 or £59 to receive the necessary materials and access email deals, a dedicated account manager, custom rewards menu and marketing materials.

Though Swipii shares the loyalty and reward marketplace with a number of ambitious contenders, it claims its quick, hassle-free, 10-second sign-up process and the data and analytics services it offers to its merchants should see its plans to sign up 1,000 UK businesses by the end of 2015 come to fruition. And with a Scandinavian franchise launch in the pipeline, the team is showing no sign of stopping once they’ve conquered these shores.

Founders: Piers Ridyard and Steve Levey
Founded: March 2012
Website: http://eu.minidrive.bynifty.com/

Marking its second appearance in the Startups 100 index, Nifty is steadily making its transition from a shed start-up to a fully-fledged tech business.

Specialising in creating solutions “to everyday problems”, Nifty’s first product – the MiniDrive – is a flash storage device for Apple Mac laptops which allows users to “seamlessly add up to 64GB of storage” as and when they need it.

The idea stemmed from co-founder Piers Ridyard’s own frustrations with flash storage. Unable to find a portable Macbook solution on the market, he set about making his own device with the help of co-founder Steve Levey.

Ridyard and Levey hadn’t anticipated that the business idea would grow legs; referring to Nifty as an “accidental tech company”, but thanks to an “unbelievable” Kickstarter round which overfunded its initial $11,000 pitch to raise a staggering $384,000, the duo have been able to turn the concept into a reality.

Having officially launched the MiniDrive in September 2014, the Manchester start-up has already begun delivering on its 9,800 orders and now has a network of 25 distributors across six continents with Apple (both online and retail) among its key customers. Levey and Ridyard have also recently begun exploring the wearable tech industry and plan to launch a smartphone charging belt – the XOO – over the coming year.

With a Series A round in the pipeline and a raft of other products also in development, this ingenious start-up definitely warrants its namesake.

Founders: Andrew Jervis and Felix Kenton
Founded: October 2012
Website: www.clickmechanic.com

Anyone who has ever tried to find a good mechanic will know it’s a process that can be difficult and drawn out – which is where ClickMechanic comes in, an online marketplace enabling drivers to get a quote and book a vetted, mobile mechanic “quickly and easily”.

The site is powered by an instant, real-time online quoting engine; said to be the first of its kind in Europe, which differentiates from standard mobile repair agencies that typically rely on the bid-for-jobs model.

Having previously launched car part aggregator website QuickHubs.com, co-founder Andrew Jervis was determined to capitalise on his background in the car repair industry (he even wrote a Master’s thesis about it) and, after winning a spot at the Entrepreneur First accelerator, came together with Felix Kenton to bring the idea to life.

Three years on, Jervis and Kenton have turned this concept into a flourishing business with over 100 mobile mechanics signed up to the platform nationwide, and angel investment which includes the former CEO of Just Eat, the founder of Wahanda and Zoopla’s former head of SEO.

On set to hit revenues of £3m for year-end 2015, the company is accelerating at an increasingly fast pace with a minimum 20% month-on-month growth and may potentially be looking at expanding in other countries by the end of the year.

Founders: Sandeep Senhera and Jozef Wallis
Founded: November 2012 (launched March 2013)
Website: www.toothpick.com

Responding to research that half of the UK’s dental practices don’t answer the phone, nor have a website, former dentist Sandeep Senhera decided the industry was ripe for disruption. With the help of web industry veteran Jozef Wallis he launched Toothpick, a UK-wide platform connecting NHS and private dentists with patients, using real time appointment availability, reviews, pricing and profiles.

With a goal to “make dentistry more consumer friendly”, Toothpick has come along at a good time – an estimated 25 million Brits have not visited a dentist in the last two years and tooth decay is one of the primary reasons for children being admitted to A&E. The service is free for patients, but dentists are charged a flat fee per booking. Since launch the service has attracted around 800 practices and 3,500 dentists, with up to 70 new practices joining monthly.

Toothpick has competition, which has only increased since its inclusion in the index last year, but its commitment to conquering its sector before branching out into other verticals, and integrated real-time booking software, continue to give it an edge over its rivals. Having completed a recent undisclosed seed round from Passion Capital, EC1 Capital and others, the company has some major developments in the pipeline for 2015, including a branded VIP discount programme, US expansion and plans to map the market, by combining its collated data with open health data.

Founder: Stuart Pearce
Founded: May 2014
Website: www.smartech-energy.co.uk

Energy: it’s essential but expensive, and it has a habit of wasting itself. Wiltshire-based company SMARTech energy helps commercial businesses develop a cost effective strategy for reducing their energy consumption by identifying where, when and how it is being wasted.

Founder and army veteran Stuart Pearce had previously worked in the vehicle fuel efficiency sector, but eventually decided that buildings would be far more viable, as they “do not move”. SMARTech energy uses site surveys and energy monitoring equipment to provide real time data and to identify abnormalities and leakages – aiming to help its clients achieve a 30-50% year-on-year saving and reduce their carbon footprint.

The company outgrew its initial growth plan for 2014, achieving turnover of £600,000, and is already projecting an impressive £1.2m revenue for 2015, after just a year of trading. Other goals for the coming year include a 50% increase in staff, a 20% increase in average project value and the development of a new range of market-led solutions, incorporating groundbreaking technologies.

Alongside its ambitious UK plans, this promising young energy start-up is also looking to become global over the coming year. Already in talks and arrangements with Europe and US-based technology developers, it seems Pearce’s ambition to become a £5m turnover business within four years is well within reach.

Founder: Amer Hassan
Founded: October 2010 (launched February 2012)
Website: www.minicabit.com

Taxi quote and hire service Minicabit launched onto the transport tech scene around the same time as a number of major international competitors; nevertheless, the fast growth British start-up has thrived in the last few years and shows no signs of slowing down.

The website and app allows users to compare and book instant quotes from taxi providers for long distance and local trips in 40 UK cities, taking a 10% commission or a £1 booking fee for longer journeys. The company’s success lies in its unique comparison platform, presenting quotes from pickup and destination areas to help users find the best price, as well as partnerships with top players in the travel and leisure space. Minicabit beat mega-funded rivals to secure lucrative deals with The O2, Wembley Arena, London City Airport and Heathrow airport.

Founder Amer Hassan has nine years experience with apps in the mobile industry, and even did a stint as a minicab driver whilst he was at university. He says that despite significant attempts at promotion, most bookings are still taken via the website, so the next year will be spent pushing for wider use of the app. The Dragons’ Den backed-company will also aim to expand its database of licensed cab operators from 600 – one in 10 of all in the UK – to 1,000 by this time next year.

Founders: Jon Smith, Henry Smith, Simon Blower and Tom Garbutt
Founded: February 2013
Website: Pobble.com

Sometimes businesses make it into our Startups 100 index because they have impressed us with their big turnover, fast growth and investment; on other occasions it’s their impact on people’s lives and social missions.  Pobble has managed to do both; acting as an online educational platform where children can write and develop their skills, and receive feedback and encouragement from a global audience.

The start-up was founded with the mission to create a more literate world and to make a “real, positive difference to people’s lives” but it’s also achieved considerable commercial success. Since launch it has generated revenues of a quarter of a million, acquired over 20,000 users and 250 schools partners, and overfunded on Crowdcube (gaining £170,000 investment). The award-winning business, (Pobble won our People’s Champion Award alongside other accolades), is based on a freemium model and generates revenues by partnering with schools – providing them with creative writing workshops and online portfolio products. The edtech start-up claims its USP is the teams’ background in education; three of the founders were teachers and their sales channels is made up of 10 to 15 full time teachers working with schools to introduce the platform.

Pobble’s priority focus for the next 12 months is growing this sales channel alongside its technology team; and considering the start-up is currently expanding into the United Arab Emirates and growing fast, it’ll need all the help it can get!     

Founder: Nicholas Harding and Matthew Powell
Founded: November 2012 (launched January 2014)
Website: www.lendingworks.co.uk

Post-recession and things were (and arguably remain) dormant in the traditional funding world; but with a growing economy, innovative tech and more people looking for unconventional financial routes, start-ups began to launch in order to fill the gaps left by the banks and the alternative funding market exploded.

Capitalising on this growing demand for alternative finance, peer-to-peer lending start-up Lending Works connects “shrewd lenders with creditworthy personal loan borrowers”. By cutting out the middleman, lenders can receive great returns while borrowers secure low-cost loans – with no hidden fees. A key differentiator to other similar products on the market, Lending Works also offers its pioneering ‘Lending Works Shield’ which protects lenders against key risks including fraud, borrower defaults and cybercrime.

Having raised £4m in funding from an impressive group of funders, which includes industry experts David Kyte, founder of the Kyte Group and London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE), and Meridian Equity’s co-founder Max Ashton, the start-up also boasts solid financials – with revenue set to reach £1.4m in 2015.

With a network of almost 50,000 members and 3,000 active customers, Lending Works predicts a growth rate of “over five-fold” in the next year as the business evolves into a three-dimensional company with a broad range of distribution channels.

Founder: Michael Cross
Founded: May 2012 (launched September 2012)
Website: www.brightblueconsulting.co.uk

After 15 years in the marketing return on investment (ROI) industry, Michael Cross was well placed to identify that the overcomplicated delivery of results often left them mostly redundant. He founded Brightblue Consulting to deliver simplified, more manageable outcomes, allowing firms to make better decisions and more money.

Its simplistic approach helps the business to stand out in a rather congested market and its results speak for themselves. The company claims to increase marketing ROI by 20% (up 5% from last year), using fact-based models to measure consumer behaviour, with prices decided on a per project basis.

Brightblue appeared on Startups 100 2014 after a successful year, and has since secured a leading global bank alongside its other big name clients, which it claims to have driven £8m in profits for. Having grown organically to-date, the next year will see the profitable company expand and diversify its client base, creating new products to offer analytical solutions to a much wider audience.