They are transforming medicine, changing the way we travel or helping us make better decisions. And they do it all without a two-hour commute. Some of the UK’s most interesting startups do their best work far from the capital’s hustle.
The British economy is London-centric so it wasn’t exactly a surprise when data showed that 24 out of 25 LinkedIn Top Startups in the UK were based in the capital. But after we unveiled the list last week, some of you shared your disappointment not to see more UK regions represented. And frankly, we were curious too.
So I went down the list to find more inspiring startups all over the country that ranked high in our data. (Quite a bit down the list, to be honest: London really dominates.) They may not have quite made the cut this year, but here are ten startups outside London that are commanding the attention of UK professionals.
Push Doctor (Manchester)
Push Doctor connects you to an on-demand, registered GP with just a tap of your smartphone. The five-year-old company grew quickly, with headcount up 135% over the last two years*, but its CEO just left amid reports of job cuts.
Bink (Ascot)
Bink has set out to simplify retail loyalty programs and save you precious seconds at the till. It collects all loyalty cards in one app and identifies and rewards customers through their payment card. Bink recently expanded its operations to the US and South Africa.
FiveAI (Cambridge)
FiveAI is a small but determined challenger to all the tech giants invested in developing autonomous vehicles. Its vision is to develop a network of self-driving cars as a shared taxi service in European cities and it's already testing its sky-blue cars in South London suburbs. Founder Stan Boland had two successful exits with Element 14 and Icera.
Prowler (Cambridge)
Another AI pioneer out of Cambridge, Prowler's machine-learning technology seeks to automate complex business decisions usually made by humans. Prowler focuses on dynamic environments such as logistics or finance, where data are constantly changing.
BigChange (Leeds)
BigChange sells software for customers to manage their mobile workforce, from freight drivers to waste crews or gas meter readers. Its apps help plan routes, track workers, share information and centralize paperwork. BigChange's developers work remotely, split between France and the UK, and the rest of the company is in Leeds.
Unidays (Nottingham)
Unidays connects brands to the coveted Generation Z audience. Students on the app must verify their identity to access exclusive deals and discounts in exchange for targeted advertising. Founder Josh Rathour says he got the idea from a conversation with his 5-year-old daughter who wondered how one could know who's who on the Internet. A question as old as Gen X.
CMR Surgical (Cambridge)
CMR Surgical builds surgical robots. Its portable Versius robot is meant to make laparoscopic surgery easier for doctors and more accessible for hospitals. The company raised £75 million in June, the largest ever series B funding round for a medical device company in Europe.
Wejo (Chester)
Wejo is a data marketplace for automotive companies. Our cars are mostly computers now and autonomous cars even more so. Wejo allows automakers to collect and make sense of the data vehicles generate to improve their products or monetize it with insurers, manufacturers and other up and down the automotive foodchain.
Degree 53 (Manchester)
Degree 53 is a digital UX and design agency, who's made a specialty of online gambling and betting platforms with customers such as Betfred and Goldchip. The company grew 131% over the past two years* and opened offices in downtown Manchester to house its new staff.
MuscleFood (Nottingham)
Healthy food online retailer MuscleFood, as its name suggests, is a favourite among protein-seeking fitness lovers. The site sells lean foods and supplements, and just introduced a line of "wonky steaks" — meat that sells cheaper because it doesn't meet traditional retailers' aesthetic or weight requirements.
What other startups beyond London are you keeping an eye on? Share in the comments
** This article was found by our CTO and he thought it was worth a share, orignal article https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/some-best-uk-startups-outside-london-here-10-watch-isabelle-roughol?trk=eml-email_feed_ecosystem_digest_01-hero-0-null&midToken=AQFGNmSJPcx8Aw&fromEmail=fromEmail&ut=0mi4dPRpqcs8s1