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 United Kingdom based Founder operating in the Universities 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.
Jan Lynn-Matern
Founder and Partner of Emerge Education
I am a Founder and Partner at Emerge Education. Emerge Education is a European seed investor focused on companies that bridge the skills gap. Emerge specialises in providing its portfolio companies with access to market insights, partners and customers through its unique industry network. We have a particular focus on investing in challenger universities, bootcamps, workforce re-training programmes, and companies that help universities scale online.
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About Emerge Education: The only fund backed by the world’s leading education entrepreneurs
Diego Fanara
Co-Founder and CEO of Unibuddy
Diego Fanara is the co-founder and CEO of Unibuddy.
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About Unibuddy: Unibuddy helping universities and students to attract, engage and convert prospects through peer interactions.
Kimeshan Naidoo
Co-Founder and CTO of Unibuddy
Kimeshan Naidoo is CTO & Co-Founder at Unibuddy.
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About Unibuddy: Unibuddy helping universities and students to attract, engage and convert prospects through peer interactions.
Fadl Al Tarzi
Founder & CEO of Nexford University
+15 years of experience in media & technology-related businesses. Hands-on experience building successful strategies, growing companies, raising VC funds, building & managing teams. Founded and played pivotal role in growing several successful businesses,
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About Nexford University: A next generation online university providing students with access to quality, affordable, dynamic education.
Dom Marmont
CTO & Co-Founder of FIXR
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About FIXR: FIXR is a leading ticketing and event management platform built for fans and organisers.
Hugh Hudleston
Commercial Director & Co-Founder of FIXR
Hugh is a founding Director of FIXR. He most recently spent a year doing his MBA at Cambridge University before joining FIXR full time in June 2014. Hugh started his financial career at Matrix Corporate Capital in equity sales. Following Matrix, Hugh became a partner of a corporate advisory boutique, Hawkwood Capital, raising money for private companies. He is also Director of a fast growing visual recognition company, WeSee. Past exploits included launching 2 magazines. He is a keen sailor.
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About FIXR: FIXR is a leading ticketing and event management platform built for fans and organisers.
Vivi Friedgut
Founder & CEO of Blackbullion
Vivi Friedgut is a financial management expert who spent almost a decade managing the wealth of high net worth families and individuals. In 2012 she established Blackbullion, an education technology company committed to helping young people up-skill for the 21st century through better money management, employability and enterprise skills. It is her ambition to ensure that through Blackbullion Online students develop the confidence, knowledge and skill to take control of their financial destiny and create an epic future. Vivi is an author and regular commentator of matters of personal finance and employability. She holds an economics degree from the University of New South Wales in Sydney in her native Australia.
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About Blackbullion: Award winning fintech platform reimagining the student financial stack
Varun Aggarwal
COO & Co-Founder of Univariety
Varun Aggarwal is a Co-Founder and the Chief Operating Officer at Univariety.
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About Univariety: Univariety is an Ed-tech company that provides an online-based platform that utilizes career and college guidance cells inside schools.
Yiorgos Nikoletakis
CEO & Founder of 100mentors
Yiorgos enjoys surrounding himself with his role models: educators & entrepreneurs. After having worked in 4 US states, Spain, Greece & China, “arguing like I am right, listening like I am wrong” is his favorite motto.
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About 100mentors: We empower today’s youth to consciously take their once in a lifetime decisions & prepare them for the workplace of the future.
John Hunter Rutherford
Founder of Northumbria University
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About Northumbria University: Northumbria is a U.K.-based university that educates its students using studying programmes at home and overseas.
Fei Hao
Founder & CEO of MyOffer
Fei Hao is Founder at MyOffer.
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About Learning Without Borders, MyOffer, UVIC: MyOffer is a Shenzhen-based online overseas study application platform.
