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 Manchester based Founder operating in the Marketing 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.
Steve Bartlett
Founder and CEO of Social Chain
Steven Bartlett, is the 25-year-old CEO of The Social Chain Group. Having founded the groups two flagship companies, Social Chain and Media Chain, the group delivered annual revenues in excess of 100m, consisting of over 20 companies within Marketing, Media, Commerce and Technology. From a bedroom in Moss Side (Manchester), this university dropout went on to build a revolutionary social media marketing agency, which now employs more than 150 staff with offices in Manchester, London, New York and Berlin. Steven’s Social Chain is currently nominated for the Sunday Times ‘Disruptors to Watch’ and considers Apple, Amazon, Coca-Cola, Superdry, Disney, Thomas Cook and the BBC amongst its client list, with the list going on. Since its onset, Social Chain grew into two companies, adding a digital publishing house Media Chain which now owns some of the largest media assets online, reaching over 3 million people a month through a series of online brands.
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About Social Chain: Social Chain a social media marketing agency.
Danny Ashton
Founder & CEO of NeoMam Studios
Danny Ashton has a strong digital marketing background and has been an active part of the SEO industry since 2006. He founded NeoMam Studios in September 2011 and has been the CEO of the agency since then, leading a team of talented and passionate people – including designers, copywriters and digital PR specialists.
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About NeoMam Studios: NeoMam Studios is a visual content marketing agency based in Manchester, UK.
Alexander Alimovs
Founder & CEO of Automations.io
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About Automations.io: No-code automation platform to visually automate repetitive work and build workflows to save time and increase productivity.
Craig Gidley
Founder of Viper
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About : UK-based award-winning nightlife app that allows users to browse and book tables or booths, drinks packages and queue jump in bars and clubs
Stephen Powell
Founder of Viper
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About : UK-based award-winning nightlife app that allows users to browse and book tables or booths, drinks packages and queue jump in bars and clubs
Craig Davies
Founder of Viper
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About : UK-based award-winning nightlife app that allows users to browse and book tables or booths, drinks packages and queue jump in bars and clubs
Craig Davies
Founder of Viper
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About : UK-based award-winning nightlife app that allows users to browse and book tables or booths, drinks packages and queue jump in bars and clubs
Tristan Hotham
Founder of The Social Media Research Centre
I am an expert in social media and politics, founder of the Social Media Research Centre and PhD graduate. I am a researcher and consultant of campaigning, politics and social media. I hold a PhD from the University of Bath in the use of Facebook as a campaign tool. I utilise a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies to examine the black box of social media campaigning. I founded the Social Media Research Centre, a research house and consultancy that strives to make social media research better. We do two things; we examine social media developing reports that explain the impacts of social media and we help others in making the most of their social media research. We focus on helping others undertake ethical analysis of social media through quantitative and qualitative methods, while offering communication services such as writing reports and developing media strategy. My work has been published in books, journals, blogs and podcasts. Some of my research has even made it into the news such as in The Observer or Evening Standard, while I myself have featured in the news as an expert including in the New York Times, Reuters, Economist and Telegraph among others.
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About The Social Media Research Centre: The Social Media Research Centre is a research house and consultancy that strives to make social media research better.
Ned Poulter
CEO & Founder of Pole Star Digital
Ned is an enthusiastic entrepreneur & experienced digital marketing consultant, based in the UK. Not unlike some of his peers, Ned demonstrates a keen entrepreneurial flare, proven through creating, launching and exiting a digital marketing consultancy in Copenhagen, Denmark. Prior to this he gained his experience working agency-side for a number of digital marketing agencies (one of which has now been acquired by WPP), before serving as Head of Digital for Scandinavia’s biggest online fashion retailer. He currently runs Pole Star Digital a digital marketing consultancy, alongside developing and launching a number of entrepreneurial ventures. Whether facilitating internal digital marketing processes or working integrally as part of organisations marketing teams, he develops creative approaches to digital: achieving organic search results, increasing inbound traffic, conducting paid campaigns, improving conversion rates and ultimately driving revenue. Passionate about all things digital, he utilises his past wealth of experience in: SEO, PPC, CRO, Web Analytics, Training and Education to steer his clients towards improving their online profile, ultimately geared toward driving revenue at the bottom line. He is an ardent advocate of innovation, trialling new technologies, developing new products and businesses, whilst remaining dynamic and adaptable to the ever-changing digital landscape. Ned is a passionate digital marketer, frequently blogging about many aspects of digital marketing as well as reflecting on his experiences starting internet companies. He is also a familiar face and speaker at digital marketing conferences across the Europe.
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About Pole Star Digital: Better than your average Digital Marketing Consultancy. We help grow businesses online & produce real-world results.
Martin Bryant
Founder of Big Revolution
Martin Bryant is the founder of technology and media consultancy Big Revolution. He is also a speaker, writer, and educator in the fields of technology and media. With Big Revolution, he works to help technology companies craft a narrative around their products and business. He was previously Editor-in-Chief of international technology publication The Next Web, and Community Editor at Tech North, where he shone a light on the stories of startups and entrepreneurs in the North of England. Martin also spent time as an assessor for Google’s Digital News Innovation fund. Martin has interviewed top technology executives onstage at some of the world’s biggest technology conferences like the Web Summit, SXSW, and LeWeb. He delivers engaging fireside chats and panel discussions, and is also in demand to MC whole events. He also delivers workshops on emerging technology, helping individuals and businesses understand how new trends and products will change the way they live and work. He often appears on TV and radio, and has given insight into technology news stories on the likes of BBC Breakfast, Sky News, You & Yours, and Good Morning Wales. Martin is based in Manchester, UK and is available to work with clients across the UK, Europe and beyond. You can contact Martin by email: martin@martinbryant.net and subscribe to his daily newsletter here.
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About Big Revolution, Self-Employed: Big Revolution is a consultancy focused on the power of language to help startups and growth-stage tech and media firms grow.
Dan Williams
Managing Director & Founder of 100 Percent Group
Dan Williams is the managing director of 100 Percent Group.
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About 100 Percent Group: 100 Percent Group provides International Retail Installation services, to activate in-store marketing campaigns for global brands.
Conroy Smith
Co-Founder, Chief Product Officer of Wavewayz
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About Wavewayz: A place for Creators and Influencers.
