Founders: Mohil Shah and Kunal Dasani
Founded: 2017
Website: www.medicmind.co.uk

Getting into medical school is famously tough. It’s therefore no surprise that a veritable army of companies has sprung up to help applicants as they go through the process. Medic Mind, though, is different – it assigns a student mentor to each applicant it works with and combines online teaching modules with personal support and expert insight from someone who’s been there and done it.

Medic Mind’s approach combines 1-to-1 tutoring with all the advantages offered by modern technology. Tutoring sessions are delivered via online video calls, and applicants are in constant contact with their mentors via a private WhatsApp group. This way of working not only keeps costs down – rates are generally less than 35% of the market average – but also perfectly fits Medic Mind’s target market – today’s teenagers live online and want to learn there too.

Tutors are also supported with an array of ready-made tutorials, mocks and revision books, all informed by personal experience of what medical schools are looking for. In short, anyone who signs up to Medic Mind gets expert support from a friendly face they can relate to, and who knows exactly what they’re going through.

Having already expanded into other subject areas like dentistry, biology, chemistry, and physics – and given back through free teaching and an ever expanding bursary scheme – this is one startup that could teach others a thing or two about building a successful business from the ground up.

Founders: Peter Watson, Bradley McKenny
Founded: 2015
Website: www.distract.co.uk

Mention the word “holistic” to many people and their minds will be filled with all sorts of unusual medical procedures, from acupuncture to rituals that use special stones to heal your aura. In the Lincoln office of award-winning digital marketing agency Distract though, the word has a much simpler meaning, and it defines an approach that is helping them deliver real results for their clients.

In short, Distract’s holistic approach means they look at the whole company, and use their expertise in search, social, digital PR and websites to deliver an integrated marketing strategy that helps their clients to grow and make an impact.

The agency was started by Peter Watson and Bradley McKenny while they were at university – with student loans and overdrafts helping to get the business off the ground. Fast forward five years and Distract is thriving, with a varied list of over 50 clients that covers everyone from national charities to high street accountancy firms and ecommerce startups. This is also their second appearance in the Startups 100, testament to their rapid growth and innovative approach.

Another key focus is professional development – all staff are continuously provided with training that develops their knowledge and skills, both within their department and specific industry niche. This ensures that every team member feels valued, and that Distract can always stay ahead of the rapidly advancing digital marketing curve.

Fittingly, Distract is one marketing agency that’s really making some noise – we can’t wait to see what they do next.

Founder: Dominic Portman
Founded: 2016
Website: fancydressworldwide.com

Having already been named 2018’s Startups Exporter of the Year, as well as earning a place in the Startups 100 2019 Index, DAPV – or Fancy Dress Worldwide, to its customers – continues to highlight how traditionally small-scale business models can be bolstered to achieve global success.

Founded in 2016 by Dominic Portman, who started out selling dress-up outfits to his friends while studying at Nottingham Trent University, Fancy Dress Worldwide has gone on to amass £1.85m in annual sales, catering for over 150,000 customers in the process. The company operates by selling manufacturers’ unique, innovative products online under DAPV brands, then fulfilling orders within their warehouses.

Powered by Eiger, the company’s own bespoke and sector-agnostic technology platform, DAPV has set itself a 3-year revenue target of £16m. Eiger will allow DAPV to transmit data quickly between suppliers, the company, and the customer – and is capable of working with products far beyond the realm of caveman costumes and inflatable palm trees.

Thanks to this technical agility, DAPV is free to pursue its vision: to continue investing in growing its product lines and sales channels. The company has already proven its prowess with the launch of its second brand, Games Galore, which is now responsible for over 60% of DAPV’s revenue – despite having been launched in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

From garish wigs to global ambitions, it seems like for DAPV, the party is just getting started.

Founder: James Morgenstern
Founded: 2019
Website: heatherwellbeing.com

With mental health having become a firm fixture of the social/cultural conversation in recent years, any wellbeing company will need to go the extra mile in order to make an impression, and to offer customers real results – which is precisely what Heather Wellbeing has done.

Founded in 2019, one of Heather’s strongest, most fascinating offerings is its team-based approach. Once reserved for the likes of film stars and elite athletes, Heather promises to match clients with bespoke teams of leading specialists, who seamlessly work together to share information and deliver more powerful results, faster. No stone is left unturned – Heather’s teams take a holistic approach, tracking hundreds of potential symptoms and metrics, and relying on data to give quantifiable, digestible results.

And speaking of results, Heather is already delivering. Founded by former agency head James Morgenstern, the company is not only thriving, but it gets 50% of its new clients coming from referrals – that really does speak for itself.

Working with clients may make up a large proportion of its time, but Heather also provides confidential corporate therapy for employees, fluff-free wellbeing workshops, and bespoke manager training. The company has also used its resources admirably during the COVID-19 crisis, having immediately offered £1.7m of mental health support for free to NHS frontline staff through its network of qualified therapists.

In a corporate landscape where mental health support is both essential and heavily scrutinised, Heather seems perfectly equipped to make a tangible positive impact.

Founder: Anthony Ganjou
Founded: 2020
Website: itsHandi.com

Founded in March 2020 in direct response to the coronavirus crisis, Handi provides high density and premium environments with the capacity to clean thousands of hands every hour. With its innovative range of cloud-connected hand sanitiser dispensers, the company promises quick, simple, touch-free sanitisation, and is dedicated to donating 10% of its annual profits to charities affected by the pandemic.

For a monthly subscription fee, Handi offers what it calls “sanitation-as-a-service”. While its sanitiser formula is alcohol-free, non-flammable, and certified antiviral, the company’s offering is elevated by its IoT technology, which enables it to form widespread networks of connected totems. These networks allow users to keep track of totem location, stock usage, and battery levels, all in real time. Handi will also take care of installation, branding, machine and sanitiser supply, brand/media partnership management, and even on-site stock replenishment (where possible).

As well as catering for a number of high profile clients – including British Airways, Vitality, and The European Tour – Handi also sells its machines wholesale to other sanitiser manufacturers, with an ongoing license for connectivity and use of Handi’s monitoring platform. Its theft-proof machines are completely brandable, come with a battery lasting nine months, and feature an internal 3.5l tank that’s good for up to 5,000 washes. The company also uses a sustainable zero waste replenishment system (patent pending), which makes sure no single use plastic goes to waste.

According to founder Anthony Ganjou, Handi’s mission is to support the population and get businesses back on their feet. In an era of grand promises and even grander uncertainty, it’s refreshing to see a company that’s walking the walk (while observing social distancing guidelines, of course).

Founder: Rebecca Kelly and Benjy Meyer
Founded: 2016
Website: www.venuescanner.com

The process of booking a venue is hard – it’s time consuming, complex, and costly. Owning and managing a venue is also hard – your event space can sit empty for days, weeks or even months. Well, that isn’t necessarily the case anymore.

Founded in 2016 by Rebecca Kelly and Benjy Meyer, VenueScanner has been described by Forbes as the ‘Airbnb of venue hire’. A venue search and booking platform, this company helps hosts generate bookings, and event organisers to find better, more affordable venues.

Industry-wide change is always a challenge, but this was an industry ripe for disruption. By providing technology to streamline the event booking process and giving venues a platform to market themselves, VenueScanner has risen to the challenge. With 25,000 venues now listed, it has now become the UK’s largest online venue booking platform.

From schools to churches, to warehouses or pubs, VenueScanner helps premises owners rethink the way they use their space, while offering an eclectic range of options for organisers to choose from. Traditional venue hire is expensive, and dominated by big players with huge budgets – VenueScanner is on a mission to level the playing field.

Used by some of the world’s biggest and best-known brands, including Facebook, M&S and the BBC, VenueScanner is making venue hire affordable, accessible and easy. We’d like to say ‘watch this space’ but they probably have that space filled!

Founder: Rajeeb Dey
Founded: 2016
Website: www.learnerbly.com

Having appeared at position 81 last year, Learnerbly has climbed to 76 in 2020. Founded in 2016 by Rajeeb Dey, the business is on a mission to simplify workplace learning and empower employees in their own development.

Offering access to over 150 providers through a single, easy-to-use platform. By including coaches, courses, conferences, books and more in one package, Learnerbly ensures companies don’t waste money on unnecessary business-wide subscriptions which are under-used, instead giving employees a choice in how their learning and development budget is spent.

Learning and development is a £230bn industry, and Learnerbly is disrupting it. Boasting employee engagement rates of between 40% and 60% (compared to 10%-20% seen on competitor platforms), their tailored approach seems to be effective, with companies like Bulb, Revolut and GoCardless all using the system.

Modern businesses know that learning and development is important –  it not only helps employees be better at their jobs, but it gives them more confidence and fulfilment – it’s become a vital part of retaining existing staff and attracting new staff.

Whether you prefer to learn through podcasts, conferences or one-on-one courses, Learnerbly will have something that suits you; and in a time where self-development is more important than ever, increasing accessibility is sure to lead to top marks for this business.

Founders: Harry and Jack Mayhew
Founded: 2017
Website: www.embersnacks.com

You might have a guilty conscience after snacking, what with all those empty calories and lashings of sugar and salt. But, have you considered the effect snacking has on the environment?

Ember Snacks is a London based food company that aims to make tasty meat-based snacks without the problems farming and agriculture causes for our planet. Its biltong products are stocked in Sainsburys and Waitrose, as well as online with Ocado, and come in an exciting variety of flavours. It also offers a tasty salami pack. The products are made with lean meat from British and Irish farms, before being cured, marinated, and seasoned with simple ingredients using old school techniques.

Founders Jack and Harry Mayhew grew up on a farm in Suffolk, so they appreciate the quality of good quality meat more than anyone. However, with ongoing concerns around the environmental impact of livestock farming, they’re keen to point to Ember Snacks’ ethical credentials.

The long term plan for Ember Snacks is to eliminate factory farming for good, relying on well-kept animals on well-kept farms. The company is also pushing for regenerative farming practices, so it can be completely carbon neutral and completely circular.

While you might have thought that cured meats are becoming less popular as people become more health conscious, Ember has proven that meat and health needn’t be incompatible.

Founders: Alex Mavor and Anton Burton
Founded: 2018
Website: www.wakeskincare.com

Millennials are often pilloried by older generations for drinking too much expensive coffee, eating too many avocados, and spending too much time looking at their phones.

However, there’s far less time and energy expended on examining the issues that a millennial lifestyle has on the body — all the blue light exposure can apparently cause a plethora of skin issues.

This is where Wake Skincare comes in. It’s developed a range of products specifically designed to combat the side-effects of a typical millennial lifestyle.

It offers an eye gel to reduce the appearance of dark circles under the eyes, as well as a face cream which prevents premature wrinkling which can be caused by blue light exposure. It has also developed a skin detox mask which can help rejuvenate a flagging millennial after a long day at work or, more likely, a long evening in the pub.

Wake Skincare products are developed by a business near to its Yorkshire base, while it handles the online marketing, selling through Amazon, Instagram, and Facebook.

Being a millennial-focused company, however, Wake Skincare has a strong ethical grounding. It donates 5% of all its profits to Women’s Aid, a domestic abuse charity to help protect the most vulnerable in society.

Who knew looking great could help so many people?

Founder: Cas Paton
Founded: 2016
Website: www.onbuy.com

Taking on Amazon is no mean feat but OnBuy, with enticingly low and transparent selling fees is having a crack at it. In fact, OnBuy is the fastest-growing online marketplace in the world, despite only being founded in 2016.

How has it achieved this growth in such a saturated market? By being fair.

OnBuy doesn’t sell products on its own platform (unlike a certain Mr Bezos), allowing it to be a genuine marketplace where consumers can find the goods they want to buy. It also means that retailers trust OnBuy to give them better returns and more reliable business. It currently sells products in thousands of categories ranging from electronics to baby supplies and beauty products.

This model has allowed OnBuy to expand remarkably quickly, with business growth accelerating exponentially.

Plus, it looks likely that OnBuy might be able to sustain this level of growth. It has 5,000 merchants already signed-up to the platform and it says hundreds more are joining every month. What’s more, around a third of the site’s traffic comes from 25-34 year olds who might be looking for a better, fairer Amazon alternative.

Currently, the site operates in the UK and bits of the EU. However, it’s planning to launch in 40 countries around the world this year, with another 100 to follow shortly after.

While everything might be fair in love and war, OnBuy is proving that in business, you can get ahead by doing the right thing.