Meet the 33 tech startups set for stardom
More than 30 companies have been identified as the most promising tech startups in the country and will be mentored by top entrepreneurs to help create the next wave of top British tech stars.
Challenger bank Monzo, online shopping site Trouva and digital mortgage adviser Trussle are among the startups who will be mentored by Lastminute.com entrepreneurs Lady Martha Lane Fox and Brent Hoberman, Candy Crush co-founder Riccardo Zacconi and Just Eat chief executive David Buttress.
They will join Tech City UK's Upscale programme along with another property technology (proptech) company, GoodLord, Cambridge-based artificial intelligence firm Cambridge Intelligence and MoneyFarm, a fintech firm specialising in wealth management.
Read more: Now Microsoft's pledged to train the UK in digital skills for free
The startups, seven of which are from outside of London, will be coached in becoming so-called scale-ups on the six month scheme, of the calibre of some of the UK's most successful tech firms such as Swiftkey, Unruly and OneFineStay, which are graduates of Tech City's Future Fifty programme.
“One of the objectives of Tech City UK is to accelerate the growth of the country’s digital and tech sector," said the group's chief executive Gerard Grech.
"The companies that join our Upscale programme have already overcome significant hurdles and have the makings of brilliant businesses. It’s also great to see so many regions and sectors represented in the cohort, demonstrating the great diversity this country has when it comes to digital technology, as highlighted by the Prime Minister in her recent industrial strategy announcement."
Read more: Five beauty tech startups joining L'Oreal and Founders Factory's incubator
The startups come from across sectors – from software and fintech, to health tech and the Internet of Things, while four firms have female founders – "particularly great" said Grech, "but the industry needs to work harder to make sure that women are getting to senior roles in the sector".
The 33 early-stage businesses have raised on average $4.1m and bring in revenues of just over $1m per year and are four-years-old.
| Startup | What is it? | Sector |
| Blaze | Urban mobility brand providing technology for bike sharing schemes and consumer cyclists globally | Hardware and devices |
| Boiler Room | Online music broadcaster of live events. Six years old, it has now hosted shows in 100 cities worldwide | Digital entertainment |
| Bulb |
An online renewable gas and electricity supplier, competing with the likes of British Gas and NPower |
IoT/connected devices |
| Cambridge Intelligence | An artificial intelligence company that helps companies see patterns and insights in their data | Data and analytics |
| Chargifi | Supplies networked, wireless power to public venues like coffee shops, hotels, restaurants, sporting arenas, offices and transport hubs |
App and software development |
| CharlieHR | A free HR platform for small companies | SaaS |
| Cronofy | A cloud computing company that allows people to check the availability of people in real time | Enterprise software and cloud computing |
| Curve | Allows you to combine all your credit cards into one Curve card and link with an app to monitor your spending | App and software development |
| DueCourse | Online invoice factoring business | Fintech |
| Echo | An app that takes the pain out of repeat prescription | Health tech and biology |
| Elvie | A company that focuses on women’s wellness with wearable tech | IoT/connected devices |
| EveryLIFE Technologies | Provides a mobile platform for managing social care in real time, working with the NHS and social care providers | Enterprise software and cloud computing |
| Firefly Learning | Online tool for teachers, parents and schools to monitor pupils’ progress at school | Edtech |
| GeoSpock | Database technology that enables extreme-scale, real-time geo-spatial and multi-dimensional big data applications | Enterprise software and cloud computing |
| GoodLord | End to end digital platform allowing letting agents, tenants and landlords to complete a rental transaction | App and software development |
| Grabyo | Edit, publish and share video across mobile devices | Enterprise software and cloud computing |
| Live Better With | Community and marketplace for products for people living with cancer | Health tech and biology |
| LivingLens | Allows companies to search hours of market research video by key word | Data and analytics |
| Mastered | Online courses for fashion professionals | Edtech |
| Mixcloud | Audio streaming service that allows users to listen to radio from all over the world | Digital entertainment |
| Moneyfarm | Online wealth manager whose investors include Allianz, one of the world’s largest insurers | Fintech |
| Monzo | One of a new breed of challenger banks. The mobile banking app receives its banking licence this year | Fintech |
| Paddle | Provides e-commerce and digital infrastructure for software businesses | e-commerce and marketplace |
| pi-top | Provides DIY laptop and desktop products for STEM education | Edtech |
| Pockit | Banking startup aimed at those excluded from mainstream banking | Fintech |
| Poq | App commerce solution for major retailers | SaaS |
| Signal Media | Artificial Intelligence-powered new monitoring | Data and analytics |
| StoryStream | Live storytelling for brands: content curation and publishing | Digital advertising and marketing |
| Streetbees | Market research insights from around the world, collected through artificial intelligence and geo-location | Data and analytics |
| Trouva | Curated online shopping from 150 independent boutiques | E-commerce and marketplace |
| Trussle | The online mortgage adviser, built upon a database of thousands of mortgage products | Fintech |
| Urban Massage | Booking massage online | E-commerce and marketplace |
| Wolf & Badger | Global online marketplace for independent brands | E-commerce and marketplace |