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 London based CEO’ operating in the Product Design 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.
Rakesh Kapoor
CEO of Reckitt
Rakesh Kapoor joined Reckitt & Colman in 1987, serving in various roles including Regional Sales Manager, North India, General Manager, Indian Southern Region and Regional Marketing Director, South Asia. In 1999, he was appointed Global Category Director, Pest Control. Following the merger, he assumed the role of, Senior Vice President, Home Care. He was appointed SVP, Regional Director, Northern Europe in 2001 and in July 2006, he was promoted to EVP, Category Development. Rakesh became CEO in September 2011
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About Reckitt: Reckitt Benckiser Group is a consumer goods company makes health, hygiene and home products.
Matt Hagger
Founder & CEO of E-Man Venture Labs
English born entrepreneur and investor in the technology space. He is widely regarded as one of the country’s most influential product directors with a focus on customer behaviour, user experience and logic, winning many awards for his work, as a founder or consultant/advisor to major global consumer brands and high paced start ups. At only 21, Matt created Net Sorcerer; the first real-time desktop news alerts platform in the UK, winning a patent & innovation award from the UK’s DTI, raising investment in excess of $500,000. The platform was later adopted by Sky News/Sports to deliver breaking content in real-time. Matt creates and incubates technology out of his startup studio e-Man labs whom he Founded after graduating from business school aged 21. The company now boasts 7 figure turnovers with a small but dedicated team of 26. E-Man is incubating AR game Snatch and doctors on demand service, Zoomdoc. Both set to launch out of beta in Early 2017. Matt is in the Co-Founding team and was an initial shareholder, in both. Matt is an investor and Co-Founder of Bizk.it a business tools platform for start ups and small business owners. He also has an investment in Redeemia, which launched in September 2012 and followed this with investments in Pocket High Street, Juxtafeed, Burn This (acquired by BodyBoard), 123 Friday and Octane Inc in 2014. In 2016 Matt invested in ANA, Wise Amigo, Zoomdoc, 123 Friday and Snatch. Matt was the Founder and CEO of Samsung Ventures funded, Zkatter, in San Francisco until 2013 and now he spends his time based London with offices in Los Angeles as he works on the launch and scale of a start up called Doppels, based in Venice Beach. Matt remains the company’s Co-Founder and CEO.
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About E-Man Venture Labs, Snatch: e-Man is a start up studio and launches 3-5 companies per year
Ido Erlichman
Group CEO of Kape Technologies
Group CEO at Crossrider
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About Kape Technologies: Kape Technologies is an online distribution and digital product hub.
Nick Hynes
CEO & Founder of Somo
A true business visionary, Nick has established some of the most successful fast-growth digital companies of the last two decades. In recognition of his contribution to the digital industry, he was recently shortlisted as one of the top 20 most influential and inspirational Britons in the BIMA Digital Hall of Fame. Nick founded Somo in 2009 with Carl Uminski to help companies make sense of the huge opportunities and the disruptive potential of mobile technology. In his role as CEO, Nick defines the overall strategy, has recruited the team, and shaped the culture of Somo, establishing corporate-scale governance in this rapid-growth business. Nick was formerly CEO and owner of The IMW Group, comprising search marketing agency, The Search Works, and digital tech business, The Technology Works. He launched operations across Asia, with offices in Tokyo and Seoul, and established The Search Works as Europe’s largest search agency, before the group was acquired by TradeDoubler AB in 2007 for $112 million. Before that, Nick was founder, CEO and President of Overture Europe. Here he launched the paid search industry in Europe, building Overture from a start up to an established billion dollar business across 16 countries, in just 30 months. Acquiring AltaVista FAST Technology Search along the way, Overture secured exclusive, multi-year distribution deals with every premium portal and ISP in Europe. The company was sold for $1.63 billion to Yahoo! in 2003 and became Yahoo! Search Marketing. In his early career, Nick created the electronic points system for Air Miles, transforming a struggling paper voucher business into a $62 million per annum profitable business in four years. Nick developed and implemented Air Miles loyalty schemes across NatWest, BT and Vodafone (building their first customer database). He also introduced the world’s first national Smart Card programme for Shell, and the ‘Reward’ loyalty scheme for Sainsbury’s. Nick’s career began as a fast-track graduate at British Airways, where he led a number of global initiatives. Appointed as BA’s youngest senior manager at the age of 29, he was sponsored by the airline to complete an MBA at the University of Bath in 1992.
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About : Somo, part of the CI&T family (NYSE: CINT), is a leading digital product agency, delivering digital ambitions at pace and scale.
Sairah Ashman
Global CEO of Wolff Olins
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About Wolff Olins: Wolff Olins is a brand consultancy, based in London, New York City, Dubai, and San Francisco.
Taymoor Atighetchi
Founder & CEO of Papier
Taymoor Atighetchi is a Founder & Managing Director at The Tab.
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About Papier: Papier offers customizable stationery such as wedding cards, notebooks, planners, and notecards.
Jean-Christophe Chopin
Founder and CEO of BORN
A creator and innovator by nature, JC is an entrepreneur who has had a strong presence in online financial services, digital insurance and stock brokerage. He has a wealth of international experience with expertise in the US as well as vast European digital and brand management knowledge. JC pioneered E*Trade Europe and Verisign in the early days of the Internet, and later went on to invest in real estate, time pieces and luxury fashion. His passion for skiing and extreme sports also led him to launch the ‘Carre Neige’ ski insurance within the Savoie region. Most recently, he has married his online finance expertise with his experience in design and luxury brands to create BORN, a B2B global market-network that connects design-led brands with retailers.
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About BORN: BORN is the world’s first private B2B platform that connects a global network of design-led lifestyle brands and retail buyers.
Petter Neby
Founder and CEO of Punkt. Tronics
Petter Neby is a Norwegian technology entrepreneur. Mr. Neby launched his first business in Norway in 1989, at the age of seventeen, and in 1991 moved to Paris, to work for an international consumer electronics company. Innovation and creativity has led Mr. Neby to find and manage successful businesses in the telecommunications, enterprise software and website areas. Mr. Neby created Punkt. in 2008 to offer straightforward alternatives to multi-function devices that started to dominate the consumer electronic marketplace.
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About Punkt. Tronics: Punkt. is a Swiss design led technology company that aims to make life simpler by creating timeless and outstanding products
Murat Mutlu
Co-Founder/CEO of Marvel
Murat Mutlu, a designer based in London. I’m the co-founder of Marvel, a free prototyping tool for creative brains. I love coming up with new ideas and experimenting with tech.Some of my favourite things are hacks and pointless apps and sites. Prior to starting Marvel I was a freelancer at various startups and agencies around London.
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About Marvel: Marvel puts the power of design in everyone’s hands.
Jerome de Lafargue
Co-founder & CEO of Zeroheight
Jerome de Lafargue is the Co-founder & CEO at zeroheight.
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About Zeroheight: Zeroheight is a DevOps platform that allows design teams to create up-to-date style guides and document their design system resources.
Soumyadip Rakshit
Co-Founder & CEO of MysteryVibe
Soumyadip is a serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder of sex-tech company MysteryVibe . His mission is to apply Intelligence of Things to the world of Pleasure and create and immersive experience to transform bedrooms into sensual sanctuaries. The mission is gaining pace. MysteryVibe won the consumer product design category at the Design Week awards, beating the Apple Watch. Last year, it closed a funding round worth $1.5 million (£1.1 million) bringing the total raised by the company to over $4 million in three years and valuing it at $13 million. The sex-tech market, which is estimated to be worth $15 billion, has so far had very little outside investment. Rakshit says: “There’s huge potential, and that’s helped investors get over their initial reservations about the sector.” He still loves the moment at tech conferences when he starts talking about sex and pleasure and people’s expressions turn from smiles and giggles to curiosity and seriousness.
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About MysteryVibe: Award Winning Sexual Health Products. Deeply researched, anatomically designed, doctor-endorsed products to make intimacy easy.
James Davidson
Co-Founder and CEO of Tails.com
James Davidson is Co-Founder & CEO at Tails.com.
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About Tails.com: Tails.com is an online pet nutrition service that provides tailor-made food designed to deliver perfectly optimised nutrition for dogs.
David Yates
CEO of VocaLink
David has been an advisor to Investcorp since April 2013. He is currently the CEO of VocaLink, the UK’s National Bank Clearing Company, and has over 30 years’ experience of Financial Technology Business. Prior to joining VocaLink, David was President of Western Union where he oversaw the development of strategy for e-Commerce, Mobile Payments, Business Payments and Pre-Paid Cards. Previously he spent six years at First Data Corporation (FDC), most recently as President of First Data International leading all of its non-US merchant acquiring, merchant transaction processing, issuer processing and ATM network solutions business units. David has also served in executive roles with several other major international corporations, including IBM and General Electric. David holds a Master’s degree in law from Oxford University.
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About VocaLink, Zapp: VocaLink develops and operates payments infrastructure solutions in the United Kingdom.
Matt Johnson
CEO & Co-Founder of Bare Conductive
Matt Johnson is CEO and co-founder of Bare Conductive Ltd, an award-winning startup based in East London, UK. Bare Conductive designs and manufactures a unique set of electrically conductive materials and hardware that provide low cost, modular sensing for multiple applications. Matt earned an MA/MSc in Industrial Design Engineering at the Royal College of Art/Imperial College London in 2009. Before studying at the RCA, Matt studied economics and worked as a professional mechanic for sports racing cars in Colorado, USA.
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About Bare Conductive, LAIIER, Royal College of Art: Bare Conductive is a design and technology company that uses printed electronics technology to integrate electronics into the environment.
Oluwaseyi Sosanya
Co Founder and CEO of Gravity Sketch
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About Gravity Sketch: Gravity Sketch is a VR-based design and collaboration platform that allows distributed teams to create, share, and build in 3D.
David Kershaw
Co-Founder ,CEO & Exec Director of M&C Saatchi
David Kershaw is a founding director of M&C Saatchi. He joined Saatchi & Saatchi in 1982 after obtaining an MBA at London Business School. He became managing director in 1990 and was made chairman and chief executive of the UK agency in 1994.
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About M&C Saatchi: M&C Saatchi Group is a creative company that connects specialist expertise, fuelled by data and technology.
Josh Valman
CEO of RPD International
Josh Valman is CEO of RPD International, a design and manufacturing company, operating a global supply chain of creative individuals, suppliers and factories. Josh began his engineering career at 10 years old, with a fascination in robotics. By aged 15 he was consulting on supply chain and engineering for some of the world’s largest manufacturing companies. RPD now provides product design, manufacturing and supply chain solutions to companies across Europe, Asia and America. Clients include airlines, hotels, manufacturers, retailers, brands and startups.
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About RPD International: RPD designs and manufactures products, experiences, processes.
Roman Mittermayr
Managing Director / CEO of TwentyPeople
Roman spent a decade working through seventeen different jobs in thirty-four countries all around the world. After leaving the Austrian military service in 2004, he joined Mace in London, and published a book on DIY electronics with Germany’s largest technology publisher. He worked at an agency in New York, with brands like Vera Wang, Disney and Marriott. Roman came up with the first large-scale alternate-reality event in Vienna, based on the Hollywood movie “The Game”, which was subsequently featured on national TV, newspapers and magazines, and attracted international funding from several major companies. He joined Microsoft to work full-time as a Product Planner for Office, and later changed roles to become a Competitive Intelligence Planner. Roman holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Economics and Business Administration in Vienna, Austria. He currently works and lives in London.
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About TwentyPeople: TwentyPeople is a rapid prototyping and digital design company.
Timothy Burne
Chief Executive Officer of Plastic Logic Germany
Highly skilled and respected results oriented CEO, with large and small company experience. Energetic and pragmatic people manager. Skilled at restructuring organisations to meet market demands and stakeholder expectations. Proven ability in building and managing both domestic and international sales, engineering and operations teams. Skilled in high-level sales and business development and in driving P&L all with an absolute commitment to the bottom line. An experienced project manager with a demonstrated focus and ability to deliver major products to market on schedule and on budget. Good relationship builder and communicator at all levels. An engineer by training, inquisitive, practical problem solving ability coupled with strategic thinking and commitment. International outlook, appreciating regional product market differences and multinational corporate culture. Specialties: Technology, Restructuring, Offshore Supply, Overseas Sales, Channel Sales, Fundraising, Sales and Purchases (Company), VC, Boot Strapping, Cash Control, NPI, Project Managment
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About Plastic Logic Germany: Plastic Logic Germany leads the way in developing, manufacturing and commercializing flexible electrophoretic displays (EPD).
Gerard Rubio
CEO & Founder of Kniterate
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About Kniterate: Kniterate is an affordable and compact digital knitting machine for your workshop.
Charlie Jardine
Founder and CEO of EO Charging
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About EO Charging: EO Charging designs smart electric vehicle chargers and intelligent software for homes, workplaces and destinations.
Carl Engelmarc
Co-Founder & CEO of Engelworks
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About Engelworks, Opporta: We help companies grow by creating desirable products & services based on human-centric design principles & actionable business strategies.
Christo Peev
Founder and CEO of Motion Software
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About Motion Software: Motion Software assembles, trains and scales exceptional talent for the world’s leading companies.
Anton Skrypnyk
Co-Founder & CEO of KindGeek
Anton Skrypnyk is a Co-Founder and serves as the Chief Executive Officer at KindGeek.
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About KindGeek: KindGeek is a software development company that helps entrepreneurs with product development and technical aspects of their projects.
Peter Aron Zentai
Chief Architect and Co-Founder & CEO of JayStack Technologies
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About JayStack Technologies: JayStack Technologies is a software program development company that specializes in computer software, enterprise mobile development.
Douglas Heidergren
CEO and Founder of Hyber
Founder of Hyber.
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About Hyber: Hyber is Sweden’s largest subscription rental platform for clothes and baby products for parents and children.
Nicholas Scarr
Chief Executive Officer of Quantlogic
Nicholas is responsible for Quantlogic’s day-to-day-operations, as well as leading the company’s product development and technology strategy. He has a solid background in financial services and technology, with a successful record of building profitable technology companies from the ground up. Nicholas is also a qualified stock broker with a deep understanding of risk management, gained from his time working in the City of London for an HSBC subsidiary firm of Lloyd’s Brokers. With a passion for technology, strong entrepreneurial flair, and a powerful desire to build his own company, Nicholas went on to develop two highly successful telecommunications businesses; the first, which at the time included Europe’s largest call-handling center, was floated on the London Stock Exchange, and the other, The Telecommunications Group, was sold to Primus, a NASDAQ quoted company. Over the last 14 years Nicholas’s whole focus has been on the development of algorithmic trading strategies and allied research.
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About Quantlogic: Quantlogic is a financial research firm with offices in New York, London, and Cochin.
Jonathan Fren
Founder/CEO of Rebel Minds
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About Keep Highways Safe, Rebel Minds, txttrans: We partner with ambitious entrepreneurs, startups and corporates in all industries to conceptualise, design and build digital products.
Neil Davidson
CEO of HeyHuman Agency
Neil joined HeyHuman in 2008 having led and launched campaigns, and agencies, across Europe – on the Board at Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, as a Director of The Farm and a Managing Partner of Rapp. He established our planning, innovation and data offer, and believes the real opportunities for brands lie in focusing on their own behaviours, as well as those of people they want to connect with.
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About HeyHuman Agency: We are HeyHuman, a creative agency, building brands that are celebrated and shared by people. Human brands.
Rod Brown
Co-Founder & CEO of Opun
Royal Navy veteran with experience of corporate and startup business. Co-founder of three startups, with two exits to corporate trade buyers (Tesco plc and John Lewis Partnership). Former Associate Consultant McKinsey & Co., ex Services Director at Tesco. Intrapreneur and entrepreneur. Spears Wealth Management Awards Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 nominee. British ex-Forces Lifetime Achievement Award 2019 nominee.
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About Opun: Why leave home improvement to chance? Opun is the smart new way to end your home improvement nightmares.
Henry Pinchbeck
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of 3D LifePrints
Henry Pinchbeck is Co-Founder Chief Executive Officer of 3D LifePrints.
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About 3D LifePrints: 3D LifePrints is the leading provider of Medical 3D Printing products and services with a unique in-hospital embedded model
Tomáš Rousek
Space architect, CEO of XTEND DESIGN LONDON
Tomas Rousek is a space architect and designer. He founded XTEND DESIGN in London and A-ETC in Prague, and collaborated on missions to Moon, Mars and asteroid, and also developed SinterHab, first concept of a 3D-printed lunar module based on NASA technology. He collaborated with NASA JPL and clients such as Vodafone, Shell, Skoda and Mercedes-Benz. He also worked on architecture for Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, FIFA championship in Qatar and Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi. His designs were presented at 17 exhibitions in Europe and America and he won several awards (e.g. from NASA). His research involved sustainable architecture and transport, robotic construction, 3D printing, VR, digital design, artificial gravity and space tourism.
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About XTEND DESIGN LONDON: XTEND is an architecture and design agency based in London and Prague.
