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Only Curls
Lizzie Carter, inspired by the lack of suitable curly hair products, launched Only Curls with her husband Hugo, with just £500, starting with a website and a batch of microfibre towels. Her own experience managing her curls highlighted the gap in the market, leading the couple to create products that cater specifically to the needs of curly-haired individuals. Initially packing orders from their kitchen table, the husband-and-wife team’s focus on the curly hair community propelled sales from £5.3m in 2022 to £13.3m in 2024. The bootstrapped company now sells its products – including cleansers, conditioners and gels – from its own website, hair salons across the UK as well as Boots retail stores.
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Addison Ross
Founded in 1978 by David Ross and later joined by his wife Sarah, Addison Ross began as an art gallery on the Scottish border. Starting with the design of photo frames, Addison Ross secured contracts with major retailers including Marks & Spencer and Liberty’s. The company later launched its now signature product – Bobbin salt and pepper mills. Headquartered in London, Addison Ross now sells a range of products including photo frames, trays, and lighting, a now major focus for the luxury brand. The company remains family-run, with David and Sarah’s children now involved in the business.
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Skin + Me
Skin + Me is a skincare brand founded by James Mishreki and Phil Wilkinson, later joined by co-founders Horatio Cary, Mike Passey, and Rachel Jones. The company offers personalised, prescription-based skincare treatments targeting conditions like acne, rosacea, and signs of aging. Customers take an online questionnaire which results in the recommendation of products based on their skin type and skin goals. In February 2023, Skin + Me secured £10m in Series B funding led by Octopus Ventures, bringing total investments to £18m. The brand has experienced significant growth with sales hitting £37.1m in 2024 and has expanded into retailers including John Lewis and Boots.
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Redtail Telematics
Founded in 2010 by chief executive Dr. Colin Smithers as a spinout from the Cambridge-based Plextek Group, the company provides GPS telematics solutions for insurers, fleet management and stolen vehicle recovery. Redtail designs and operates a telematics service, including the black box, databases, user interfaces and apps. The system delivers vehicle location, diagnostics and driver behaviour using machine learning and AI. It includes a real time incident wallboard for insurance claims rooms, identifying likely crashes and who is at fault. Clients include Admiral, Ford, Direct Line and Tracker Network and the company has supplied over 6m devices across 30 countries which helped sales reach £11.4m in 2025, up from £4.4m in 2023.
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Interpolitan Money
Interpolitan Money is a provider of alternative banking solutions, specialising in multi-currency and cross-border transactions for global clients. Founded in 2012 by entrepreneur Rishi Patel and relaunched as Interpolitan Money in 2021, the company now serves private individuals and corporates across 160 countries. With the ability to hold, pay, and collect in over 50 currencies, the company is headquartered in London with a growing international presence, including Dubai, Mumbai and Canada. The company hit £8.5m in revenue in 2024 and was ranked #36 in 2023 and #63 in 2024 on the FEBE Growth 100 and also featured on The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024 and 2025 list.
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Grantify
Founded in 2019 by brothers Mat and Luke Westergreen-Thorne, Grantify is a consultancy that helps start ups and SMEs secure government tech grants. Motivated by their own challenges in obtaining funding, they developed an AI-driven platform that supports companies making grant applications and offers guidance throughout the process. This approach has led to over £185m raised in non-equity, non-repayable grants for over 650 clients across the UK, US and EU. Today they have a team of 100 people who operate from their London head office.