Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United Kingdom based Founder operating in the Adventure Travel space. If you think a Founder is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Misha Gopaul
Founder of FATMAP
Misha is a serial entrepreneur with nearly two decades of experience founding and running successful technology companies. He started his first business, Fabric Technologies, building computers in his bedroom which grew to a team of over 120 people before a merger with a publicly listed competitor in 2011. He plays an active role in the European tech eco-system as an advisor, angel investor and mentor and currently serves on the Board at NEX Abide Financial and Workplace Fabric. In 2013, a chance meeting with adventurer and self-professed mapping geek, David Cowell sparked the beginning of his most ambitious project to date, combining his passion for mountains and technology – to build FATMAP, the world’s leading adventure platform and the most precise and detailed 3D map of the outdoors – a 1:1 map in virtual reality. Competing with established mapping giants has called for an innovative approach to business models and partnerships. Using gaming technology and disruptive models from the tech and music industry FATMAP is on a mission to map the world in human scale detail and build the highest resolution computational map of our planet.
Follow Misha Gopaul:
About CME Group Regulatory Reporting, FATMAP: FATMAP is an outdoor adventure platform for web & mobile.
Callum Negus-Fancey
CEO & Founder of Pollen
Follow Callum Negus-Fancey:
About Pollen: Pollen builds, curates, and delivers the best travel experiences.
Liam Negus-Fancey
Founder & President of Pollen
Pollen is a members-only community that curates and shares experiences for you and your friends to discover. As a marketplace of the best experiences in the world, our mission is to elevate lives by bringing people closer to the people and the things they love. From festivals, events, dining experiences, island escapes, and beyond, we want to help create unforgettable memories shared between friends old and new by allowing members to unlock a range of experiential rewards.
Follow Liam Negus-Fancey:
About Pollen: Pollen builds, curates, and delivers the best travel experiences.
Gabriella Csányi
Co-Founder of Like Locals
Follow Gabriella Csányi:
About Like Locals: Like Locals is a travel media startup on a mission to inspire and empower curious explorers to uncover each city’s unique culture.
Constantinos Los
Co-Founder of Like Locals
Follow Constantinos Los:
About Like Locals: Like Locals is a travel media startup on a mission to inspire and empower curious explorers to uncover each city’s unique culture.
Ijaz Khan
Co-Founder of Like Locals
Follow Ijaz Khan:
About Like Locals: Like Locals is a travel media startup on a mission to inspire and empower curious explorers to uncover each city’s unique culture.
Tom Marchant
Owner and Co-Founder of Black Tomato
Tom Marchant is an entrepreneurial traveler and co-founder of The Black Tomato Group, parent company of the award-winning bespoke luxury travel operator Black Tomato, strategic creative agency Studio Black Tomato and incentive travel group Black Tomato Agency. Black Tomato, a Virtuoso member, has been recognized as the leading innovative authority in global luxury travel by revered industry voices including Bloomberg, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Vogue. Tom Marchant and Black Tomato were awarded Conde Nast Traveler’s 2019 World’s Best Travel Specialists and Tom lauded as ‘one of the 50 people in the world changing the way we travel’. Marchant is a member Travel + Leisure’s A List contributor to Newsweek, Harper’s Bazaar and Inc.
Follow Tom Marchant:
About Black Tomato: Black Tomato is a bespoke luxury travel company that delivers imaginative and travel experiences around the world.
Matt Smith
Co-Founder and Director of Black Tomato
Matt Smith set up Black Tomato Ltd with Tom Marchant and James Merrett in 2005 and to date have had a broad strategic and operational remit across all areas of Black Tomato. Central to Matt’s role is the responsibility for both driving forward the day to day business operations and Business Development / Sales processes that have underpinned the Group’s commercial success and significant growth. I also oversees a number of critical areas of the business including, Office Infrastructure, Company /Staff Culture, IT, Security, Data Protection/GDPR, HR, H&S / F&S, Insurance, Legal Contracting , Procurement, Staff / Business expenses, Staff Reward / Engagement, Staff Training and Staff Meetings and Events. Alongside this, he leads critical strategic projects including those that increase profitability and productivity across the business in line with the constant reinforcement of BT’s ‘purpose’ and company culture both internally and externally.
Follow Matt Smith:
About Black Tomato: Black Tomato is a bespoke luxury travel company that delivers imaginative and travel experiences around the world.
John Graham
Co-Founder & CEO of GO Outdoors
John Graham is Co-Founder & CEO at GO Outdoors.
Follow John Graham:
About GO Outdoors: GO Outdoors is an outdoor store offering waterproof clothing, outdoor clothing, tents and camping equipment in the UK.
Sean C
Founder of All Four Outdoors
Follow Sean C:
About All Four Outdoors, All Four Outdoors, SwankyApple: All Four Outdoors is an online retailer stocking a range of camping and outdoor adventure equipment.
Joe Blackford
Co-Founder & Consulting Product Engineer of All Four Outdoors
Follow Joe Blackford:
About All Four Outdoors: All Four Outdoors is an online retailer stocking a range of camping and outdoor adventure equipment.
Mark Jenner
Co-Founder of Beeline
Mark Jenner is a Co-Founder at BeeLine.
Follow Mark Jenner:
About Beeline: Smart navigation, made simple. For a global community of adventurers
Tom Putnam
Co Founder of Beeline
Follow Tom Putnam:
About Beeline: Smart navigation, made simple. For a global community of adventurers
Achim Weimert
Co-Founder & CTO of wOndary
Mostly about the mobile web, travel and experiencing local cultures
Follow Achim Weimert:
About wOndary: Connecting all your travel dots – save, organise and share everything travel.
Claire Trachet
Founder & CEO of wOndary
Follow Claire Trachet:
About wOndary: Connecting all your travel dots – save, organise and share everything travel.
Jeremy Paddison
Founder of AdventureHoney
CTO at BlueChilli.
Follow Jeremy Paddison:
About AdventureHoney, Liquorun, The Paradym: Book kick arse adventures direct
Luke Rees
Founder and Managing Director of AWE365
Follow Luke Rees:
About AWE365: AWE365 your gateway to action sport, outdoor activities and adventure travel discounts and articles.
Stoyan Dobrev
COO and Founder of SpeediFly
Follow Stoyan Dobrev:
About SpeediFly: SpeediFly is for spontaneous travelers who want to get away last minute, but don’t know where they can go on a budget.
Gareth Thomas
Founder of Turtle Rabbit Travel
Founder at Turtle Rabbit Travel
Follow Gareth Thomas:
About Turtle Rabbit Travel: Turtle Rabbit brings you a totally new way to experience the U.S.A. Grab your mates and join our RV fleet, exploring the best of America.
Alex Philips
Founder of Advenjo
Founder at Advenjo
Follow Alex Philips:
About Advenjo: Advenjo Unveils A Social Networking Platform For Travel Enthusiasts
