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 Social Entrepreneurship 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.
Rasha Khawaja
Founder of Toucan
Rasha Khawaja is the founder of Toucan. Rasha’s innate desire for knowledge took her to Brown University where she studied Psychiatry and Cognitive Science. Further education followed at both Oxford University and Cambridge University before Rasha started her career at Condé Nast Publications and went on to work at Christie’s. These experiences heightened her entrepreneurial drive and after spotting a gap in the market for a way to help creatives get their businesses out in front of influential business luminaries, Toucan was born. Rasha’s passion for innovation and nurturing new talent and business continues through her role as a member of the UKBAA, and being an active member of the advisory board of Innovation RCA and the development and strategy board of the ZSL. Outside of the world of Toucan, Rasha is a devoted mother and an adventurous traveller who one day hopes to conquer Kilimanjaro and The Great Wall of China. Rasha is also dedicated to a number of charities and sits on the board of ‘The Playing For Change Foundation’, as well as supporting her family’s charity, ‘The Said Foundation’. Toucan Ventures were proud to win ‘One to Watch – Best Entrant to the Angel Ecosystem’ at the 2016 Angel Investment Awards.
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About Toucan: Toucan Academy, our ever-growing online encyclopaedia where you can come to learn, refine ideas and find valuable business advice.
Tom Hooper
Founder and CEO of Third Space Learning
Matr is Tom’s second venture in education technology. In 2009 he founded BrightSpark, an online teaching business he sold to TES in 2012. He graduated with an MA in Philosophy and Politics from the University of Edinburgh, then worked in investment from 2003-9, when his start-up career began.
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About Third Space Learning: Third Space aims to help every student access great quality online tuition to help them succeed in, and love, their learning
Rodney Aldridge
Founder of The Aldridge Foundation
As the founder of the Capita Group in 1984 until his retirement in 2006, Sir Rodney Aldridge led the company from start-up to becoming a FTSE 100 company, with Capita thus becoming the market leader in the provision of support and professional services to the government and private sector in the UK. Capital Group is now the 50th ranked company on the FTSE 100, with a market capitalisation of over £8 billion. Prior to Capita, Sir Rodney worked in local government for ten years with East Essex County Council, Brighton Borough Council, Crawley District Group and West Sussex Council, becoming a qualified accountant with CIPFA in 1970, joining CIPFA in 1974, and ultimately becoming its Technical Director. Rodney was awarded an OBE in the 1994 New Years Honours List and was given the Freedom of the City of London in 1996. In 2006 he was elected fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and in 2012 he received a Knighthood. In addition, Sir Rodney is Chair of the Lowry Arts and Entertainment venue in Salford; Chair of Acorn Care and Education, Patron and former Trustee of the Prince’s Trust; and founding member of the Prince’s Charities Council.
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About The Aldridge Foundation, The Prince’s Trust: Aldridge Foundation is an educational charity that helps young people reach their potential through the sponsorship of entrepreneurial
Lyric Jain
Founder & CEO of Logically
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About Logically: Logically develops the latest in AI technologies to combat information overload, misinformation, fake news & other types of harmful content.
Nik Kafka
Founder, Chief Executive Officer of Teach A Man To Fish (TAMTF)
Nik Kafka is the founder and Chief Executive of Teach A Man To Fish. Leaving a successful banking career in the City of London for a local microfinance institution in Paraguay, Nik discovered an innovative school aiming not only to teach the poor how to become rural entrepreneurs, but to do so as a self-financing social enterprise. Having helped transform this school into a replicable model, and realising the huge potential for funding education through enterprise rather than charity, he returned to the UK to found Teach A Man To Fish. Under his stewardship Teach A Man To Fish has grown into an international network whose membership now numbers over 4,500 education institutions and experts in more than 125 countries. Over 50,000 young people have benefited directly from Teach A Man To Fish programmes across Africa, Asia & Latin America. Honoured as a Young Global Leader in 2009 by the World Economic Forum, he was more recently named in 2011 as one of Devex’s 40 Under 40 International Development Leaders in London. He holds a first-class BSc in Chemistry from the University of Bristol, an MSc in International Development from the School of Oriental & African Studies at the University of London, as well as professional qualifications in finance.
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About Teach A Man To Fish (TAMTF): Encouraging and supporting education projects that generate sustainable livelihoods for young people across the developing world.
Josh Thomas
Co-Founder, Head of Innovation of Karakoram
I’m Josh Thomas, an engineer, designer and innovation specialist with a career devoted to discovering and exploiting opportunities that arise when emerging technologies or business changes create new consumer and user needs. I build and lead cross-disciplinary teams of designers, engineers, developers, strategists, stand-up comics, and experiential artists who focus on new approaches to creating digital and physical products, platforms and organizational design.
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About BuyLevel, Glorious Labs, Karakoram: Karakoram is an award-winning innovation consultancy that creates breakthrough solutions for the world’s toughest humanitarian challenges.
Tom Adams
Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer of 60 Decibels
Tom Adams is an entrepreneur and an economist. He currently co-run the social enterprise 60 Decibels and has previously held leadership positions across impact investing and various UK Government departments. He started his career dabbling in traditional finance and now have over 15 years of experience working both in the UK and internationally. He is passionate about entrepreneurial solutions to poverty and policies that promote more equitable societies.
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About 60 Decibels, Acumen: 60 Decibels brings speed and repeatability to social impact measurement and customer insights.
Samuel Aldenton
Co-Founder of Second Home
Co-founder at Second Home
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About Second Home: Second Home owns and operates an office space for entrepreneurs and creative businesses.
Anouk Agussol
CEO and Founder of Unleashed
Anouk Agussol is the CEO and Founder of Unleashed.
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About Unleashed: Unleashed works with early-stage start-ups and scale-ups to build a better and more successful business.
Abdulrahman Abdi
Founder of Propel Africa
Abdulrahman Abdi is the Founder of Propel Africa.
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About Propel Africa: Propel Africa is a venture platform for global African talent and diaspora youth.
Ade Bamgbala
Founder of Blacticulate
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About Blacticulate, Upskill Digital: Blacticulate is a platform that amplifies black stories and positive actions, through podcast productions and workshops.
Katz Kiely
CEO & Founder of We are beep
A award-winning expert in open-innovation, participatory systems design and digital engagement. She converts complex challenges into memorable experiences, smart solutions and strong innovative cultures. Over a 17 year career, she has supported a host of global brands through transformation: including BBC, GSK, HP and the UN. Some highlights. She has: * Helped organisations use digital to evolve, drive efficiency and connect to customers/ stakeholders * Influenced at C- level * Build and led large multi-disciplinary teams and managed multiple service provider * Designed winning pitches, multi-channel strategies and services * Built strong partnerships * Worked in global environments * Grown large and loyal networks As a digital pioneer she has delivered a number of breakthrough projects including: * The first open-innovation competition for Hewlett Packard * A massive transformation project for a UN agency. A visible voice in the digital transformation, innovation and behaviour change arena, she is a regular speaker at global conferences including TED, SXSW and IBC and regularly writes for b2b publications on stuff like this: http://www.cmo.com/features/articles/2016/8/18/recruit-change-agents-and-save-11-trillion.html#gs.Cja9aQU She is a proud ambassador for the Burning Man Foundation.
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About We are beep: beep (Business Enterprise Engagement Platform), a world changing enterprise platform, that unlocks the wisdom of employees
Peter Harrington
Founder and CEO of SimVenture
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About SimVenture: SimVenture is a business simulation tool that helps people learn about entrepreneurship and understand business issues and principles.
Emma Watkins
Founder & Yoga Teacher of Agora London
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About Agora London: AGORA is a Founders’ Club focused on driving start up growth through the power of the right connection and also on the key determinants.
