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 Birmingham based CEO’ operating in the Software space. If you think a CEO’ 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.
Nick Holzherr
Founder & CEO of Whisk
Whisk helps turn food inspiration into meals on the table, through software that makes the process seamless for users. Nick now leads Whisk at Samsung NEXT, Samsung’s software and innovation division. Before Whisk was acquired by Samsung in March 2019, Whisk had grown from a team of 2 to 32, integrating the world’s largest food ecosystem players in the US, UK, Australia and Germany. As a serial entrepreneur, Nick raised over $2m in VC funding to first found Whisk after pitching Whisk.com to Lord Sugar in the final of the BBC Apprentice 2012, where he achieved the series’ best task-win record. In 2017 Nick was awarded an honorary doctorate from Aston University. Nick and his businesses have been featured in leading publications including Newsweek, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The BBC and The Next Web.
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About Air, Samsung NEXT, Whisk: Whisk powers the creation, discovery, personalization, and monetization of food content online, in-store, and at home.
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Paul Black
Co-Founder & CEO of Sales-i
At sales-i though, Paul Black sets the company’s technical direction and spearheads business and sales partnerships. Paul is heavily involved in defining the company’s marketing strategy and technical delivery of sales-i. To top that all off, Paul is a complete adrenaline junkie and he’s really in his element burning rubber around a racetrack. Paul competes regularly on the international racing stage and yes, we all get to go and cheer him on!
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About Sales-i: sales-i transforms the way manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors work.
Jim Cavale
Founder & CEO of INFLCR
Jim Cavale is an entrepreneur originally from Upstate New York, who currently resides in Birmingham, Alabama and the Southeast United States. Jim loved the challenge of raising money for equipment and technology, learning how to operate it, hiring a team of student-workers and setting a vision that he could lead the team to achieve. By 2010, through Jim’s sales efforts, NextSpex had built more than 200 annual subscribers in the from of high schools and colleges throughout the southeast U.S., but Jim decided to make a pivot and switch to an advertising model, which required less of his time in leading the company and allowed him to make his next move as an entrepreneur; joining his eventual business partner Forrest Walden, in building a new brick-and-mortar group fitness brand called Iron Tribe. Jim was introduced to the brand, first as a client of its only gym location in Homewood, Alabama. Over the next six years, Jim would partner with Forrest and an investor, to lead Iron Tribe as its President and build the brand to 43 gyms across America. From Seattle to Miami, Iron Tribe expanded its impact on people with its simple model of limiting gym members to 300 clients, paying a premium fee of $250 per month for their Iron Tribe Fitness experience. As Iron Tribe continues to grow, Jim and his wife Yazmin, are starting up a new, beauty-on-demand app called GLOW, which you can download in the iTunes and Google Play app stores. The app offers access to a network of top-level beauty professionals in Birmingham-only, where customers can schedule an on-demand hair, makeup or spray tan that comes right to their doorstep. Aside from growing GLOW into new markets, Jim is the Entrepreneur-In-Residence for the Velocity Fund, which has invested into GLOW along with nine other startups that are based in the fund’s space within Birmingham’s Innovation Depot. Jim is also working on a new concept he is going to launch for the college and professional sports marketing niche, which you can follow through his website JimCavale.com.
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About GLOW, INFLCR, Teamworks: INFLCR offers a SaaS platform for sports team properties to store, track and deliver their content across their influencer’s network.
Anthony Cook
CEO of Mobile Fun
Anthony Cook is Founder @ Mobile Fun.
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About Mobile Fun: Mobile Fun is an e-commerce retailer of mobile device accessories.
Jeff Epstein
Founder and CEO of Onboard (Onboard.io)
Jeff Epstein is the founder and CEO of Onboard.
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About Onboard (Onboard.io): Software to enable B2B Software companies to automate & streamline the customer onboarding and implementation process
Joe Lauer
Founder & CEO of Greenback
Joe Lauer is an entrepreneur focusing on web, mobile, and cloud software. He currently is the CEO of [Greenback](/organization/greenback). His previous company [Cloudhopper](/organization/cloudhopper) was acquired by Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) in 2010 and [Simplewire](/organization/simplewire) was acquired by Qpass/Amdocs (NYSE: DOX) in 2006.
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About Greenback: Accounting automation software for growing businesses.
Chace Hatcher
CEO of Diamond Fortress Technologies
Chace is a seasoned technology entrepreneur with a background in finance, computer science and the law (he attended Cumberland School of Law). Chace served in the US Army as a platoon leader and was one of the original inventors of DFT’s technology. When he is not leading DFT “downfield” and evangelizing for touchless biometric authentication, Chace loves watching SEC football, especially his Florida Gators, as he is a proud UF graduate.
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About DFT Empower, Diamond Fortress Technologies, The Fluid Impact, ThermalTrack: DFT provides ONYX, the touchless fingerprint biometrics software that converts a mobile device’s rear-facing into a fingerprint sensor.
Tom Hartle
Founder and CEO of CoherentRx
Tom Hartle is a publishing entrepreneur, CEO and Founder of CoherentRx, a private software company that develops patient education solutions for healthcare providers. Tom Hartle founded Hour Media, which publishes Hour Detroit – a Detroit lifestyle magazine and website, with business partners John Balardo and Stefan Wanczyk. Crain’s Detroit Business named Hartle as one of the magazine’s 40 under 40. he sold out of the company and launched Hartle Media with then partner Heather Hartle. Hartle Media launched 7×7, a bimonthly San Francisco lifestyle magazine and website. Hartle Media bought California Home + Design, a California home and garden magazine and website, with partner, the McEvoy Group. Tom Hartle Media partnered with the McEvoy Group to buy Spin Media, publisher of Spin, a music magazine and website. Hartle served as president, he co-founded Bandwdth Publishing, an app publishing house devoted to the arts and sciences. Bandwdth Publishing creates educational products for app-enabled devices. Titles include: Bygone Days, an American history app for the iPad, the Bandwdth Artist Dashboard for the Samsung Smart TV, KoЯn and Uproar Tour apps for the iPhone, a KoЯn SMS program, and a Patti Smith: Dream of Life app for the iPad, a virtual art gallery complement to the documentary of the same name.
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About CoherentRx: CoherentRx is a private software development company
Brooke Battle
CEO/Founder of Swell Fundraising
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About Swell Fundraising: Swell Fundraising provides event fundraising software solution to nonprofit organizations around the U.S.
Martin Green
CEO of Blueberry Consultants Ltd.
Martin Green founded Blueberry Consultants in 1997. Software development – and the creation of new products and companies – has been central to Martin’s life and career. He started programming on small microcomputers while at school, and after University established a game development company, ATD, which employed 35 people by the time he left to start Blueberry. Martin has been directly involved in the creation of three other start-up companies, and has been a director of two other UK technology companies. Martin believes that quality software development can make people’s lives easier, and takes a passionate interest in all Blueberry projects.
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About Blueberry Consultants Ltd., Blueberry Health: Blueberry Consultants is a Custom Software Development company.
Damian Crowe
Founder & CEO of Obillex
Damian is a chartered accountant and financial risk management expert with 20 years’ post-qualification experience, including spells with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Australia, the UK, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands and US. He was also regional head of finance for the Australian Wheat Board and Quaker Oats in Australia. Damian has deep operational experience of building a transaction banking business, having worked at ABN Amro, RBS and as head of business development for CitiGroup Europe.
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About Obillex: Obillex is a corporate member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers
Dave Carruthers
CEO & Founder of Voxpopme
Dave has been involved in technology businesses for the last 10 years and has been behind a number of successful startups. An entrepreneur with a passion for mobile technology he leads the VoxPopMe team.
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About One Result, Voxpopme: Voxpopme is the world’s #1 video insight solution. We build great brands, products, and experiences with agile video feedback.
Brian Elias
CEO of DontGo
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About DontGo: DontGo’s patented technology reinvents Chat by utilizing AI to solve how companies convert their web visitors into customers
Matt Landers
CEO of Covalence
Matt grew up in Atlanta where he pursued his passion for technology at an early age. He was hired by Microsoft shortly after graduating high school and has spent the majority of his career architecting large scale enterprise systems. The last five years have been focused on mobile application architectures where he recognized the shortcomings of existing cross-platform architectures.
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About Covalence, Platypi, Tinsley Studios, WP Engine: Covalence is a cloud-based technology solutions platform that offers technical courses and a coding bootcamp.
James Leavesley
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of CrowdControlHQ
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About CrowdControlHQ: CrowdControlHQ is the social media platform to engage your audience, manage your activity, and analyse your performance.
Lee Nazari
CEO & Founder of Swoopos
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About Mobile Pay Systems, Swoopos: Swoopos ia s mobile payments and electronic point-of-sale.
Scott McFarland
Chief Executive Officer of ProctorU
Scott McFarland joined ProctorU as Chief Executive Officer in 2016.
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About ProctorU: ProctorU provides distance proctoring services using webcams and screen-sharing technology.
Chris Woods
Founder and CEO of CyberQ Group
Chris Woods is the Founder and CEO of CyberQ Group.
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About CyberQ Group, CyberSparta: CyberQ Group – We Make Your Business Cyber Resilient.
Paul Solomon
Chief Executive Officer of Edenhouse Solutions
Paul started Edenhouse because he had a belief that with the right people anything is possible. The values they aspire to at Edenhouse are very simple, to delight their customers and their employees. This focus will never change. In the ever changing world we live in, and continue to deliver services in, They constantly have to adapt; meaning that agility and flexibility are paramount to them achieving their goals. Edenhouse has a unique culture and a delivery model that focuses on quality, it is his job to ensure they maintain these values and to ensure that strategically they make the right decisions. He is proud of the Edenhouse team because their people make them different and ultimately it is their people that make them successful.
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About Edenhouse Solutions: Edenhouse Solutions is provides SAP consultancy services.
Kerry Schrader
Co-Founder & CEO of Mixtroz
Kerry Schrader, Cofounder/CEO of Mixtroz, holds a BBA, MBA from Kent State University and has held both the SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications. Kerry has more than 25 years of experience positively impacting the human assets of large companies including Ford, Alcoa, and Sears Holdings Corporation. Mrs. Schrader has vast experience developing programs that engage workforces with results that increase productivity and bottom-line profitability. Residing in Birmingham, AL Kerry serves on the Board of Albuquerque based Creative Startups and is the Corporate Treasurer for a Nashville-based investment group. In addition, Mrs. Schrader is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Black in Tech Nashville and the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. One of her passions includes volunteering for programs that support the education and development of girls and underrepresented children.
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About Mixtroz: The only way to increase engagement & collect data in real-time. While they mix – you learn.
Derry Holt
Co-founder & CEO of OneUp Sales
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About OneUp Sales: OneUp Sales is a sales team management & motivation platform built to transform the way we run sales teams forever.
Henry Porter
CEO & Founder of Bluewater Capital
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About Bluewater Capital: Bluewater Capital provides consulting services on using financial assets in developing businesses.
Terry Lee
CEO of Naia Corporation
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About Naia Corporation: Naia Corporation USA based Software company with offices in Birmingham, Dubai with our production center in Hyderabad (India).
Matt Cowell
CEO of QuantHUB
Matt serves as CEO at QuantHub, responsible for leading the company’s strategy, growth, and operations. Matt has a passion for developing authentic relationships with customers to truly understand what drives them, and then crafting creative solutions to their most critical problems. Prior to joining QuantHub, Matt spent the last 15 years running product and tech at PE-backed companies, including building a product and engineering organization at Daxko to deliver 10x revenue growth, 7 acquisitions, and 3 enormously successful recapitalizations in just 10 years. While at Daxko, Matt led the team to deliver the first machine learning/AI solution to the market, predicting customer membership churn and also propensity to donate.
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About QuantHUB: QuantHub’s platform assesses and upskills the data skills of employees to help companies do better with data.
Tony Heappey
CEO & Senior Consultant of Cloud Systems Group
Tony has been providing IT Services to businesses for 30 years and has seen the industry completely transform as a result. Starting his IT Career at the dawn of personal desktop computing he worked tirelessly to learn every aspect of these new devices before beginning the journey into servers, networking and business solutions. Over time, Tony’s Consultancy business grew into a self-perpetuating IT Support business which looked after both large enterprises and small businesses alike and took great pride in delivering exceptional service to all of its Clients. As the industry continued to progress, Tony quickly identified the shift towards more proactive services and implemented advanced monitoring and management technologies to further boost service levels which transformed the business into an early provider of Managed Services. In 2010, after having spent many prior years working with businesses to implement Private Cloud strategies, Tony once again identified the need for change and the requirement to embrace Cloud Technologies which resulted in the birth of CLOUD SYSTEMS. Tony grew up in Birmingham and spent much of his childhood travelling the world with his family. Today, he still has a passion for travel and enjoys touring the world with his wife Liz and the rest of their family. Tony’s other hobbies include Reading, Swimming, Golf and Walking his Dog!
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About Cloud Systems Group: Cloud Systems Group providing IT Services to a wide variety of Clients located around the globe.
Thomas Anderson
Co-Founder & CEO of Grid Edge
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About Grid Edge: The way we use energy is changing
Raj Verma
CEO & Co-founder of Opinsta
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About Opinsta: Opinsta is a single platform to manage defect reporting (QA), health and safety checks, Inspections, 3rd party maintenance and more.
Bucky Strong
CEO of Tohoom
Bucky Strong is the chief executive officer at Tohoom. Previously, Bucky spent over five years at SAP as the VP of NA manufacturing industry and VP of sales of midwest manufacturing. Bucky holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial and operations engineering at the University of Michigan.
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About Tohoom: Tohoom provides a stakeholder lifestyle management system for businesses.
Rick Woyde
Founder and CEO of Pairaphrase
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About Pairaphrase: Pairaphrase is a web-based translation management system for enterprises.
David Roberts
CEO & CO-Founder of Action Starter
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About Action Starter: Action Starter
David Roberts
CEO & CO-Founder of Action Starter
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About Action Starter: Action Starter
Sean Nicholson
Founder and CEO of Sign Solutions
As founder and now Non Executive Director of Sign Solutions, Sean, based in Warwickshire, has been able to watch the company grow from a small seed into a blossoming tree branching out in many directions. The bulk of his efforts are spent on devising strategy, whether that be regarding the day to day running of the company or exciting new projects; Sean is always eager to introduce new ideas to the company, constantly seeking ways to expand and improve. A hands-on director, he has taken the company into the field of video interpreting with innovations including E -learning, an app for the Smartphone and a DVD for Police. Sean qualified as an interpreter in 1991 and is a registered Expert Witness. Not wishing to forget his roots, Sean still enjoys BSL interpreting assignments. He strives to work directly with the Deaf Community as much as possible, be that a 15 minute doctor’s appointment or a training course. On his precious days off, he enjoys spending time with his family, taking every opportunity to travel, and likes to wind down with a glass of wine.
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About Sign Solutions: Sign Solutions is a language and learning company, specialising in interpretation support for Deaf people
Adam Kent
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Enado
Adam is a successful entrepreneur with over 25 years’ experience in running technology-based businesses. Dynamic, visionary, enthusiastic, persuasive and energetic, he has a proven track record of creating profitable businesses that successfully fulfil gaps in the market, meet latent demand and are at the leading edge of market trends. Among his business creations, Adam founded one of the UK’s leading home automation installation companies a CCTV systems supply business and founded one of the pre-emminent manufacturers of Audio Visual racking. It is through his in-depth knowledge of these sectors that he identified the opportunity for Enado and brought its first embodiment to market.
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About Enado: Enado is the result of several years of planning and development.
