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The UK’s fastest-growing founder-led companies unveiled

The UK’s fastest-growing founder-led businesses have been revealed in the highly anticipated FEBE Growth 100, in partnership with Virgin. Now in its fourth year, the ranking celebrates the most dynamic private companies in Britain where founders remain at the helm.

Topping this year’s list is PerfectTed, the viral matcha brand backed by Dragons’ Den investor Steven Bartlett. With a staggering 532% growth and revenue surpassing £8 million, PerfectTed exemplifies the founder-led drive powering Britain’s entrepreneurial surge.

FEBE (For Entrepreneurs, By Entrepreneurs) measures growth using robust metrics and rigorous research, including two-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR), revenue performance, and founder involvement. All qualifying companies are UK-registered, privately owned, independent, and have generated annual revenues between £3 million and £200 million with an operating profit in their latest financial year.

2025 Top 3 fastest-growing founder-led companies:

  • PerfectTed – matcha-powered products, up 532%
  • REHAB – haircare disruptor, up nearly 450%, with just seven staff
  • Simmer Eats – Hertfordshire-based meal delivery firm hitting £36 million+ in sales

Making up the rest of the top 10 include: Lucky Egg, Conductr, Ancient + Brave, SURI, Dynisma, Purdy & Figg, and Winedrops.

Other standouts on the list include cult brands like TRIP, Skin + Me, REFY, and Revive Collagen. Prominent celebrity involvement features this year, with REHAB supported by TV personality and entrepreneur Stacey Solomon. Sam Faiers is the co-founder of Revive Collagen and Steven Bartlett, an investor in PerfectTed.

In a strong signal of shifting dynamics in entrepreneurship, one-third of Growth 100 companies feature female founders or co-founders — including Olivia Jenkins Co-Founder of D.LOUISE, Aneisha Soobroyen Co-Founder of Scrumbles, and Jess Hunt and Jenna Meek Co-Founders of REFY.

Charlotte Quince, founder of FEBE, said: “The Growth 100 isn’t just a leaderboard – it’s a tribute to the founders pushing boundaries, taking risks, and building brilliant businesses against all odds.”

Alongside the Growth 100, FEBE also revealed its Watch List – a hand-picked collection of exciting businesses that didn’t meet every Growth 100 criterion but are on impressive trajectories. This year’s Watch List includes ELEAT, Hip Pop, Hunter & Gather, Flake Bake, and ManiLife.

Holly Branson added: “At Virgin, entrepreneurship is in our DNA, which is why we jumped at the chance to support the FEBE Growth 100. It’s inspiring to see so many business founders shaking up industries, driving innovation in their field and, by embracing purposeful business principles right at their core, redefining what’s possible. 

“It’s also fantastic that a third of the companies in the FEBE Growth 100 are led by women. Encouraging more women to start and scale businesses is something we are passionate about here at Virgin. 

“I believe that the business founders of today, through innovation, passion and purpose, will develop solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems. What I truly love about all the founders I have met is that they are all 100% up for that challenge!”