Well, we’ve made it through 2020, so congratulations. It was undoubtedly a tough year for most of us. However, looking forward to this new year, we must be positive and assured that it will be a successful one. We’ve picked out some companies that we believe will take 2021 by storm, having laid the foundations last year. From their products and services offered to their pitch decks and branding, these are exciting startups we’ve come across at EC, that we expect to make big movements this year!
Billx
Launched in March 2020, billx is a platform that provides instant, secure and frictionless payments between any person or business. Powered by Open Banking, billx values its ability to allow businesses to get paid from customers’ bank accounts instantly. Everytime at a fraction of the cost of alternative methods. The company also put a significant emphasis on building solutions for its customers. They want to hear about your biggest payment challenges, so they can build the platform out. Listening and developing on prospective user feedback ensures that billx has the tools that its users desperately need. With several high profile banks supporting the start-ups, including Lloyds, Barclays, HSBC, Monzo and more. 2021 looks like it’s going to be a very special year for the guys over at billx as they launch the platform!
Honestly Good
Honestly Good is a London-based food start-ups bringing something fresh and new to the smoothie scene! The company offers customers incredibly wide-ranging, pre-cut and tasty smoothie recipe packs, delivered straight to your door. All you have to do is chuck them in a blender with some liquid. From “Simply the Zest”, “Good Morning Sunshine”& “Berry Nice”, the range of recipes ensures customers come back. Founder, Vikesh Kotecha thanks his superhero Mum, who made smoothies for him when he was younger. Thus inspiring him to start the business.
Their subscription service mirrors other food companies like Graze, enabling customers to pick and choose when they want smoothie packs delivered to them. Furthermore, their commitment to avoiding waste coupled with the sourcing of 100% organic & sustainable foods really do make this company an Honestly Good one to look out for in the next few months.
Hexis
Hexis Performance is a brand new player in the nutrition app world. But it’s so much more than that. The predictive, personalised and periodised nutrition app uses Carb Coding, allowing athletes to know exactly what to eat and when. Carb Coding matches your body’s carbohydrate and energy needs to the demands of your workouts, allowing users to match their training plan, recovery and performance goals to their specific requirements. Carb Codes get translated into Hexis recipes which have been approved by their in house performance chefs.
Hexis offers a uniquely personalised nutrition app, more so than any other on the market. It’s backed by science, sports coaches and athletes, using cutting edge AI and machine learning to enhance its service. The level of personalisation, access to quality coaching and best-practise nutrition allows Hexis to stand out from the crowd of nutrition apps and makes 2021 a very exciting year for them.
Nuw
Nuw is the worlds first and only clothes sharing app. Launched in January 2020, Nuw is looking forward to a strong second year. The app allows users to borrow, share and swap clothes for a small subscription fee. Nuw has already celebrated 4,000 users. And they have seen many designer labels being shared on the platform, alongside stand-out highstreet pieces.
Having recently expanded its service from Cambridge, Dublin and Cambridge to the rest of the UK and Ireland. Start-ups have laid the perfect foundations for a prosperous 2021. The expansion will allow even more people to borrow, share and swap their clothes. We think this is one of the most exciting sustainability focused start-ups to watch over the next year!
Cazoo
Cazoo is undoubtedly the most established name on this list. The company, which makes buying used cars as easy as buying any other product online was founded in 2018. And, has raised a record-setting £450m since. With over half of that investment coming in October last year, the foundations have been firmly set. And, will see 2021 be a very important year in Cazoo’s growth.
Anna
ANNA is a fintech startup aiming to help small business and other start-ups manage their finances. The company prides itself on no-nonsense, easy banking – customers can set up an account in just three minutes, and services are free for those just starting out. You can take pictures of receipts and sort them out digitally, enabling companies to easily track their spending. For a firm operating outside of London, Anna is growing rapidly. Having recently improved its partnership with Mastercard, looking into 2021, Anna will surely benefit from having greater access to the financial behemoth’s market and advice.
Whereby
2020, has been the year of the video call. There is a real necessity for virtual conferring, online meetings, and socialising via video chat, with Whereby is set to challenge rivals Zoom and Google! Whereby is a Norwegian start-up video conferring platform looking to rival Zoom and Google Hangouts. It’s one of the easiest platforms to use, there’s no app or software download required, just choose your own personalised Whereby URL and video call anyone you send the link to! Whatever working style we go back to when things return to normal, it’s safe to say that video calls are here to stay, in some way or another. Keep your eye on Whereby, the darkhorse of the video chat world!