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 CEO’ operating in the Content Creators 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.
Alex Vratskides
Co-Founder & CEO of Persado
Alex Vratskides is the CEO of Persado, which he co-founded in 2012. Previously, Alex co-founded Upstream in 2001 and served as the company’s CEO between 2004 and 2012. During his tenure, the company grew to become a global leader in mobile marketing, with mobile operator clients in more than 40 countries. Alex was responsible for setting Upstream’s strategic direction and spearheading its international sales expansion and product innovation. Prior to founding Upstream, Alex worked as a management consultant at OC&C/McKenna Group, based out of Boston. He is the first angel investor for Luluvise, where he is also a board member, and serves on the board of advisors of Seyyer. Alex holds a BS in Applied Mathematics from Columbia University and a Masters of Engineering in Operations Research from Cornell University.
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About Persado: Persado Marketing Language Cloud delivers AI-generated language that resonates the most with any audience, segment or individual.
Matt Barker
Founder & CEO of MPB
Matt’s focus and passion is on verticalized online marketplaces within the secondary goods sector, with particular emphasis on managed marketplaces that take ownership of the product through the customer transaction process Matt founded mpb.com having developed his interest in markeplaces whilst studying Economics at The University of Warwick. Matt has since grown MPB into the largest marketplace in Europe for photographers and videographers to trade equipment. Matt believes that key to a successful product marketplace are strong network effects and an end to end focus on customer experience, delivered by the best AI and CX led technology at every stage of the transaction cycle. MPB is now internationalising, with a full US launch completed in November 2016. Matt continues to lead MPB as CEO and plans to grow MPB into the largest marketplace in the world for photographers and videographers.
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About MPB: MPB is an online platform specializing in used photography and videography kit.
Farid Haque
Co-Founder ,CEO & Chairman of Erly Stage Studios
Farid Haque is the Co-Founder ,CEO & Chairman of Erly Stage Studios.He attended to the University of Toronto.
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About AssetVault, DataKiwi, Erly Stage Studios: An Education Venture Studio and digital publishing business, our mission is to make learning fun through engaging content and technology.
Victor Riperbelli
CEO and Co-Founder of Synthesia
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About Founders, Synthesia: Synthesia is an AI video avatar platform that creates professional videos from a text in different languages.
Simon Ward
Founder and CEO of Team ITG
Simon Ward ITG and Simon Ward SP Group: Simon Ward is CEO of ITG (Inspired Thinking Group) and former Commercial CEO of SP Group, a part of St Ives Group. Simon founded ITG in 2009 and has played a key role in the company’s growth, running the business and obtaining investment for expansion and acquisitions.v ITG delivers best-in-class marketing software, procurement and studio services to numerous blue-chip clients, including PUMA, M&S, KFC, Audi and Heineken. In 2015, ITG joined the London Stock Exchange’s 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain. Prior to founding ITG, Simon Ward was commercial CEO of SP Group, based in Redditch. He joined the printers in 1999, as co-founder and head of SP Digital. This soon became the most profitable part of the business, and Simon took over the reins of SP Group in 2000. In 2004, Simon sold SP Group to St Ives, becoming the group’s commercial CEO, remaining with the company until the launch of ITG.
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About Team ITG: Team ITG is a technology-led provider of outsourced multichannel marketing services.
Jack Cohen
CEO of Massless
Jack Cohen is the CEO of Massless
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About Massless: Massless is your NFT launch partner: Artwork, Minting, and Smart Contracts
Jeremy Jauncey
Founder, Chief Executive Officer of Beautiful Destinations
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About Beautiful Destinations: Beautiful Destinations is a media company that shares authentic, inspirational, and immersive travel stories.
Outi Pietilanaho
Co-Founder & CEO of Vimma
Entrepreneur, Co-Founder & CEO @vimma #passioneconomy #futureofwork
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About Vimma: The OS for the Creator Economy
Sean Ryan
CEO of Digiflair
Entrepreneur and software engineer
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About Digiflair: Digiflair is a family of technology products to enhance and support the creator economy.
Sophie Rochester
CEO and Founder of Yodomo | Making Made Easy
Founder of Yodomo, the creative experience platform. Improving wellbeing and supporting sustainability through making. Sophie is a digital content specialist with over 20 years experience across the digital and publishing sectors. She has worked at Random House. 4th Estate and Good Technology, and consulted for Pan Macmillan, Hachette, Penguin Random House, Nesta, British Council and Royal Society of Literature. Listed as one of the Top 10 Creative Entrepreneurs in the UK by the British Council and in the UK’s Top 100 ‘most influential and innovative’ in the Guardian Professional’s hClub 100 list, Sophie has global contacts across publishing and technology and has also consulted on a large number of digital publishing start-ups through her award-winning company The Literary Platform. In 2015, The Literary Platform was listed as #10 on the Fortuna 50 list of the UK’s fastest-growing women-led small businesses. Sophie has successfully raised funding through Arts Council England, National Lottery, Bath Spa University, Queensland University of Technology and the Jerwood Charitable Foundation for a number of digital content initiatives. She has spoken about the future of digital content at UNESCO Paris, Editech Milan, MIX Conference (Opening Keynote), Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, O’Reilly’s Tools of Change New York, London Book Fair, Bologna Book Fair and UKTI / British Council ‘Crossing the River’ digital conferences across Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. A keen maker herself, she lives in the heart of London’s designer maker community and understands the community that is Yodomo’s marketplace. Her professional network gives her access to the right tutors, businesses, brands – and staff – to bring to the Yodomo platform.
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About Meaningful Business, Yodomo | Making Made Easy: The Marketplace for Making. Discover online courses, live workshops and kits from our artists and makers.
Stuart Logan
Founder & CEO of Twine
As the Big Boss, Stuart spends his days in a large leather armchair, staring out over the Manchester skyline while smoking a cigar and plotting world domination. (He doesn’t really). Originally from Salisbury, he studied computer science at Manchester University but was always keen to break into the exciting world of start-ups, and was involved in a number of ventures before finalising his plans for Clowdy. When not wearing his chief executive hat (metaphorically speaking) he enjoys harbouring unrealistic expectations for Manchester United’s future success and live music.
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About Twine: Twine connects companies to diverse creative and digital freelancers
Phil Barry
Founder and CEO of Blokur
Phil Barry joined Blokur as Founder in 2016.
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About Blokur: Blokur is a tech company that empowers Internet of Creators using blockchain technology.
Sven Herold
CEO & Founder of LiveTube
Sven is a Media Executive with more than 15 years’ experience in Television, Communications and Reputation Management. He is an award-winning broadcast journalist who worked as a Senior Investigative Correspondent, Feature Writer and News & Entertainment Correspondent at major broadcasters across Europe and the U.S. Most recently, he was a global VP and member of the Communication & Marketing leadership team at Shell International. He built and led both Shell’s and SAP’s global Television divisions. In 2015, Sven founded LiveTube, a global media-house specialising in original live content-creation and distribution via mobile devices.
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About LiveTube: The world’s first Curated Live Video Platform.
