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 CEO’ operating in the Messaging 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.
Michelle Kennedy
Co-Founder & CEO of Peanut
Michelle joined Badoo originally as lead counsel over 4 years ago. Prior to joining Badoo she was a successful corporate lawyer at leading international law firm, Mishcon de Reya, before being poached by the firm’s successful biotech client, Quotient Bioscience to head up their legal team. During her time at Badoo, she built the legal, compliance, HR and talent teams before moving into a more operationally focused role, including a position on the board. Today, Michelle is responsible for most key areas of the business, and works closely with founder and CEO Andrey Andreev, on the existing product, and exciting ‘special projects’ coming soon….
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About Peanut: Peanut is an online platform that provides a safe space for women to connect across fertility and motherhood.
Matthew O’Riordan
CEO & Co-founder of Ably Realtime
A serial entrepreneur and seasoned developer with over 15 years of hands-on development experience. Matthew co-founded Econsultancy (http://econsultancy.com), a global digital marketing publishing, training and research business, with Ashley Friedlein and exited via a £25m trade sale to Centaur Media plc in 2012. Matthew was Co-founder and Technical Director of Aqueduct (http://aqueduct.co.uk), a leading digital agency in London and Founder of easyBacklog (http://easybacklog.com), a SaaS agile backlog management tool. Matthew was also founder of Lemon Studios http://lemonstudioslondon.com/ in 2016, a serviced office for digital marketing and technology companies in London.
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About Ably Realtime, easyBacklog, Open API Initiative: Ably is the platform to power synchronized digital experiences in realtime.
Max Williams
Co-Founder & CEO of Pusher
Max has spent the past 5 years running the London-based Ruby on Rails development shop New Bamboo, with his co-founder [Damien Tanner](http://crunchbase.com/person/damien-tanner). Their latest company is a realtime messaging service called Pusher (http://pusherapp.com), which was incubated inside New Bamboo. Max is passionate about realtime technology, and has the goal of making it more readily available for everyone.
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About Pusher: Pusher Ltd. provides a hosted API service for adding real-time bi-directional.
Nate Macleitch
CEO of QuickBlox
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About QuickBlox, Techstars: QuickBlox is a cloud communication backend that allows to add Chat, Video calling, Push Notifications, Cloud Sync into mobile and web apps.
Ashley Friedlein
CEO & Founder of Guild
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About Ably Realtime, Cambridge Judge Business School, Centaur Media Plc, Econsultancy, Founders4Schools, Guild: Guild is the platform for professional communities and networking.
Serge Alleyne
Co-Founder & CEO of Shipfix
Serge Alleyne is a co-founder and CEO at Shipfix.
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About Nomao.com, Shipfix: Shipfix operates as a data and community platform that helps with the operational efficiency in the maritime industry.
Nick D’Aloisio
Co-founder and CEO of Sphere (Acquired by Twitter)
Nick D’Aloisio is an English computer programmer and internet entrepreneur. He is best known as the inventor of Summly, which is a summarization and artificial intelligence technology developed with SRI International. D’Aloisio has been recognised as the youngest person to receive a round of venture capital in technology from a Billionaire, at just 15 years of age. As of March 2013, Summly was sold to Yahoo for a reported $30 million US dollars making him one of the youngest self-made millionaires ever. D’Aloisio was awarded “Innovator of the Year” in New York City by the Wall Street Journal for his work on Summly and at Yahoo. D’Aloisio was also included in TIME Magazine’s ‘Time 100’ as one of the world’s most influential teenagers, as well as being profiled in their “Secrets of Genius” Publication. D’Aloisio currently leads the critically acclaimed Yahoo News Digest, which launched at CES 2014 and won the 2014 Apple Design Award at WWDC for its technological and product excellence. He is also an undergraduate student at Hertford College, Oxford University, where he is studying Computer Science and Philosophy, and is the “Entrepreneur in Residence” at Airbnb.
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About Sphere (Acquired by Twitter): Now part of Twitter! Sphere is a community chat app turns groups into close, vibrant, purposeful and productive communities, instantly!
Peter Tanner
Founder & CEO of Boomerang Messaging
Peter has had over 20 years experience in setting up and running telecommunications companies. Moving across to technology communications solutions 10 years ago he cut his teeth providing SMS services to a range of organisations. Whilst developing the business he identified an opportunity in the use of Identifications numbers across digital messaging. Boomerang’s success and use of this threading technology within its unique product set along with its subsequent global patent family, are as a result of Peters singular vision and determination to evangelise and commercialise this exciting new intelligent digital communications solutions for business’s globally.
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About Boomerang Messaging: Boomerang Messaging offers automated digital communications over SMS, e-mail, and voice that enables management of time.
Eli Katz
Founder & CEO of XConnect Global Networks
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About ITSPA, XConnect Global Networks: XConnect provides interconnection services driving the adoption of IP-based multimedia communications.
James Fabricant
CEO & Founder of Emoticast
James is CEO at Emoticast where we are on a mission to bring the universe of popular culture (music, sounds, interactive content, you name it) into your chat stream making the communication more engaging and emotive. Formerly James was the Founder of IdeaPlane and served as its CEO. Prior to founding IdeaPlane, he was one of four founders of MySpace International and played an integral part in its global expansion, which included launching MySpace sites in 17 languages across 30 countries. He qualified as a corporate finance and private equity attorney at leading international law firm Linklaters which included a secondment at Merrill Lynch. Mr. Fabricant holds a B.A. and an M.A. in Law from Cambridge University.
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About Emoticast: Emoticast is a platform to share music GIFs with sound across all platforms.
Sean Nolan
Founder & CEO of Blink
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About Blink: We make remote working less remote. Welcome to the Frontline of the Future.
Henry Hyder-Smith
Founder and CEO of Adestra
Henry has been working within the email marketing industry since its inception. As co-founder, Henry leads the board of Adestra and has a unique understanding of different clients’ needs, industry issues and development. Henry has a hands-on approach, and is devoted to keeping Adestra’s products, services and staff at the cutting edge of email marketing.
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About Adestra: Adestra is a trusted provider of First-Person Marketing solutions for global and growing brands.
Ian Naylor
Founder & CEO of AppInstitute
Ian Naylor is Founder & CEO at AppInstitute.
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About AppInstitute: AppInstitute is a software developer of a digital framework for small businesses to create their own mobile applications.
Matthew Wiggins
Founder & CEO of Mojiworks
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About Mojiworks: Mojiworks is a video game developer for mobile social platforms
Robert Bennett
CEO of Rehab
Rob Bennett is CEO of rehab, a leading creative technology company that specializes in delivering 1:1 consumer experiences for today’s premium brands. Headquartered in London, with offices in New York City, Warsaw and Los Angeles, rehab delivers emerging technology solutions and services across multiple disciplines including strategy, creative, user experience (UX), design, creative technology and development. The company works with leading global brands including Facebook, Google, Nike, HBO, Möet Hennessy, Zappos, HSBC and Estée Lauder, and has been honored with numerous industry, business and entertainment awards including the Emmy, Deloitte Technology Fast 50, Digiday and Cannes Lion awards. Prior to rehab, Rob worked with Samsung and oversaw the launch of their SmartThings and Connected Home products. He is a passionate advocate for moving marketing beyond the status quo of conventional advertising.
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About Rehab: Rehab is transforming brands from alpha to beta.
Callum Brighting
CEO of Netspeak Games
Running Netspeak Games. Diversity, Inclusion and Creativity are our pillars. Always looking to talk about games, technology and people. Previous: Improbable, Bloomberg, Kuju, Traveller’s Tales
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About Netspeak Games: Netspeak Games operates as a zero-crunch studio that develops online multiplayer games.
Alex Durrant
Co-Founder and CEO of Jigsaw
Alex Durrant is the Co-Founder and CEO of Jigsaw.
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About Jigsaw: Jigsaw develops a dating app that covers the user’s face in a jigsaw puzzle.
Jenna Brown
CEO & Co-Founder of Shipamax
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About Shipamax: Shipamax provides seamless fleet and deals management for operators and brokers.
Jordan Fantaay
CEO of Fantoo
An innovator and lead in product design and development. Has been responsible for setting up manufacturing operations across Singapore, China, and Taiwan. Also responsible for bringing to market software and hardware patent pending products, in particular in some cases for fortune 500 companies. Has several Patents granted in his name and is continuing to seek opportunities in the consumer technology space. Is launching a disruptive consumer messaging software venture in 2012
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About Fantoo: Fantoo is a people centric, mobile and desktop, application for web apps, messengers, and notifications.
Douglas Orr
Founder and CEO of Novastone Media Ltd.
Douglas Orr, CEO and Founder of Novastone, has over 20 years of entrepreneurial background including multiple successful exits to companies such as GfK and Sungard. Douglas has founded world-renowned businesses with operations spread over many European countries and created revolutionary new technology in both the retail and financial industries.
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About Novastone Media Ltd.: Bridging the gap between advisors and clients via messaging centred solutions
Tom Shrive
CEO of askporter
Digital Strategist 6+ years Clients included ARM, Intel, KPMG Entrepreneur diploma UC Berkeley Property Manager 10+ years.
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About askporter: AskPorter is an AI machine learning messaging platform that optimises property and facilities.
Ed Hodges
CEO of HelloDone
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About HelloDone: Automating social messaging for online retail brands
James Gill
Founder and CEO of GoSquared
James Gill is a Founder and CEO at GoSquared.
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About GoSquared: GoSquared is a platform where businesses can communicate with their customers through analytics, CRM, live chat, and marketing automation.
Viktor Nyics
CEO of VixT
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About VixT: VixT – turns your texts into a video mashup! It’s better than GIF. Best friend of the creative content marketer. iOS / Android + chatbots
Christian Huhnt
CEO and Co-Founder of Artwishlist
Christian Huhnt is the co-founder and CEO of Artwishlist. He is also a fine art adviser. He earned his master’s degree at London School of Economics and Political Science.
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About Artwishlist: Artwishlist is a messaging app for the art world, where the user can buy and sell fine art without commissions.
Dan Field
CEO of Millenoki
Dan Field is the founder and CEO of ClearMyMail, launched in 2006 after a closed development and testing process of 3 years. ClearMyMail is the world’s only guaranteed spam blocker, protecting email accounts from spam, virus and Phishing emails. Prior to launching ClearMyMail, Dan had worked with other startups and launched several Internet and Intranet products to market including the UK’s largest interactive travel database system and a full-service CMS for the publishing industry. Dan began his career launching one of the UK’s first commercial Internet Service Providers back in 1994 and was responsible for development of the first consumer friendly Internet access software.
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About ClearMyMail, Millenoki, MouseTrace: Millenoki enables user to access, analyze and action real-time device usage and experience data on both cell and Wi-Fi, thanks to real-time.
Yaw Asamani
Founder and CEO of DooWapp
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About DooWapp: An API and App to add playable lyrics to any part of your message to express yourself with music you love
Jonathan Marsden
Co-Founder and CEO of The Technology Group
Jonathan Marsden is the co-founder and CEO of The Technology Group. Prior to joining The Technology Group, Jonathan served as a director at Admiral.
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About The Technology Group: The Technology Group is a managed communications provider that specializes in voice over IP, video, chat, and collaboration technologies.
Joseph Boyle
CEO & Co Founder of Salt Communications
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About Salt Communications: Salt is the first company to provide a holistic solution for closed encrypted communications between modern smartphone users.
Mark Hay
Founder, CEO, and CTO of Melrose Labs
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About Melrose Labs: Communication services inception, development and operation. Enabling and optimising communications. #CPaaS #SaaS #UCaaS #APIs
Andreas Constantinou
CEO & Founder of VisionMobile
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About VisionMobile: VisionMobile is the leading analyst firm in the developer economy.
Jan-Michael Gorecki
CEO of KyoLAB
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About KyoLAB: We make mobile messaging compliant. Audit trail, dispute resolution, compliance, BYOD, corporate device, compliance, analytics, insight.
Adrian Spreadborough
Chief Executive Officer of ADSI
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About ADSI: ADSI provide a range of cost effective and high-quality business solutions.
Gary Dean
Founder and CEO of QUiZL
A serial entrepreneur with a background in technical project management. He also has spent over 20 years creating live video art under various pseudonyms. He is the designer and architect of Quizl and has a huge talent for UI/UX design. He has also recently graduated from the Founder Institute London cohort.
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About QUiZL: A live multimedia quiz app with speech recognition that enables users to turn their phone time into real prizes.
Mark Sorsa-Leslie
CEO & Co-Founder of Beringar
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About Beringar: Beringar is a technology has revolutionised the way they live and work.
