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 Shopping 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.
Nick Jenkins
Founder of Moonpig.com
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About Moonpig.com: Moonpig is a website where people can design their own greeting cards to send to others.
Sebastjan Trepca
CPO, CoFounder of Lyst
Sebastjan is currently a cofounder and CTO of Lyst, a social curation platform for online fashion. Prior to founding Lyst, he was VP of Engineering at Noovo, a content sharing and discovery startup. He was also Technical Lead at Social Expeditions, founded the Python Community of Slovenia and studied Computer Science at the University of Ljubljana.
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About Lyst: Lyst is a global fashion search platform that allows users to browse through thousands of online fashion stores.
Chris Morton
Co-Founder & CEO of Lyst
Chris Morton is the CEO and cofounder of Lyst (www.lyst.com), a social curation platform for online fashion. Prior to founding Lyst, Chris was an investor at Balderton Capital and Benchmark Capital, focussing on consumer internet; specifically ecommerce, music and games. Chris was also Business Development Manager of the Energy and Materials division at QinetiQ, one of Europe’s leading technology R&D organisations. Chris earned his M.A. in Natural Sciences (Physics and Philosophy) from Cambridge University, 2003, and he is a DERA Scholar.
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About Lyst: Lyst is a global fashion search platform that allows users to browse through thousands of online fashion stores.
Mahmud Kamani
Co-Founder and Joint Chief Executive of Boohoo Group
Mahmud founded boohoo.com with Carol Kane in 2006, leveraging over 30 years of experience in the fashion and clothing industry. Mahmud is an entrepreneur, with expertise encompassing all areas of the supply chain from sourcing, import and wholesale. Mahmud is an inspirational leader, having built a strong team and engendered loyalty from many long-serving employees.
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About Boohoo Group: Boohoo is an online store that offers a range of clothing, accessories, and footwear brands.
Carol Kane
Co-Founder of Boohoo Group
Carol co-founded boohoo.com with Mahmud Kamani in 2006 following their shared recognition in the opportunity for online retail. As part of her role as joint Chief Executive, Carol oversees the Group’s product, marketing and brand strategy across the UK and internationally. She has worked in the fashion industry throughout her career, initially as a designer and then as a fashion buyer. Before setting up boohoo.com, Carol and Mahmud worked together for over 20 years supplying high street retailers.
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About Boohoo Group: Boohoo is an online store that offers a range of clothing, accessories, and footwear brands.
Hasna Kourda
Co-Founder & CEO of Save Your Wardrobe
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About Save Your Wardrobe: FashionTech startup using AI to make Fashion more digital and sustainable
Mehdi Doghri
Co-Founder & CTO of Save Your Wardrobe
Entrepreneur, Investor, Advisor. Interested in the Fintech, Fashion Tech, Retail Tech and consumer mobile apps.
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About Save Your Wardrobe: FashionTech startup using AI to make Fashion more digital and sustainable
Amir Ofer
Founder & President of mySupermarket
Amir Ofer is Founder & President at mySupermarket.
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About mySupermarket: mySupermarket designs a supermarket shopping and comparison website that helps users to compare prices across different stores.
Scott Malkin
Founder of Value Retail PLC
Scott D. Malkin is the founder and Chairman of Value Retail PLC. He also serves as Chairman of S.D. Malkin Properties, Inc. which develops retail, residential and hotel projects in the United States. Scott is a Trustee of The New York Public Library, Partners In Health, The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the U.S. Olympic Committee Foundation. In addition, he serves on various Advisory Boards including Conservacion Patagonica and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Scott is graduate of Harvard College, Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School.
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About Value Retail PLC: Value Retail operates luxury outlet shopping destinations.
Eshita Kabra
Founder of By Rotation
Founder By Rotation – UK’s fashion rental app • Worked at various large buy and sell side firms as an investment analyst • Singaporean Indian living in London
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About By Rotation: The World’s First Social Fashion Rental App.
Tom Singh
Founder & Non-Executive Director of New Look
Tom Singh OBE is the Founder of New Look, a leading UK entrepreneur and active private investor with family interests spanning: retail, technology, real estate, renewable energy sectors and private equity. He currently holds the position of Non-Executive Board Member for New Look with over 900 stores worldwide which he founded in 1969. In addition to his responsibilities at New Look, Tom is a founding member of: the Social Investment Task Force, the Chairman of the UK Advisory Council for the British Asian Trust, and is a Trustee of the Pakhar Foundation. Tom is an active philanthropist and social investor and in recent years, has taken an increasing interest in the world of technology.
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About New Look: New Look is a retail seller of mens and womens clothing.
Karin Cabili
Founder & CEO of Dropit Shopping
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About Dropit Shopping: Dropit provides a digital handsfree shopping solution for malls and central shopping districts, delivering bags from store to door.
Patryk Pawlikowski
Founder and CEO of Shoplo
Patryk Pawlikowski is VP e-commerce at SumUp.
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About Shoplo, SumUp: Shoplo is an e-commerce platform that helps small businesses sell throughout the globe.
Andy Owen-Jones
Co-Founder and CEO of bd4travel
Andy is bd4travel’s CEO and co-Founder. He oversees business development and the overall growth strategy. Before founding bd4travel, Andy was the CEO at leading German leisure specialist TravelTainment, which he joined after 10 years at Amadeus. Prior to that, Andy held positions at several international businesses such as British Airways, Deloitte Consulting, and Virgin Atlantic.
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About bd4travel: Bd4travel provides IT solutions to assist firms in targeting and segmenting their customer base.
Sebastian Mineev
Co-Founder, CAO and Hype Weaver of Clouder
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About Clouder: Clouder is a marketplace, subscription service and hyperlocal delivery.
Co-Founder and CTO of Clouder
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About Clouder: Clouder is a marketplace, subscription service and hyperlocal delivery.
Markus Ehrnrooth
Co-Founder of KNOMI
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About KNOMI: Fashion. Anytime + anywhere. For you, by you.
Colin Stephens
CEO and Founder of Better Bathrooms
Colin Stevens, Founder & Leader, BetterBathrooms.com on a boost in confidence There is a big difference, there is a big difference because you walk in a room now and people know of you. Before, you’d walk in a room and people would like… they might know you, they might not know you but only through introductions.
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About Better Bathrooms: Bathroom retailer based in the United Kingdom
Bonnie Takhar
Lead Founder and CEO of LetsBab
Bonnie Takhar is the founder and CEO of LetsBab, a digital mall that is disrupting the way you shop and digitalising word of mouth. Takhar, a seasoned fashion executive with over 20 years experience, has held a number of high ranking positions.
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About LetsBab: LetsBab is a digital mall revolutionizing the way you shop and share products with others.
Andrew Hart
Co-Founder and CEO of Dent Reality
Working on AR for indoor spaces at Dent Reality. Creator of ARKit + CoreLocation, and some other things.
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About Dent Reality: Dent Reality develops an augmented reality platform that helps users find their favorite products on the market.
Stefan Michalak
Founder, Creative Director of Wantfeed
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About Wantfeed: Wantfeed lets you store and curate things from around the web into your own personal wantlist.
Leroy Lawrence
Founder of Pigee
Leroy Lawrence is the Founder of Pigee Inc.
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About Pigee: Pigee is a Mobile App that allows tourists to post home purchases directly from the shops and street markets they visit.
Ian Cowley
Co-Founder & Managing Director of Cartridge Save
Ian Cowley is the managing director of Cartridge Save.
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About Cartridge Save: Cartridge Save is an online printer cartridge retail shop.
Nick Brackenbury
Co-Founder & CEO of NearSt
Nick Brackenbury is a technology entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of NearSt; a retail technology start-up getting people back into high street shops. His tech company is revolutionizing the idea of shopping locally rather than ordering it online. Nick was formerly one of Ogilvy’s youngest ever Account Directors, working on pioneering teams in the agency’s analytics and digital platforms teams across brands spanning Land Rover, Nestle, BP, Ford, Diageo and IBM. He is fascinated by behavioural economics and the incredible potential currently hidden away in high street shops.
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About NearSt: NearSt is a retail technology company building the world’s source of real-time local inventory.
Max Kreijn
Co-Founder & Strategic Lead of NearSt
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About NearSt: NearSt is a retail technology company building the world’s source of real-time local inventory.
Marc Worth
Co-Founder & CEO of Stylus Media
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About Stylus Media: Stylus is a trends intelligence service. We deliver insights that businesses need to make transformative business decisions.
Jenny Tsai
Founder & CEO of Wearisma
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About Wearisma: Wearisma is a premium influencer marketing solution for brands, agencies & influencers.
Polly Barnfield OBE
Founder and CEO of Maybe*
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About Maybe*: Maybe*. The platform that connects the online, offline and social retail journey.
Paul Inman
Co-Founder and CTO of Maybe*
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About Maybe*: Maybe*. The platform that connects the online, offline and social retail journey.
Paul Inman
Co-Founder and CTO of Maybe*
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About Maybe*: Maybe*. The platform that connects the online, offline and social retail journey.
Joe Darwen
Founder of Veo
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About Veo: Sustainable shopping, solved. The world’s most sustainable online shopping destination.
Lavinia Brennan
Co-Founder of Beulah London
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About Beulah London: Founded in 2010, ‘Beulah London’ is a luxury fashion label with a conscience.
Natasha Finch
Co-Founder of Beulah London
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About Beulah London: Founded in 2010, ‘Beulah London’ is a luxury fashion label with a conscience.
Lee Plaister
Founder / MD of Refundable
Lee is an inspiring person, a mentor for some, who can easily run and lead any project.
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About Beyond Comparison Group, Refundable: Refundable allows users to take part in a wide range of refundable benefits.
Simon Tutton
Founder & Director of TheFullWorks
Simon Tutton, founder of ecommerce platform Thefullworks.
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About TheFullWorks: Thefullworks is a subscription based end-to-end eCommerce services solution, providing webshops, storage, and distribution.
Robert Hedberg
Co-Founder & CEO of GLIMR
Robert Hedberg is Co-Founder & CEO at GLIMR.
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About GLIMR: GLIMR connects the offline and the online world and allow retailers and brands to retarget their shoppers after they have left the store.
Oliver Bridge
Founder & CEO of Cornerstone
Oliver Bridge is a Founder at Cornerstone.
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About Cornerstone: Cornerstone is a subscription service for men’s toiletries.
Amanda Cook
Founder & CEO of iLOVE SNACKS
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About iLOVE SNACKS: iLOVE SNACKS, is a snack brand selling deliciously tasty snacks made wit great quality ingredients. Snacks made with love and done well!
Steve Rivers
Founder, Board Member, and CCO of Intelligent Reach
Steve Rivers is Co-Founder & CEO at Intelligent Reach.
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About Intelligent Reach: Intelligent Reach optimises the product discovery journey with augmented product data and scientific testing that drives conversion.
Matt Sullivan
Co-Founder & Director of Data Quality of Intelligent Reach
Matt Sullivan is Co-Founder & Director of Data Quality at Intelligent Reach.
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About Intelligent Reach: Intelligent Reach optimises the product discovery journey with augmented product data and scientific testing that drives conversion.
Katie Pennington-Collins
Co-Founder of Creation Express
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About Creation Express: Creation Express is the new gift concept that allows high street shoppers to create personalised gifts in store!
Kurt Abbott
Co-Founder of Creation Express
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About Creation Express: Creation Express is the new gift concept that allows high street shoppers to create personalised gifts in store!
Koran Murphy-Saffet
Co-Founder of Dimble App Ltd
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About Dimble App Ltd: Straight-to-the-point shopping app
Tomi Oladigbolu
Co-Founder of Dimble App Ltd
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About Dimble App Ltd: Straight-to-the-point shopping app
David Mason
Founder & Chairman of BuyHappy
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About BuyHappy, Cornerstone FS: Our FREE browser extension finds you the BEST PRICE when you’re shopping online, so you don’t have to! Download Today: bit.
Jack Huang
Co-Founder of Truly Experiences
Jack Huang is a Co-Founder at Truly.
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About Truly Experiences: Truly is a London-based gift marketplace.
Amit Kumar Deswal
Founder and CEO of Curtis and Hayes
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About Curtis and Hayes: Curtis and Hayes bring forth the exclusively designed furniture that combines luxury with affordability.
Sarah Beckett
Co-Founder and CEO of Birdsong
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About Birdsong: Birdsong is an ethical womenswear brand aiming to revolutionise the way they shop.
Sophie Slater
Co-Founder of Birdsong
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About Birdsong, Birdsong: Birdsong is an ethical womenswear brand aiming to revolutionise the way they shop.
Pritesh Mody
Founder of World of Zing
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About World of Zing: World of Zing specializes in bringing an innovative range of foods and drinks to their customers through developing in-house products
John Robertson
Founder & CEO of Drinkly
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About Drinkly: Drinkly offers an on-demand service of alcoholic drinks to its customers in Edinburgh, UK.
Alexander Reed
Co-Founder and CEO of Moonsift
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About Moonsift: Moonsift is a universal wishlist designed to power the next generation of personalization for online shoppers.
David Wood
Co-Founder of Moonsift
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About Moonsift: Moonsift is a universal wishlist designed to power the next generation of personalization for online shoppers.
Anatoly Alekseev
Founder of Decotick of Decotick
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About Decotick: We save people time and money on decorating their homes
Julia Felton
Co-Founder of Everyclick
Julia Felton is a Co-Founder at Everyclick.
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About Everyclick: Everyclick is a search engine that helps users raise money for charity.
Julia Felton
Co-Founder of Everyclick
Julia Felton is a Co-Founder at Everyclick.
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About Everyclick: Everyclick is a search engine that helps users raise money for charity.
Paul Rice
Founder & CEO of Taggr
BIMA Hot 100 – 2015. Credited No1 paid app UK app store Oct 2014. Founder / Owner of Rice Media with global retail clients including Superdry and ATS Euromaster. User-focused and creative.
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About Taggr: Taggr is a shopping social network with a retargeting platform that links cross-device and browser activity with retailers.
James Mansfield
Founder of field&flower
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About field&flower: A UK-based company that delivers grass fed, free range meat boxes.
Kristina Smith
Founder, Director of Bluebird Tea Co
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About Bluebird Tea Co: Bluebird Tea Co. is a specialist tea blender and retailer.
Michael Welch
Founder and Chairman of Atterley
Mike Welch founded and built online retailer blackcircles.com, which sold to Michelin for £50m+ in 2015. In 2016 he purchased the business and assets of the original Atterley (founded in 2012) from its administrators and relaunched it with a completely new business model, focusing on providing a route to online market for independent boutiques.
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About Atterley: Atterley, the womenswear and menswear etailer for independent boutiques and brands to reach a global audience
Justin Hodnett
CEO & Founder of Buuy
Entrepreneur
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About Buuy: Buuy is a global marketplace allowing sellers from across the world to easily join and list items to sell.
Deborah Price
Founder and Owner of British Boxers
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About British Boxers: British Boxers is a company based out of United Kingdom.
Liam Doolan
Co-Founder of Comb
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About Comb: Think Pinterest, but just for fashion, from finding that pair of shoes you spotted on the tube, to looking like Beyonce for half the price.
Moeez Ali
Co-Founder of Comb
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About Comb: Think Pinterest, but just for fashion, from finding that pair of shoes you spotted on the tube, to looking like Beyonce for half the price.
Daniel Rees
Co-Founder and CEO of Ruroc
Daniel Rees is the Co-Founder and CEO at Ruroc.
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About Ruroc: Trailblazing action sports protection brand based in Gloucester.
Martin Carfrae
Co Founder / COO of cheerapp
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About cheerapp: A realtime messaging app to facilitate contact, help, service and sales, anonymously, for smartphone users in close proximity.
Martin Carfrae
Co Founder / COO of cheerapp
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About cheerapp: A realtime messaging app to facilitate contact, help, service and sales, anonymously, for smartphone users in close proximity.
James Morris
Founder of ParamountZone
James Morris is a Founder at ParamountZone.
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About ParamountZone: Paramount Zone, they have a wide selection of lifestyle accessories, all available to buy securely online with super fast delivery.
James Morris
Founder of ParamountZone
James Morris is a Founder at ParamountZone.
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About ParamountZone: Paramount Zone, they have a wide selection of lifestyle accessories, all available to buy securely online with super fast delivery.
Ali Tasyapan
Founder / Brand specialist of fasheon
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About : Shop and discover the world’s most greatest fashion brands, curated for you.
Joana Figueiredo
Founder of Findandwear
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About Findandwear: Findandwear is a fashion website that aggregates the latest deals and bargains from fashion retailers.
Ajit Gupta
Founder & CEO of ShopnSocial
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About ShopnSocial: ShopnSocial’s mission is to make online shopping fun, intuitive and efficient. ShopnSocial is a mobile social browsing platform.
