According to Beauhurst’s methodology for ranking the country’s leading start ups by increase in valuation between 2014 and 2017, fintech firms appear to be holding their own in a report which spans sectors as diverse as transportation and supply chain management.
The report, compiled by SyndicateRoom and entitled Top 100: Britain’s Fastest Growing Businesses, saw currency transfer platform TransferWise take the top spot after demonstrating a 57x value increase over the last three years.
Also rounding out the top 20 from fintech is financial outsourcer Sonovate which came in 5th place, Credit Benchmark (9th) and FlyPay (18th).
Unsurprisingly, London houses the vast majority of winners with 71 out of 100 companies headquartered in the capital. However a major gender gap is present, with only seven female founders finding their businesses on the list.
According to the report: “Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data shows that in 2016, there were 47 female entrepreneurs for every 100 male entrepreneurs in the UK – the lowest ratio since 2009. This figure also falls short of the European average of 59 female to 100 male entrepreneurs.”
Despite making this point, it is interesting, and also a little disappointing, to note that SyndicateRoom failed to include a single interview with a female founder or CEO when selecting the 10 companies featured in the report. There were, after all, seven options to choose from.
Several peer-to-peer lenders also made an appearance on the list: property loans provider Landbay came 42nd, with Funding Circle and RateSetter appearing at 56th and 63rd respectively. It is perhaps unsurprising to see Landbay leading the pack, given it’s still in its early stages as a lender and so marked growth would be expected.
SyndicateRoom CEO Gonçalo de Vasconcelos commented on the report: “The first thing that springs to mind is just how inspiring they all are – from businesses that redefine our relationship with money to companies that are literally recreating the sun’s power on Earth.
“When we consider that these are the fastest-growing private businesses by valuation, it’s not surprising that the winners’ relentless growth is drawing ambitious investors to join the action.”
