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 Retail Technology 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.
Timothy Davis
CEO and Co-founder of Butter.co.uk
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About Butter.co.uk, MassChallenge: Butter lets you spread the cost of shopping from any online store with a simple monthly instalment plan. Download the app now!
Kirill Chliaifchtein
Founder & CEO of SwiftGift
Founder & CEO at SwiftGift
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About SwiftGift: SwiftGift is the world’s first Instant Gift Messenger App which allows you to send real gifts to anyone in your phone’s contact book.
Andrew Xeni
CEO, Co-Founder of Fabacus
A highly driven and experienced CEO with a diverse portfolio of business interests. Andrew’s primary focus has till recently been in the family garment manufacturing business, Europride Ltd., founded with his brother. Having supplied most of the UKs largest fashion retailers for over a decade, Andrew understands their supply chain needs. The businesses boast a combined annual turnover in excess of $150m, with over 2,000 employees globally and including vested interests in the full supply chain: Factories in the UK, Eastern Europe, Morocco and Sri Lanka, a UK dye house, a UK knitting plant, fabric import business, and UK printing facilities. Andrew also has two ecommerce brands, Baaclothing.Com and NobodysChild.Com, that compliment his fully integrated vertical manufacturing service. Fabacus is the brainchild of all this supply chain, retail and ecommerce experience. Understanding exactly what is needed to improve each process and make businesses faster and more cost efficient, Andrew alongside his co-founder Ray Noppé, were able to build a suite of solutions. Fabacus delivers optimal efficiency for greater profit through customisable software for business intelligence, data management, relationship management and e-commerce marketing optimisation. To date Fabacus has successfully integrated its solution with the likes of Charlotte Tilbury, Salesforce and Revel. In addition to Fabacus and Europride Ltd, Andrew continues to invest in technology alongside New Look founder, Tom Singh, as well as property development and music interests: Launching his own music label, supporting and developing new talents.
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About Fabacus: Fabacus is a technology business that transforms brand licensing through the power of data.
Daniel Attia
Founder & CEO of YOPA
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About YOPA, YOPA: YOPA provides real estate agency services that assist clients in selling their properties.
Jessi Baker
Founder & CEO of Provenance
Jessi Baker is the founder of Provenance, building the future of supply chain transparency and product trust on the blockchain. She is an Art and Science hybrid, with Master’s degrees in Engineering from the University of Cambridge and Design from the Royal College of Art. She has worked with brands on technology strategy across the US and Europe, including Adidas, The Four Seasons, The Guggenheim Museum, British Airways and Will.I.Am. She is an associate researcher at the Intel Institute for Sustainable Cities and a regular speaker on technology and social business.
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About Intel, Provenance: Provenance is the leading software solution for sustainability communications
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.
Hasna Kourda
Co-Founder & CEO of Save Your Wardrobe
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About Save Your Wardrobe: FashionTech startup using AI to make Fashion more digital and sustainable
Fabrice Haiat
Co-Founder and CEO of YOOBIC
Fabrice Haiat served as the Chief Executive Officer and President at Vizelia S.A. Fabrice Haiat supervised the implementation of different product and service solutions. He also contributed to the ESSEC Property management masters course and participates in numerous conferences, with the aim of sharing his forward-looking vision of the environment and informing decision-makers on the energy challenges to be faced over the next decade. He served as an International Consultant with McKinsey and gained his experience in the new technology and property sectors. He served as a Director of Vizelia S.A.
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About Petribox, YOOBIC: YOOBIC is an all-in-one platform for the deskless workforce to optimize communication, training, and process management.
Dana Dunne
CEO of eDreams ODIGEO
Dana Dunne is the CEO of eDreams ODIEGO. Prior to eDreams, Dana Dunne served as CCO at EasyJet Plc., and was in charge of sales (especially online sales), marketing, productivity management and of the customer service center. Before that, he was the CEO of AOl Europe Sarl, a division of AOC LLC. He has a deep experience in high-profile international telecommunication companies, as he has been the president of the main business units at Belgacom and US West, two of the most outstanding telecommunication companies in Europe and in the US.Dana holds an MBA from Wharton Business School and a degree in Economics from Weslevan University. He has a double nationality: American and British. On March 31st 2017, Dunne owned 713. 112 shares in eDreams ODIEGO. Dana Dunne was appointed CEO of eDreams during a shareholder meeting held on the 22nd of July 2015.
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About eDreams ODIGEO: eDreams ODIGEO is one of the world’s largest online travel companies and one of the largest European e-commerce businesses.
Olga Kotsur
Co-founder and CEO of Mercaux
Olga Kotsur is Founder at Mercaux.
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About Mercaux, The Boston Consulting Group: Mercaux brings the benefits of digital into retail stores to drive sales uplift.
Derek O’Carroll
Chief Executive Officer of Brightpearl
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About Brightpearl: Brightpearl is the omnichannel retail management system that puts your orders, inventory, financials, POS and CRM in one place.
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.
Mike Charalambous
Founder / CEO of Threedium
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About Frenzi Media, Threedium: We create memorable brand experiences, drive product considerations and deliver conversions through 3D/AR Technology.
Iris Anson
Founder/CEO of Solely Original
Iris is a founding director at Solely Original, an online bespoke women’s footwear brand. As a fashion conscious city professional, she decided to leave behind her career as a tax consultant to pursue a solution for women like her, who had trouble finding fashionable shoes that are comfortable to walk in.
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About Etiq AI, Solely Original: Solely Original is a shoe brand allowing clients to design their own shoes, have custom made to fit the specifications of the feet.
Maggie Sanchez
CEO & Co-Founder of myCircle
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About myCircle: myCircle is a U.K.-based SaaS and data company that provides merchants with analytics and mobile financial app services.
Karin Cabili
Founder & CEO of Dropit Shopping
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About Dropit Shopping: Dropit provides a digital handsfree shopping solution for malls and central shopping districts, delivering bags from store to door.
Liam Houghton
CEO & Co-Founder of Popsa
Liam Houghton joined Popsa as CEO & Founder in 2016.
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About Popsa: Popsa is a machine learning startup that automatically designs, makes, and delivers personalized physical products.
James Critchley
Co-founder and CEO of cloud.IQ
James Critchley is the co-founder and CEO of cloud.IQ, which he launched in 2012 after leaving his position as MD at another established, successful company that he co-founded in 2002 offering enterprise multi-channel services to brands, governments and charities. Before that, James spent time at Ogilvy Interactive until 2001 after launching another successful business – winter sports travel company, Alpine Elements. James graduated with a BSc in Economics in ’98. Today, as CEO of the leading conversion rate optimisation platform for eCommerce Enterprise brands such as Boots, TUI and Samsung. As a serial digital entrepreneur, he is leading the charge in AI and machine learning based customer experience in a way that has never before been possible. As with most start-ups, one of the biggest challenges was to get the funding required to help build a team to create a cutting-edge product and take it to market. Having already secured sufficient investment from investors that shared our view has helped us achieve our growth to date. An exclusive partnership agreed with PayPal last year is testament to cloud.IQ’s specialist expertise in conversion and has elevated the company’s market strength with access to a global merchant audience. cloud.IQ’s direction towards a fully automated AI and machine learning based CRO platform is a game-changer for any e-commerce brand. James and the cloud.IQ team are leading the thinking in this space, which means educating its customers and the wider market as to the full power of the platform and how smart brands are adopting CRO capability not previously possible. With offices in Sydney, the cloud.IQ headquarters are based in the vibrant heart of London’s tech scene in Shoreditch. This proved a smart move, as it continues to help to recruit and retain the best tech talent in the UK as well as reap the benefits of being part of a much bigger and inspiring collective of companies all trying to disrupt established ways of doing stuff. There are now over 3,000 tech companies all within a mile of cloud.IQ headquarters, creating ample opportunities to network and share ideas. James is passionate about his family, technology as an enabler and by contrast his 82 year old race car and snowboarding/skiing – in that order!
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About cloud.IQ: cloud.IQ is an AI and machine learning based automated conversion rate optimisation platform for e-commerce businesses.
Eleanor Weaver
Chief Executive Officer & Founder of Luminance
Eleanor is Chief Executive Officer at Luminance. She is a former Director at world-leading cyber AI company, Darktrace, where she spent six years as Global Head of the organisation’s Industrial Division. Prior to this, Eleanor founded and ran Darktrace’s African operations. In recognition of her work in the technology sector, Eleanor won the prestigious ‘Innovation Trailblazer Award’ at Law.com’s 2021 Legal Innovation Awards and made Management Today’s ’35 under 35’ list.
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About Darktrace, Luminance: Luminance applies supervised and unsupervised machine learning to the process of document review.
Andrew Mukerjee
Co-founder, CEO of Brisqq
Andrew has a keen interest in solving big global problems using software. Andrew and team built Brisqq into the leading digital last mile distribution business in the London market and launched eLogii to enable commercial fleet operators around the world to increase efficiency in their planning, routing and dispatch operations. Formerly an investment banker focusing on software and internet transactions. Andrew graduated from King’s College London and speaks fluent Dutch.
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About Brisqq, eLogii: Brisqq provides local logistics-as-a-service, enabling retailers to offer same day (or future date) deliveries in 1-hour timeslots.
Kostas Koukoravas
Founder and CEO of Intelistyle
Project & Product management, business development, software engineering, AI. Has 13 years experience leading the development of ideas from inception through to delivery and has launched high profile online services including BBC iPlayer Radio, Microsoft Skype on Windows 8 and Surface Hub. Has varied experience in applied machine learning ranging from real time action detection in video (Microsoft Surface Hub) to portfolio optimisation in financial data. Holds an MPhil on unsupervised learning from the University of Manchester and a coursera machine learning certificate from the University of Stanford.
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About Intelistyle: Intelistyle provides A.I. styling solutions to fashion retailers, helping them address the needs of customers looking for styling advice.
Lara Mazzoni
CEO & CO-FOunder of Bodi.Me
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About 3D-A-PORTER, Bodi.Me: Fashion Fit Technology Innovator – UNIQUE AND AN EFFECTIVE SaaS CLOTHING SIZE SOLUTION FOR BRANDS & SHOPPERS
Ben Brown
Founder & CEO of Shopwave
Ben founded Shopwave following the acquisition of his first startup, VouChaCha. VouChaCha managed multi-channel coupon distribution and redemption for many of the UK’s top 200 retailers. VouChaCha was acquired as part of Markcomedia in a deal worth £55 million by Monitise PLC.
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About Shopwave: Kitchen & Ops Automation, POS, App Integration & Payments. Shopwave helps the worlds leading restaurant and retail brands to scale globally.
Jose Manuel Moller
Founder & CEO of Algramo
Jose Manuel Moller is the Founder and CEO at Algramo.
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About Algramo: Algramo aims to establish a wholesale relationship with manufacturers of consumer products such as detergents.
Emilie Vanpoperinghe
Co-founder and CEO of Oddbox
Emilie Vanpoperinghe is the Co-Founder & CEO at Oddbox.
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About Oddbox: Oddbox is a provider of fruit and veg box delivery service intended to reduce food waste.
Maxwell Harding
Founder & CEO of Dynamify
CEO & Co-founder, Dynamify; Ex-Investment Professional, Terra Firma Capital Partners
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About Dynamify: Dynamify is an all-in-one platform using technology, data, and AI to enhance service delivery and margin.
Peter Kriskinans
Founder & CEO of Bizie
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About Bizie: Bizie develops software and online solutions to help manage companies from the retail industry.
David Ripert
CEO of Poplar Studio
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About Poplar Studio: Poplar is a creative platform that enables brands and retailers to produce 3D and AR experiences on-demand, powered by a talent cloud.
Nick Brackenbury
Co-Founder & CEO of NearSt
Nick Brackenbury is a technology entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of NearSt; a retail technology start-up getting people back into high street shops. His tech company is revolutionizing the idea of shopping locally rather than ordering it online. Nick was formerly one of Ogilvy’s youngest ever Account Directors, working on pioneering teams in the agency’s analytics and digital platforms teams across brands spanning Land Rover, Nestle, BP, Ford, Diageo and IBM. He is fascinated by behavioural economics and the incredible potential currently hidden away in high street shops.
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About NearSt: NearSt is a retail technology company building the world’s source of real-time local inventory.
Marco Nardone
Founder & CEO of Wineapp
Marco Nardone is the Founder and CEO of Wineapp – UK’s largest app for on-demand wine delivery. www.wineapp.com / Available on iOS and Android. Wineapp is VC-backed by Rocket Internet and Speedinvest.
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About Wineapp: Mobile App – On-demand Fine Wine Delivery
Julian Mills
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Quorso
Julian is a former partner at McKinsey & Company, where he was a leader in the Travel, Transport, and Infrastructure practices. He also founded and co-chaired the Global Infrastructure Initiative with Madeleine Albright, a gathering of the world’s most influential infrastructure leaders. Julian spent much of his childhood growing up on a remote Scottish island surrounded by sheep and has degrees from Oxford University and Stanford University.
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About Quorso: A new era for store management: Agile. Simple. Human.
Marjorie Leonidas
CEO of Taggstar
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About GlobalReach Technology Ltd, Taggstar: Real-time social proof message expert for enterprise eCommerce | Conversion uplift by up to 12% | Shop Direct, N Brown, TUI, Missguided use.
Sam Amrani
CEO & Founder of Olvin
Founder & CEO of Olvin.com and Founder of Tamoco.com, interested in and focussed on AI, geo-spatial data, real-world intelligence, analytics, communication and insight.
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About Olvin, Tamoco: Olvin helps real-world businesses get proactive through its AI powered predictive analytics platform.
Liam Young
CEO of Harper
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About Harper, Yourfittingroom: Harper delivers the in-store experience to online customers.
Simon Bird
CEO of RevLifter
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About Big Data for Humans, RevLifter, Tailify: RevLifter is an AI powered technology provider helping brands increase revenue through real-time personalised offers.
Roman Drokov
Chief Executive Officer of MIO Mobile Kiosk
Roman A. Drokov is the founder and CEO of Mio Mobile Kiosk.
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About MIO Mobile Kiosk: MIO Mobile Kiosk designs a multitasker robot that assists in accomplishing personal tasks.
Sara Ahmadi
CEO of Shopest
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About Shopest: Shopest makes discovering nearby retail as fast and as simple as online.
Donna North
Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Dressipi
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About Dressipi: The leading independently verified Revenue Optimisation Platform for fashion retailers.
Bilal Itani
CEO of Modular Customer Engagement Technologies
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About Modular Customer Engagement Technologies: Modular Customer Engagement Technologies is a 3D Customer Experience Platform, Create your 3D Online Shop & 3D Product Configurator
Imogen Wethered
CEO & Co-Founder of Qudini – Retail Choreography
Imogen Wethered is Founder & CEO at Qudini.
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About Qudini – Retail Choreography: Retail Choreography solutions to transforming customer experience, operations and data for retailers and banks.
David McDonald
CEO & Co-founder of Rattle Technology
David is a commercially focused senior digital media and tech executive with over 25 years working in a broad range of digital media, technology and entertainment companies. His formative experiences included running British Airways’ Inflight Media division, running a $20 million contract publishing business in Asia for Time Inc. and as Strategic Marketing Director for CNN International across Europe.
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About Rattle Technology: Rattle enables brands and their agencies to access the power of augmented reality experiences through our unique plug and play platform.
Phil Davison
Founder and CEO of Mother
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About Mother: Digitalised vending machines helping the busy eat better, and bringing top quality food and drinks to the working world and beyond.
Lanre Akinlagun
Founder and CEO of Drinks.ng
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About Drinks.ng: Drinks.ng is a technology based company transforming the way beverages are shopped, sold and shipped online in Nigeria
Henry Birch
Chief Executive Officer of The Very Group
Henry Birch is the Group CEO at The Very Group. He earned his MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
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About The Very Group, Very: The Very Group is an integrated digital retailer and financial services provider.
Stephanie Margaronis
CEO of Blaiz
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About Blaiz: Blaiz a retail platform of online and physical stores curating best of Latin American womenswear designers, bringing completely new styles.
Zahars Zelenskis
Founder and CEO of Waiz.ai
Entrepreneur, sport-minded, and judo addicted. Exited about sustainability.
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About Waiz.ai: Waiz.ai offers smart food waste management for consumers.
Carlos Butler Almécija
Co-founder & CEO of ORDR
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About ORDR: Online in-restaurant food ordering, queueing and reservation, and takeaway ordering software.
Bhavin Shah
CEO of Chooz.Pics Ltd
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About Chooz.Pics Ltd: Visual decision making applications
