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 Sporting Goods 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.
Galahad Clark
Founder & Managing Director of Vivobarefoot
Galahad Clark is the Founder and Managing Director of Vivobarefoot.
Follow Galahad Clark:
About Terra Plana, Vivobarefoot: UK-based shoe brand and Crowdcube alum
_______
Ben Francis
Founder and Owner of Gymshark
Ben Francis is the owner and founder of Gymshark.
Follow Ben Francis:
About Gymshark: Gymshark is an online retailer and technology company of fitness apparel and accessories brands.
Jean-Christophe Chopin
Founder and CEO of BORN
A creator and innovator by nature, JC is an entrepreneur who has had a strong presence in online financial services, digital insurance and stock brokerage. He has a wealth of international experience with expertise in the US as well as vast European digital and brand management knowledge. JC pioneered E*Trade Europe and Verisign in the early days of the Internet, and later went on to invest in real estate, time pieces and luxury fashion. His passion for skiing and extreme sports also led him to launch the ‘Carre Neige’ ski insurance within the Savoie region. Most recently, he has married his online finance expertise with his experience in design and luxury brands to create BORN, a B2B global market-network that connects design-led brands with retailers.
Follow Jean-Christophe Chopin:
About BORN: BORN is the world’s first private B2B platform that connects a global network of design-led lifestyle brands and retail buyers.
Jason Roberts
Founder & CEO of NURVV
Jason Roberts is Founder & CEO at Tech21 Ltd.
Follow Jason Roberts:
About NURVV, tech21: NURVV is a London-based sports wearable tech startup.
Alex Hoye
Co – Founder & CEO of The Faction Collective
Alex is a London-based entrepreneur and angel investor and in Internet, media, and consumer markets. He is CEO of Latitude Group, a European digital marketing agency, and before that co-founded GoIndustry plc, an online industrial auctions firm which he and the team listed in 2006. Hoye invested in Seedcamp and is chairman of Skimlinks and BraveNewTalent .
Follow Alex Hoye:
About The Faction Collective: The Faction Collective manufactures high-performance freeride and freestyle skis.
Roderick Bradley
Director, Co-Founder of PlayerLayer
Bradley is a freelance artist and design urban clothing for Rudey Arts and new sportswear for PlayerLayer. Rod supports many charities including the Vitiligo Society and is a great supporter of sports in schools.
Follow Roderick Bradley:
About PlayerLayer: PlayerLayer is a designer and retailer of premium sports performance clothing.
Chris Billingham
Founder of MuscleSquad
Chris Billingham is the Owner and Founder of MuscleSquad.
Follow Chris Billingham:
About MuscleSquad: MuscleSquad provides fitness equipment with expert training plans and strategies essential in building a perfect physique.
Henry Furniss
Co-Founder of WyndyMilla
Henry ran London’s top mobile personal training company ‘The Firm’ from 2001 – 2008. Henry remains amongst London’s most respected Health & Fitness experts, over the last decade he has gained a vast wealth of knowledge in his role as a PT and has worked with many of the UK’s top business brains, celebrities & fashion icons. Henry has featured & written regularly in the national press whilst also making appearances on C4’s ‘Fit Farm’, GMTV and BBC London News. Henry graduated in business & finance at Durham in ’1997, and then later studied personal training, sports therapy & nutrition. He competed in the Triathlon World Championships, before winning the first road race he entered a bit late in the day aged 29. Less than a year later he was an Elite cyclist and has been in and out of the UK’s top 100 riders ever since. Aside from his role in the evolution of the ‘WyndyMilla Empire’, Henry has been a consultant for Maxifuel since 2006.
Follow Henry Furniss:
About WyndyMilla: WyndyMilla offering tailored bike training and equipment advice to personal training clients and friends.
Nasima Siddiqui
Co-Founder of WyndyMilla
Nasima studied Applied Biology at The University of Bath. Using these studies together with her background as a personal trainer, cycling coach and racing cyclist, Nasima is now highly focused on the best bicycle centric training and nutritional protocols for cyclists at every level. She’s a firm believer that riding a bike should be a fun and stress free experience for everyone.
Follow Nasima Siddiqui:
About WyndyMilla: WyndyMilla offering tailored bike training and equipment advice to personal training clients and friends.
Paul Preuveneers
CEO & Founder of Uncommon
Follow Paul Preuveneers:
About Uncommon: Uncommon designs and develops bespoke merchandise and teamwear
Nick Larsen
Founder, Director of Charge Bikes
Nick Larsen is the Founder and Creative Director at Charge Bikes.
Follow Nick Larsen:
About Charge Bikes: Charge Bikes design and produce a range of simple and unique bicycles, and components.
Shelley Lawson
Director and Co-Founder of Frog Bikes
Follow Shelley Lawson:
About Frog Bikes: Frog Bikes is an award winning British company dedicated to making cycling fun for children.
Jerry Lawson
Founder of Frog Bikes
Follow Jerry Lawson:
About Frog Bikes: Frog Bikes is an award winning British company dedicated to making cycling fun for children.
Ross Weir
Co-Founder of Progressive Sports Technologies
Founding Progressive Sports in 2001 and based at the labs of the Loughborough University Sports Technology Institute. Progressive creates fantastic opportunities for developing new innovations in the sport, health and associated markets. What’s fantastic is the sheer variety of projects and programs that the company can work on. That’s everything from innovative lab based research on materials to independently validating new designs for brands like Nike and Puma on Athletes in the climate chamber. Specialties: idea generation, product development, prototyping, testing, validating, project management. Working at the intersection of athlete and equipment to understand and innovate.
Follow Ross Weir:
About Progressive Sports Technologies: Progressive Sports Technologies maintain a highly skilled research and development team, at-hand to support your project requirements.
Jason Michael Gregory
Founder & CEO of CaddyX
Jason Gregory is the founder and CEO of CaddyX®. CaddyX delivers worldwide, world-class golf bag logistics for traveling golfers from doorway to fairway and back.
Follow Jason Michael Gregory:
About CaddyX, Microsoft: CaddyX empowers every golfer to travel lug-free via on-demand touch-free transport of golf bags from doorway to fairway and back.
Ben Pinnick
Co-Founder of Bird Cycleworks
Ben Pinnick is a Co-Founder at Bird Cycleworks.
Follow Ben Pinnick:
About Bird Cycleworks: Bird Cycleworks is a bicycle manufacturing company that offers its products online.
Dan Hodge
Co-Founder and Engineering Director of Bird Cycleworks
Dan Hodge is a Co-Founder at Bird Cycleworks.
Follow Dan Hodge:
About Bird Cycleworks: Bird Cycleworks is a bicycle manufacturing company that offers its products online.
Michael Thomas
Founder of Mini Mantas
Follow Michael Thomas:
About Mini Mantas, PDu: Mini Mantas creates products that helps children develop swimming skills.
Philip Bingham
Co-Founder & Managing Director of Velo Vixen
Follow Philip Bingham:
About Velo Vixen: The UK’s Leading Specialist in Women’s Cycling Kit
Jack Ng
Founder & CEO of Sansible Wearables
Follow Jack Ng:
About Sansible Wearables: Sansible Wearables creates wearable technology for rugby players called LiveSkin, for better sports performance.
Rob Webbon
Founder and CEO of GRN Sportswear
Rob Webbon is the founder and CEO of GRN Sportswear.
Follow Rob Webbon:
About GRN Sportswear: GRN Sportswear is a sportswear manufacturer out of recycled and sustainable materials.
Rob Webbon
Founder and CEO of GRN Sportswear
Rob Webbon is the founder and CEO of GRN Sportswear.
Follow Rob Webbon:
About GRN Sportswear: GRN Sportswear is a sportswear manufacturer out of recycled and sustainable materials.
Chris Martin
Founder of Skunkworks Surf
Chris is the engineering mind behind it all. He started his entrepreneurial life in Glasgow making t-shirts before travelling the world and ending up in Amsterdam for three years. Now back in Northern Ireland he is fully committed to lead the world in surfboard manufacture.
Follow Chris Martin:
About Skunkworks Surf: Skunkworks Surf provides robust, high performance soft surfboards and stand-up paddleboards.
