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 Funding Platform 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.
David Mickler
Founder of QVentures
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About QVentures: QVentures is a Venture Capital firm providing direct investment opportunities and fund management.
Amber Ghaddar
Founder of AllianceBlock
Amber Ghaddar is one of the three founders of AllianceBlock. The DeFi startup building the world’s first globally compliant decentralized capital market. Prior to this, Amber held various leadership positions at JP Morgan, in sales, structuring and trading where she spearheaded the macro systematic trading strategies team. She holds 3 masters and a PhD and is a graduate of McGill Canada and HEC France. Amber is a thought leader on participative capitalism and the creator of calibrocracy which she discussed in various events (WEF, TEDx, UNWomen, BBC, Bloomberg…).
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About AllianceBlock: AllianceBlock leverages proprietary AI-technology to rate both corporates and investors.
Jeff Lynn
Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of Seedrs
Jeff Lynn is Executive Chairman and co-founder of Seedrs, the leading pan-European equity crowdfunding platform. Seedrs lets investors invest as much or as little as they like in startups they choose, and it lets startups raise capital from friends, family, angels, institutions and the crowds, all through a simple, online process. In addition to running Seedrs, Jeff serves as founding Chairman of The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec), a non-profit advocacy group for digital startups and SMEs.
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About Seedrs: Seedrs is a UK-based investment and crowdfunding platform.
Bill Nixon
Managing Partner & Founder of Maven Capital Partners
Bill is based in the Glasgow and London offices, and is the principal fund manager for all Maven VCTs. He has responsibility for all aspects of the Maven business, including strategy, new investment activity, client management and business development. At Aberdeen Asset Management Bill was Head of Growth Capital, responsible for the UK investment team. In the mid 1990s he was Head of the Private Equity team at National Australia Bank and with more than 30 years of experience in banking, corporate finance and fund management, is one of the most experienced smaller company private equity practitioners in the UK. Bill is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland, and has an MBA from Strathclyde University.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Laurent Laffy
Founder and Executive Chairman of SeedLegals
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About Prepay Technologies, SeedLegals: The simple way for companies to complete the legals needed to raise investment and distribute equity
Anthony Drogon
Founder & CTO of SeedLegals
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About SeedLegals: The simple way for companies to complete the legals needed to raise investment and distribute equity
Mike Lebus
Founder & Director of Angel Investment Network
Mike Lebus is the Co-Founder and Director of Angel Investment Network Ltd, the world’s largest business angel network with over 400,000 members and 30 networks covering over 80 countries worldwide. He is also a regular author and blogger on topics related to angel investing and raising capital. He has a Master’s Degree in German and French from the University of Edinburgh.
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About Angel Investment Network: Angel Investment Network angel investment platform, funding platform, startup investment, entrepreneurs, angel investors,
James Badgett
Co-Founder of Angel Investment Network
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About Angel Investment Network: Angel Investment Network angel investment platform, funding platform, startup investment, entrepreneurs, angel investors,
Anna Jones
Co-Founder of AllBright
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About AllBright: AllBright is a funding and education network that provides the support and finance needed for female-led businesses to launch and scale.
Damon Chapple
Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Sonovate
After spending almost two decades in recruitment, Damon wanted to do something uniquely different. Having encountered all the barriers involved with financing and running contractors first hand, Damon set-up Sonovate to challenge the stagnant finance on offer and provide a new solution tailored specifically to the needs of the contract recruitment sector. Damon is using his experience of building businesses all over the world as a group director of a global recruitment band, to drive Sonovate into the market transforming solution it is today.
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About Sonovate: Sonovate solves cash flow and admin headaches for users and suppliers of global contingent workforce solutions
Richard Prime
Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Sonovate
Richard has nearly two decades’ experience within the recruitment industry and in that time there isn’t much he hasn’t seen. Before setting up Sonovate, he was a board member of one of the largest recruitment companies in the world and was responsible for a number of brands across key territories. Building on his encounters with traditional finance providers, Richard has built Sonovate to cater exclusively for the contract market.
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About Sonovate: Sonovate solves cash flow and admin headaches for users and suppliers of global contingent workforce solutions
Nick Taylor
CFO and Co-Founder of Envestors
Educated at Uppingham School, Nick then took Articles and qualified with Price Waterhouse Cooper in London. He has held senior positions with private and public companies, including manufacturer Astell Scientific (Holdings) and listed City based property agent Baker Harris Saunders Plc. He co-founded the Sportscard Credit Card Company which was listed on AIM and later sold to the online bookmaker UK Betting plc, also an established private restaurant group and The London Distillery Company. Nick was a co-founder of Envestors in 2004. In his spare time, he enjoys food and drink, golf, and watching cricket/rugby.
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About Envestors: Envestors digital platform connects entrepreneurs and investors
Rob Ward
CEO & Founder of Forward Food
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About Forward Food, Grocery Accelerator: Forward Food working with AgTech and FoodTech businesses that provide access to commercial support with investment.
Richard Blakesley
Co-Founder & CEO of Capital Pilot
Previously a TMT mergers and acquisitions specialist, Richard has been directly involved in 12 startups in the past 15 years and has the scars to prove it. He co-founded Capital Pilot in 2016 to help companies avoid the same problems that he has encountered numerous times, aiming to bring velocity, efficiency and transparency to the early stage tech funding marketplace. In the process he has found his dream job. Capital Pilot currently has 300 companies registered on its investment readiness and investor matching platform and aims to become the trusted marketplace for high quality EIS and SEIS investment activity. Richard also mentors early stage entrepreneurs and startups through programmes run by London & Partners and New Entrepreneurs Foundation.
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About Capital Pilot: Changing the way startups and investors connect
Dillen Iyavoo
Co-Founder | CEO of Funding Tree
Founder at Funding Tree
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About Funding Tree: Funding Tree is the UK’s first fully regulated crowd-funding and peer-to-peer lending platform.
George Anastasi
Chief Business Development Officer & Co Founder of Funding Tree
Loves business & technology. Chief Business Development Officer and Co-founder of Funding Tree.
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About Funding Tree: Funding Tree is the UK’s first fully regulated crowd-funding and peer-to-peer lending platform.
Davin Poonwassie
Co-Founder and Operations Director of Simple Crowdfunding
Davin was first introduced to crowdfunding in early 2013 and he spotted the opportunity that crowdfunding brings. At the end of 2013, Simple Backing, their first property crowdfunding platform focused on Peer to Peer Lending was born. After speaking to their customers, Davin soon realised that there was also a need to provide an Equity option, thus Simple Equity was formed. With a background in data, databases and information technology, Davin is well suited to this marketplace. Outside of crowdfunding, Davin is a business and property coach, helping others achieve their goals and aspirations. Davin is also a keen property investor, investing in parts of the UK and France.
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About Simple Crowdfunding: Simple Crowdfunding is a regulated peer to peer lending and crowdfunding platform, offering property finance.
Atuksha Poonwassie
Managing Director and Co-Founder of Simple Crowdfunding
Atuksha has been involved in Peer to Peer Lending and Crowdfunding since 2013. She is a Director of the UK Crowdfunding Association, and regularly engages with policymakers and Government to advance this marketplace for all sectors in the UK. Atuksha is also the 2017 national Venus ‘Influential Woman of the Year’ award winner and is recognised in the P2P Finance News’ 2020 and 2021 Power 50, making the top 10 cut. This list highlights the 50 most influential people in P2P. Being a firm believer in building a strong community and customer base, Atuksha uses her expertise to help property professionals raise finance, build a crowd, and stand out in the market, whilst providing better access to the UK property market to everyone.
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About Simple Crowdfunding: Simple Crowdfunding is a regulated peer to peer lending and crowdfunding platform, offering property finance.
