{"id":16382,"date":"2025-05-12T07:00:51","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T07:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1413424"},"modified":"2025-05-12T07:00:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T07:00:51","slug":"5-uk-scaleups-enter-tech5-the-champions-league-of-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=16382","title":{"rendered":"5 UK scaleups enter TECH5 \u2014 the \u2018Champions League of Tech\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Five standout scaleups from the UK have made it into <\/span>TECH5<\/span><\/a> \u2014 the \u201cChampions League of Technology.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The selections complete the UK and Ireland regional round of the tournament, which will now crown Europe\u2019s hottest scaleup.<\/p>\n

Both Ireland and the UK had no shortage of contenders. Each nation boasts impressive digital track records.<\/span><\/p>\n

The UK is often regarded as Europe\u2019s leading tech hub. The country has a thriving ecosystem of startups<\/a>, a strong investment landscape, and a world-class talent pool. <\/span><\/p>\n

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The ???? of EU tech<\/p>\n

The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol’ founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Last year, the country <\/span>retained<\/span><\/a> its position as the number one destination in Europe for tech investments, raising \u20ac17.5bn. London dominates the sector, forming a \u201cgolden triangle\u201d with Cambridge and Oxford that powers a formidable innovation engine. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ireland has also enjoyed a stellar run of tech success. The progress has been partly driven by low corporate tax rates, which have lured many Silicon Valley giants to its shores. <\/span><\/p>\n

A skilled workforce, strategic location within the EU, and strong government support have also laid fertile grounds for homegrown tech firms. They range from Dublin unicorns LetsGetChecked, Workhuman, and Wayflyer, to payments giant Stripe \u2014 one of the world\u2019s most valuable private tech firms. <\/span><\/p>\n

This year\u2019s TECH5 picks from the region, however, are all based in the UK. London dominates the list, providing a base for all but one of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

TNW\u2019s judges selected the top five based on their growth, impact, and future potential. In no particular order, let\u2019s meet them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Allica Bank<\/h2>\n

Allica Bank<\/span><\/a> has enjoyed a remarkable rise since launching in 2020. Last year, the fintech was Britain\u2019s fastest-growing business, <\/span>according to<\/span><\/a> the Sunday Times. It also earned the top spot in <\/span>Sifted\u2019s<\/span><\/i> rankings<\/span><\/a> of European startups with the highest percentage revenue growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Allica was recently highlighted <\/span>by UK Chancellor<\/span><\/a> Rachel Reeves as a star of the British fintech scene. Ravneet Shah, the scaleup\u2019s Chief Technology Officer, attributes the company\u2019s success to its distinctive approach to business banking. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur ambition is to empower established businesses with technology that\u2019s user-friendly, scalable, and specifically built to handle their day-to-day financial needs,\u201d Shah told TNW. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe that this segment has long been underserved by legacy systems and processes, which were never designed with these businesses in mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy tailoring our services to this often-overlooked segment, we believe we can help them become more confident in managing their finances, allowing them to focus on growth, innovation, and long-term success.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

PolyAI<\/h2>\n

PolyAI<\/span><\/a> is on a mission to create the world\u2019s most lifelike AI voice agents. Designed for call centres, the AI agents manage customer service inquiries for companies including Volkswagen, Marriott, and MetroBank. <\/span><\/p>\n

PolyAI says clients receive customised voice assistants in six weeks or less. The finished products promise engaging experiences that feel like talking to a real person. <\/span><\/p>\n

CEO Nikola Mrk\u0161i\u0107, who previously worked on Apple\u2019s Siri voice assistant, co-founded PolyAI in 2017 with fellow University of Cambridge machine learning researchers. Last year, their company closed a $50mn (\u20ac38mn) funding round at a valuation of close to $500mn (\u20ac380mn). <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make people fall in love with voice assistants because [calling] is still the main way people interact with businesses,\u201d Mrk\u0161i\u0107 <\/span>told the FT<\/span><\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s been very sticky and has stayed past a digital transformation elsewhere.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Mrk\u0161i\u0107 envisions huge growth, predicting that up to 75% of customer interactions could be automated with AI.  <\/span><\/p>\n

Artios Pharma<\/h2>\n

Artios Pharma<\/span><\/a> is a pioneer of a rapidly advancing approach to cancer treatment. The company develops drugs that target DNA damage response (DDR), which cancer cells rely on to repair genetic faults and resist treatment.<\/span><\/p>\n

By targeting tumours through DDR, Artios aims to kill cancerous cells while sparing healthy ones. The technique has proved immensely promising in tests. Last month, Artios reported that its lead drug had shrunk a subset of tumours in an early-stage trial. <\/span><\/p>\n

Investors have taken note. Artios has raised over \u20ac261 million so far, according to <\/span>Bounce Watch<\/span><\/a> data. <\/span><\/p>\n

Our sole contender in the region from outside London, Artios is based in Cambridge. <\/span><\/p>\n

Founded in 2016, the company boasts impeccable credentials.CEO Niall Martin, PhD, and CSO Graeme Smith, PhD, were involved in the invention of AstraZeneca\u2019s Lynparza, a blockbuster DDR drug that has <\/span>been hailed<\/span><\/a> as a \u201crevolutionary\u201d cancer treatment. <\/span><\/p>\n

Zilch<\/h2>\n

Zilch<\/span><\/a> has introduced a new approach to Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) purchases. The payments are interest-free and subsidised by ads, with rewards for purchases and no late fees.<\/span><\/p>\n

The company also promises to only lend what users can afford. To encourage responsible spending, Zilch provides customers with tools to keep them on top of purchases. <\/span><\/p>\n

Founded in 2018, the London-based business has quickly grown into one of Europe\u2019s leading scaleups. <\/span><\/p>\n

In 2021, the fintech became one of the fastest companies in the continent to reach unicorn status. Last July, Zilch announced it had also turned profitable. Over 5 million customers are registered with the scaleup.<\/span><\/p>\n

The rapid rise has earned the company multiple accolades. In the last few months, Zilch was <\/span>named<\/span><\/a> the fastest-growing unicorn in Britain, won \u201cFinancial Institution of the Year\u201d at the City AM Dragon Awards, and joined Allica Bank in earning praise from Chancellor Reeves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Veremark<\/h2>\n

Veremark<\/span><\/a> has created a background screening platform for hiring and appraisals. The system aims to find clients the best talent \u2014 and reduce recruitment risks.<\/span><\/p>\n

The platform offers an alternative to traditional screening approaches, which are often costly and prone to being skipped. <\/span><\/p>\n

Founded in 2019, Veremark automates and digitises these processes. The result, the scaleup says, is faster and more insightful checks that comply with regulations. As well as prospective hires, the system can screen existing staff, business partners, limited partners, and founders<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The company also recently launched a blockchain-based \u201ccareer passport\u201d for candidates to manage their verified credentials.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re building Veremark to become the world\u2019s most trusted platform for verifying professional integrity,\u201d the scaleup told TNW. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn a time where trust is more important \u2014 and more fragile \u2014 than ever, we help businesses make better people decisions by giving them confidence in who they\u2019re hiring and working with.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for the TECH5 scaleups?<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Irish and British scaleups will compete for the TECH5 title with rivals from six other regions: <\/span>the Baltics<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Southern Europe<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> France<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> Benelux<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> the Nordics<\/span><\/a>, and<\/span> DACH<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

This summer, the winner will be crowned as Europe\u2019s hottest scaleup. <\/span><\/p>\n

The coronation will take place at <\/span>TNW Conference<\/span><\/a> on June 19 and 20 \u2014 and you could be there to witness it. Tickets for the event are<\/span> now on sale<\/span><\/a>. Use the code TNWXMEDIA2025 at the checkout for 30% off.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Five standout scaleups from the UK have made it into TECH5 \u2014 the \u201cChampions League of Technology.\u201d  The selections complete the UK and Ireland regional round of the tournament, which will now…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16382"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16382\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}