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 Edinburgh based Founder operating in the Information Technology 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.
Duncan Johnston-Watt
CEO & Co-Founder of BTP
Duncan Johnston-Watt co-founded Cloudsoft Corporation Limited in 2008 and serves as its the Chief Executive Officer. Duncan Johnston-Watt co-founded Enigmatec Corporation Ltd. in 2002 and served as its Principal since 2000. He served as the Chief Technology Officer of Enigmatec Corporation Ltd. until December 2008. He is a serial entrepreneur and industry visionary with over twenty years experience in the software industry. He also has experience developing technology for the financial services industry specialising in the development of large-scale systems including the global FX and Money Markets data delivery infrastructure for BNP and the Fixed Income analytics infrastructure at UBS. In April 1998, Duncan Johnston-Watt joined the Reuters Group subsidiary, Instinet Corporation where he led the development of new Fixed Income brokerage platform that was launched in March 2000 and served as Managing Director, Fixed Income Technology since May 2000. At Instinet, he pioneered the use of Java enterprise technologies in Financial Services. He serves as a Director of Cloudsoft Corporation Limited. Duncan Johnston-Watt has been a Non Executive Director of Enigmatec Corporation Ltd., since December 2008 and previously served as its Director until December 2008. In recognition of the work, he was nominated for a Computerworld Smithsonian Award in April 2000. Duncan Johnston-Watt holds MSc in Computation from Oxford University and a BA in Mathematics and Philosophy from Leeds University.
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About BTP: Blockchain Technology Partners is an enterprise blockchain company.
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Michael Cockburn
Founder of Desana
Michael Cockburn is the Founder of Desana.
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About Desana: Hybrid / future of work: B2B SAAS/Marketplace solution for managing hybrid workplace models, globally.
Mostafa Afgani
Co-Founder and CTO of pureLiFi
Mostafa is a respected hardware and firmware engineer. A chief architect of VLC hardware platforms over the past three years, Mostafa holds three patents and has filed for two more in the VLC field. Prior to co-founding pureLiFi he developed sensitive signal anomaly detection hardware for Agilent and held a research position at DoCoMo labs, Munich, Germany. Mostafa has BSc and MSc degrees in electronics from Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany and a PhD in communications and signal processing from the University of Edinburgh.
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About pureLiFi: pureLiFi develops technology for communication networks that integrates data and lighting utility infrastructures.
Dr Javid Khan
Founder of Holoxica
Founder of Holoxica Ltd, a high tech startup working on holographic 3D visualisation including digital holograms and holographic displays. Javid Khan founded Holoxica in 2008 to commercialise the results of his research in Photonics Engineering on Holographic 3D displays at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Holoxica’s R&D activities focus on naturally viewable (glassess-free) dynamic 3D displays. Holoxica also offers custom 3D digital hologram design and production services for professionals markets including medical imaging, scientific visualisation and engineering design. Over 23 years’ experience in microelectronics, photonics and displays. Javid holds a EngD (Engineering Doctorate) in Photonics plus MEng and MSc degrees in Microelectronics and Telecoms Engineering.
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About Holoxica: Holoxica is an award-winning high-tech company specializing in holographic 3D visualization technologies.
Andrew Wallace
Co Founder of SatSense
Andrew has a successful commercial and general management record developing and launching new technologies and services. He has worked mainly in electronics, sensors and telecoms, focusing on product management and strategic business development. He has lived in 3 continents and speaks three languages.
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About Pyreos, SatSense: SatSense is a spin-out company using software to detect the deterioration of building foundations.
Ray Bugg
Founder of DIGIT
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About DIGIT: DIGIT is Scotland’s leading technology media & events company.
Alex Heneveld
Co-Founder & CTO of Cloudsoft Corporation
Alex brings twenty years experience designing software solutions in the enterprise, start-up, and academic sectors. Alex was with Enigmatec Corporation where he led the development of what is now the Monterey® Middleware Platform™. He founded PocketWatch Systems, commercialising results from his doctoral research. Alex holds a PhD (Informatics) and an MSc (Cognitive Science) from the University of Edinburgh and an AB (Mathematics) from Princeton University.
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About Cloudsoft Corporation: Cloudsoft develop powerful automation software, enabling customers in industries like banking, finance, energy and defence to orchestrate and govern services across complex hybrid IT environments.
Leah Hutcheon
Founder & CEO of Appointedd
Leah Hutcheon is the founder and CEO of Appointedd, an Edinburgh-based startup revolutionising the way small businesses sell their timeslot appointments online. From personal trainers to massage therapists, serviced offices to large corporations, Appointedd enables online booking on any device in any timezone. Appointedd offers businesses access to CRM, marketing and business management tools, and fits seamlessly with 25+ two-way integrations. Appointedd has launched the world’s first truly multi-timezone online booking system, enabling people to take bookings across different timezones seamlessly. Leah is a proud Ambassador for Women’s Enterprise Scotland, Director of Future Leaders for Entrepreneurial Scotland and #ScotEDGE Award winner. An Entrepreneurial Spark supported company, Appointedd was featured in BBC documentary, The Entrepreneurs. – See more at: https://leah.appointedd.com/#sthash.9u1vWztJ.dpuf
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About Appointedd: Appointedd is a cutting-edge online booking and scheduling solution that makes it easier for you to connect with your customers.
Christopher Leburn
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Chromacity
Dr. Christopher Leburn leads the growth of Chromacity. He is a former Royal Society of Edinburgh Enterprise Fellow and holds a Ph.D. from the University of St Andrews in ultrafast solid-state lasers. He has previously held research and technical management roles at both Heriot-Watt University and the University of St Andrews, where he was Assistant Director of a £12M EPSRC ultrafast photonics consortium. Christopher submitted his business idea towards the 2012 Converge Challenge, a business competition designed to tease technology out of the research base and into the commercial sector. Having secured 3rd place in this competition, Christopher, along with his co-founders, incorporated Chromacity in early 2013. As the company formed Christopher undertook a Royal Society of Edinburgh Enterprise Fellowship to enhance his commercial capabilities. Christopher developed a range of skills that has allowed him to successfully secure investment and build a team that can design, manufacture and deliver highly reliable, compact, cost effective ultrafast laser sources for a range of different customers.
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About Chromacity, Chromacity: Chromacity Lasers is a spin-out from Heriot-Watt University, one of the UK’s leading technical universities with a focus on photonics.
Thomas Sichel
Co-Founder of SageCity
Thomas Sichel is the co-founder of SageCity.
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About SageCity: SageCity develops tools that are needed to run business operations easily, efficiently, and at as low a cost as possible.
Gerry O’Neill
Founder & CEO of Curo Compensation
Gerry O’Neill joined CURO as Co-founder and CEO in 2011.
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About Cognitive Geology, Curo Compensation, Vebnet Holdings: Curo4Comp is a secure SaaS solution that enables you to get maximum impact from your compensation spend.
Matt Little
Founder and CEO of Blue Ocean Insight
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About Blue Ocean Insight, Inquisitive Systems: Blue Ocean Insight helps companies scale up together with a full understanding of their product, team, and technology risks.
Stuart Lunn
Founder & CEO of LendingCrowd
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About LendingCrowd: LendingCrowd is a fintech lending platform serving mainland UK.
Julie Grieve
Founder & CEO of Information Apps Ltd
Julie Grieve joined Criton as Founder & CEO in 2015.
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About Information Apps Ltd: Guest engagement platform, helping independent hotels compete with the chains
Duncan Davidson
Founder and Managing Director of Rohallion
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About Rohallion: Rohallion is a deliver digital services that can change your business.
