August 21 marks World Entrepreneurs Day and on this special day, we take time to appreciate the leaders and risk-takers. Entrepreneurs have been the reason for the thriving businesses we see making moves in the UK, and around the world. Russell Dalgleish, Founder of the Scottish Business Network and successful entrepreneur shared, “The success of entrepreneurs is critical to a thriving economy. It is the entrepreneur who creates high value jobs, attracts capital and generates new opportunities for the community they are based within.
“Each successful founder creates a supply chain of local businesses and attracts new talent to the area. But most importantly it is the successful entrepreneurs sitting at the centre of a thriving ecosystem who transform our societies. We only need to look at the likes of Tallinn in Estonia to see the best example of this phenomenon today. More than ten tech Unicorns were created from a nation of 1.5 million, including Wise, Bolt and Pipedrive from a country that was a Soviet Satellite state up to 1990.”
Entrepreneur Vs. Business Owner
Its not to get confused, though: a business owner is not the same as an entrepreneur. Anyone can own a business, but not many can be entrepreneurs. The difference lies in the way one chooses to lead, innovate and take risks. Adam Levine, a high performance coach at InnerXLab spoke on the differences, saying, “A business owner typically focuses on managing and maintaining an existing business. Their main goal is stability and profitability and they’re usually involved in the day-to-day operations of the business they own – that’s managing staff, customer satisfaction etc. Business owners might buy a franchise, inherit a family business, or start something with a clear and proven business model in mind. They’re more likely to stick to what works and gradually improve it.
“That’s where business owners and entrepreneurs differ – an entrepreneur is someone who’s all about innovation and risk-taking. They’re not just running a business – they’re often trying to create something new and disruptive. Entrepreneurs are more likely to start from scratch with an idea that might not have been tried before. They’re comfortable with uncertainty and are always looking for opportunities to grow, pivot, or even completely change direction if it means achieving something bigger. Entrepreneurs are driven by a vision and are usually more willing to take risks for potentially higher rewards.”
20 Iconic Entrepreneurs In The UK
We’ve put together a list with 20 forward-thinking leaders, whose ideas and creativity has led them down paths of success. These are the icons we are acknowledging and paying homage to this World Entrepreneurs Day:
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- Tara Attfield-Tomes, founder, EAST VILLAGE
- Dr. Richard Ahlfeld, CEO and Founder, Monolith
- Johan Sundstrand, CEO and Founder, Phyron
- Kieran O Regan, Founder, About:Energy
- Dr Ian Campbell, CEO, Breathe Battery Technologies
- Ryan Edwards, CEO and Founder, Audoo
- Eldar Tuvey, CEO and co-founder, Vertice
- Phill Robinson, CEO & Co-Founder, Boardwave
- Jorgen Ellis, CEO and co-founder, Strolll
- Sara Daw, Co-founder, CFO Centre
- Helen Murphy, co-founder, Opply
- Alex Adamopoulos, founder and CEO, Emergn
- Anthony Jacob, Founder, Nila
- Steff Wright, Chairman, Gusto Group.
- Christophe Williams, CEO, Naked Energy
- Jonathan Patrick, CEO, Consultant Connect
- Asif Ghafoor, CEO, Be.EV
- Tristan Thomas, CEO and co-founder, Packfleet
- Ilya Drozdov, co-founder and CEO, Dwelly
- Sam Budd, CEO and Founder, Buddy Media
1. Tara Attfield-Tomes, founder, EAST VILLAGE
Tara Attfield-Tomes is the founder of PR Agency EAST VILLAGE and the community for female founders, The 51% Club, who’s expanding opportunities for female entrepreneurs across the UK, and beyond.
The 51% Club brings together female founders, both in person and online, to fuel business growth through peer support, expert masterclasses, networking events, and more. Having launched just a few months ago, the club has almost 500 founders and is growing daily. Organisations like Lloyds Bank, Hatch Enterprise, and STEAMhouse have already joined as partners.
EAST VILLAGE. is an award-winning PR agency on a mission to amplify the female voice. Over the past decade, it has become the go-to agency for female-founded, female-led, and female-serving brands.
By sitting at the beating heart of the UK’s tech ecosystem, EV. connects business with key partners to ensure that female-focused innovation gets its time in the spotlight.
Tara is also co-chair of The Lifted Project, a data-led project to increase the flow of capital to high-growth female founders, and chair of TechWM’s Women in Tech Special Interest Group. She sits on the Governance Board of impact investment platform Ethical Equity and is investment mentor for Creative UK. She’s also a committee member for Soho House Cities Without Houses Birmingham.
2. Dr. Richard Ahlfeld, CEO and Founder, Monolith
Dr. Richard Ahlfeld is CEO and Founder of Monolith, a no-code AI platform used by the world’s leading automotive, aerospace and industrial engineering teams from Siemens and Honeywell to Rolls-Royce and BMW. Dr. Ahlfeld received his PhD in Aerospace Engineering and Data Science from Imperial College. He has been recognized across academia and industry including being named to MIT Technology Review’s Top 10 Innovators under 35, invited as a Research Engineer to NASA where he worked on the Mars rocket, and recognized as an Automotive News Europe ‘Rising Star’.
Through his leadership, Monolith received Series A funding in 2021 and was named one of the UK’s top 100 start-ups. The company was named by Gartner as a Cool Vendor in AI in Automotive, has been featured in Forbes magazine and won the coveted Automotive Testing Technology International ‘Crash Test Innovation of the Year’ award.
By leveraging clients’ test data to build highly accurate, self-learning AI models, engineers use Monolith to reduce testing, increase learning and maximize product quality – with the platform having demonstrated to decrease battery testing time by up to 73% using the latest robust active learning algorithm.
The power of AI for developing new and innovative mobility technologies, both now and in the future, is driving Monolith towards its vision of empowering 100,000 engineers to cut their product development cycle in half by 2026.
3. Johan Sundstrand, CEO and Founder, Phyron
After a decade working in tech marketing, it was clear to Johan that video outperformed all other formats and there was an unprecedented opportunity to reshape the trillion-dollar advertising industry through AI.
The goal when Phyron launched in the UK automotive retail sector in 2022 was to develop engaging video advertising solutions based on automation and AI technology that offer life-like presentations while making selling easier and more profitable for car dealers.
Since then, the company has rapidly expanded. Now, more than 1,500 dealers use Phyron equating to 300,000 cars across 30 countries, and Phyron videos have been viewed more than 500 million times.
Johan led fresh investment into the business in July this year, closing a €10 million Series B round with existing and new investors.
Vienna-based Round2 Capital led the latest round, providing both an additional revenue-based financing investment as well as an equity investment as part of the company’s Series B. Phyron also secured the financial backing of automotive retail giant Peter Vardy, an investment which demonstrates Phyron’s strategic focus on the UK car market.
In a challenging environment for global tech companies, Phyron has grown its annual recurring revenue by more than 70%. The Series B funding will enable Phyron to accelerate development of its AI and automation technology, grow the team with top industry talent, and expand its operations in new markets – namely the United States.
4. Kieran O Regan, Founder, About:Energy
Kieran O’Regan is the founder of About:Energy – whose mission is to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles by providing the tools and data needed to optimise EV battery design. By equipping automotive companies with better data, About:Energy empowers them to make more informed decisions that reduce development costs and time-to-market for battery-powered products.
The transition to electrification has been slower and more challenging than many companies predicted. Developing new battery technologies is incredibly complex, requiring extensive testing and refinement to meet cost and performance targets. Physical prototyping of battery cells and systems is expensive and time-consuming. It can take years to gather the data needed to fully optimise a design.
This has created a major bottleneck – About:Energy’s software helps solve this.
5. Dr Ian Campbell, CEO, Breathe Battery Technologies
Dr Ian Campbell is the CEO of Breathe Battery Technologies a UK-based start-up at the forefront of battery management software innovation. Breathe’s key focus is on “adaptive charging” – a dynamic optimisation software process that adjusts the charging current based on the battery’s state, enabling faster charging and extended battery life.
Earlier this year Breathe partnered with Volvo Cars, making them the first car company to gain access to the latest version of Breathe’s patented, algorithm-enabled charging software. This partnership will provide Volvo customers with up to 30% faster charging and an enhanced overall driving and charging experience, paving the way for a more seamless transition to an electrified future.
Dr. Ian Campbell can discuss in more detail the company’s solutions, the reasons behind Volvo’s choice of Breathe’s adaptive charging technology, and why software-defined vehicles deserve software-defined batteries – and how this will help us transition towards Net Zero.
6. Ryan Edwards, CEO and Founder, Audoo
Ryan Edwards is the CEO and Founder of Audoo, the music technology company revolutionising performance royalties through accurate data collection. Founded in 2018, Audoo aims to create a fairer playing field for artists and musicians by helping to provide accurate music royalty distribution.
Ryan is a former musician from the band The Lines, who achieved notable success with their track “Domino Effect,” which reached number 9 on the charts. After a successful music career, Ryan founded Audoo, inspired by an experience where he heard his song playing in a store and realised that the royalties from such plays were not accurately captured.
Audoo’s Audio Meter ™ tracks music plays across public performance locations with a never-seen-before level of accuracy. Using real-time data, Audoo is helping Performing Right Organisations (PROs) and Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) to digitalise and streamline their processes.
Ryan has grown Audoo into an international business with employees spanning the UK, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa. With Audio Meters ™ now in more than fifteen countries across four continents, and has even attracted investment from music icons such as Sir Elton John and Bjorn Ulvaeus.
7. Eldar Tuvey, CEO and co-founder, Vertice
Eldar Tuvey is a pioneer in the world of enterprise solutions and has successfully founded multiple innovative tech businesses. Eldar founded the internet security company ScanSafe in 1999 with his brother Roy, the first cybersecurity company to deliver web security software online. At the point of its sale to Cisco for $200M, ScanSafe was ranked by IDC as the dominant player in SaaS and screened two billion web requests daily across 100 countries for customers including GE, Shell, IKEA, and Standard Chartered Bank. Eldar went on to establish Wandera, a global leader in mobile security and data management, where he led the business as CEO for almost a decade before its sale to JAMF in 2021 for $400M.
In 2021, Eldar founded Vertice to help businesses reduce their annual software spend by 20-30% and he is confident his latest venture will be the biggest of them all. Vertice announced a $25 million Series B following a year of 7x ARR growth. Vertice has now raised a total of $51 million since January 2022, upping its valuation into the hundreds of millions. As CEO, Eldar is responsible for scaling the business and providing strategic leadership across product, technology, and marketing operations.
8. Jorgen Ellis, CEO and co-founder, Strolll
Jorgen Ellis is the CEO and co-founder of Strolll, a healthtech startup that has developed the world’s first clinically-proven Augmented Reality (AR) digital therapeutics software to support neurorehabilitation. Strolll is starting with Parkinson’s as the world’s fastest-growing neurological disorder and its technology enables 7x more hours of rehab than traditional methods.
Jorgen began his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 17 in New Zealand when he founded Flatpack Global – a company assembling people’s kit set furniture. The company grew to 46 staff, 140 franchises, raised £3m in capital and had large partnerships with IKEA and Homebase. He exited the business in 2019 at the age of 23.
Jorgen joined Strolll when the company had £50 in its bank account. Now, the company received $6.7m in grant funding, including from the NHS, along with $3.6m from VCs. The startup is working with several NHS trusts and recently announced a $3m licensing deal with the second largest hospital chain in the US, Cleveland Clinic. The company continues to go from strength to strength in delivering its mission to be the most used rehabilitation tool in the world.
9. Phill Robinson, CEO & Co-Founder, Boardwave
Phill Robinson – along with his co-founder, Kath Easthope, is responsible for significantly changing the landscape of opportunity for software start-ups and scale-ups in the UK and Europe.
Boardwave was founded by Phill in 2022 with a strong belief that all the talent, knowledge and experience to build the next world-beating software businesses, that can compete on a global stage, already exists in the UK and Europe. However, unlike start-up hubs such as Silicon Valley, that knowledge is often isolated and fragmented by geography, culture, language, proximity, growth stage, sub sector focus and investor portfolio. With this in mind, Phill created a CEO and founder community that is solely dedicated to accelerating the growth of UK and European software start and scale-ups.
He believes that, if the right decisions get made now, in the next 10 years the UK and European software sector can have far greater success and spearhead a new technology revolution. And, despite already being behind the US in adopting innovations around AI, Blockchain and Quantum Computing, if the UK government, tech leaders and investors collaborate and act now, we can build world-beating companies with global impact, just like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and Apple have since 2010.
In just over two years, the Boardwave community has gone from zero to almost 2,000 UK & European software leaders. From early-stage start-ups, to Europe’s most impressive software leaders and investors, collaborating, sharing and mentoring, to build the next generation of global software businesses.
10. Sara Daw, co-founder, CFO Centre
Sara Daw is the co-founder of the CFO Centre and author of Strategy and Leadership as Service (Routledge). She has been interviewed in The Times recently and in the Independent, after being featured in the E2E Female 100 index which celebrates female entrepreneurial business leaders, and in an interview about the fractional C-Suite model in Digital Frontier.
Sara is a trailblazer who has carved out a unique niche in the business world. She co-founded the CFO Centre, a pioneering business that doesn’t just fill a market gap for a product or service, but for a person. Think of the CFO Centre as an executive matchmaking agency, pairing seasoned part-time CFOs with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that couldn’t otherwise afford such high-level financial expertise.
Since its inception in 2005, the CFO Centre has grown exponentially. Today, it boasts a network of over 750 part-time CFOs across 17 countries, serving around 1,000 client companies. This remarkable growth was achieved without external funding, reflecting Sara’s entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to her vision.
Sara’s journey is both inspiring and relatable. As the first person in her family to attend university, she forged a successful career at Deloitte and L’Oreal before seeking a role that would allow her to be impactful at work while present for her children. This led her to the concept of part-time CFO work and eventually to co-founding the CFO Centre. Sara’s story is a testament to the possibility of achieving both professional success and personal fulfilment.
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11. Helen Murphy, co-founder, Opply
Helen Murphy is transforming the food and beverage industry. She co-founded Opply, an automated ingredient ordering platform designed to revolutionise how food and drink SMEs source, communicate and order from suppliers. As the world’s first end-to-end supply chain platform for these businesses, Opply streamlines the entire workflow, from sourcing and contracting, to payment systems. Helen’s background in the consumer goods sector opened her eyes to how challenging it was for brands to find the right suppliers at competitive prices and the frustrations this caused – especially for SMEs. These businesses are striving to be both competitive and innovative in a margin-centric marketplace.
The issue became particularly apparent during the pandemic. Fluctuating global demand, trading restrictions and shipping challenges severely impacted SMEs. As a result, many struggled to continue production, with some close to folding, or forced to shut down entirely. Producers and ingredient suppliers needed a solution and the Opply solution was truly innovative.
Helen and her co-founder, Martin Postel, a world class data and AI specialist, share a vision to revolutionise the historically stagnant and manual supply chain. Through automation, efficiency, and a GPT AI algorithm, Opply saves customers up to 20% on the cost of ingredients and reduces sourcing time by an average of two months.
12. Alex Adamopoulos, founder and CEO, Emergn
Entrepreneur Alex Adamopoulos is revolutionising the consultancy industry by challenging the outdated big consultancy model. As the CEO and founder of Emergn, a digital consultancy dedicated to transforming the way people and companies work, Alex is vocal about the flaws in traditional consultancy approaches. He rejects the notion of consultancy armies imposing predesigned transformation strategies on organisations, arguing that such methods do more harm than good.
Instead, Alex advocates for a tailored approach – what he calls the ‘Emergn Way’ – that prioritises investing in people, delighting customers, and bringing fresh and nimble perspectives to achieve far better results. With over 30 years of experience, Alex has guided global enterprises toward adopting modern work methodologies, helping them thrive in an ever evolving business landscape.
As Emergn celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, the company stands as a testament to Alex’s relentless innovation, impactful partnerships, and a commitment to delivering true value, proving that a personalised approach can outshine even the biggest industry players.
13. Anthony Jacob, Founder, Nila
Nila is a cutting-edge healthtech service designed to bridge the gap in eldercare for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) who are concerned about the well-being of their families back home. Founded by Anthony Jacob, an entrepreneur with a rich background in the remittance industry, Nila offers a comprehensive solution that addresses the unique challenges faced by NRIs today.
Incubated out of Founders Factory Aviva Fintech Venture Studio, offers users close visibility and 24/7 updates on the care of their family members. This includes 24/7 emergency support, expense management, a family care concierge service, access to a medically trained family care manager, appointment assistance, as well as access to appointment and check-up data all from anywhere in the world
What sets Nila apart is its focus on human-centric care, combining technology with compassion to ensure that elderly parents and family members receive the best possible care in India. By partnering with local healthcare providers and offering services in multiple languages, Nila ensures cultural sensitivity and effective communication.
Nila is not just shaking up the eldercare industry; it’s providing peace of mind to millions of NRIs, enabling them to focus on their lives abroad while knowing their families are in good hands.
14. Steff Wright, Chairman, Gusto Group.
Steff Wright is revolutionising the construction industry through Gusto Group, the parent company of a group of organisations that are committed to a sustainable future, comprising companies in the manufacturing, construction and architecture sectors, as well as a vegan football club, a coworking space and a variety of partner organisations across multiple sites. Wright is also a former Chairman of the Climate Party.
Wright’s entrepreneurial spirit saw him leave school at 16 and obtain a building diploma. He secured a bank loan to embark on his first building development and founded Gusto Group in 1992.
Growing up in a small community, an ethos of strong community values has stayed with Wright throughout his life, and Gusto Group is innovating in these sectors with a focus on sustainable practices. Gusto Construction was one of the first companies in the UK to make sustainable housing commercially viable and continues to pioneer clean energy residential housebuilding in the East Midlands.
As part of this ongoing commitment to people, planet and purpose, rather than purely profit, Gusto Group achieved B Corp status in January 2024. Wright is a fierce advocate of the need for businesses – all of shapes and sizes – to escalate processes that will facilitate a zero-carbon economy. He is calling for action and policies that will help us deliver this vision, including government incentivisation of businesses that demonstrate a commitment to this transition.
15. Christophe Williams, CEO, Naked Energy
Christophe has a background in advertising, but always held an interest in renewable energy from his grandfather, who invented the oscillating duck.
In 2009, Christophe founded Naked Energy with the sole purpose of accelerating the decarbonisation of heat. Heat is responsible for 51% of global energy consumption, and 90% of this is supplied by fossil fuels but is consistently neglected in discussions around net zero.
Christophe developed Naked Energy’s Virtu technology to tackle this issue, which are three to four times more efficient than traditional solar panels and are a key solution to the decarbonisation of heat.
The VirtuPVT model converts solar energy into heat and electricity, while the VirtuHOT technology is focused on generating heat. Now, the technology is being used in over 20 countries (including on iconic buildings such as the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Hyde Park) and manufactured across the EU and US, thanks to a £17m backing from E.ON and Barclays.
16. Jonathan Patrick, CEO, Consultant Connect
Jonathan is a serial entrepreneur who has sold five successful businesses. This includes JPen Medical, the first company to deliver medical equipment testing and calibration onsite at GP practices, and eSupplies Medical, a ground-breaking supplies company that uses technology to improve efficiency and reduce costs in the NHS.
Consultant Connect is an app which speeds up communication between primary and secondary care in the NHS. It’s helping to cut down waiting lists, reduce unnecessary hospital visits and fast track patients that need urgent treatment.
Although it’s simple idea, it is saving lives and making it easier for NHS staff to do their jobs. The app covers 40 millions patients and is available to more than 5,000 GP surgeries and over 9,500 consultants. In 2023, the tech helped over 400,000 patients avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.
17. Asif Ghafoor, CEO, Be.EV
Asif founded Be.EV in 2021, and it now maintains the largest network of public EV chargers in Greater Manchester. Its network currently has over 700 charge points, which will grow to over 1,000 by the end of the year.
It’s backed by £110 million from Octopus Energy Generation, one of Europe’s largest renewable energy investors, and £55 million in debt finance from NatWest and KfW-IPEX Bank. Be.EV is on a mission to sustainably accelerate the UK’s EV revolution and improve communities by installing reliable chargers across the country.
Asif’s mission has been very successful – the North-West was recently named as the region with the most interest in EVs, largely down to improved charging infrastructure, which wouldn’t have been possible without Be.EV. Its focus on communities and driver experience sets the charging network apart from others in the UK.
18. Tristan Thomas, CEO and co-founder, Packfleet
Tristan is the ex-VP of Marketing at Monzo and founded Packfleet, the London-based EV delivery company, in July 2021.
Since then, the certified B-Corp has grown to a team of 60 and now deliver for over 150 businesses across London (including Cheese Geek, Peckham Cellars and Dishpatch). In 2022 Packfleet achieved 10x growth, and is quickly expanding its fleet beyond the capital’s borders.
The catalyst for Packfleet came after Tristan started a wine subscription business in lockdown. He was left disappointed by the legacy courier brands – bottles would always arrive with customers late, broken, or just not arrive at all. He knew there had to be a better way to do deliveries, and that’s exactly what Packfleet is striving to solve with its tech.
Packfleet’s tech stack can predict delivery times within 60 seconds, and its in-house routing engines mean every driver is on the most efficient route possible – reducing carbon wherever they can. Customers can change their delivery address, or the time the parcel arrives, whilst the parcel is out for delivery.
Packfleet recently closed an £8 million series A round from leading investors General Catalyst, who helped fund Airbnb and Deliveroo, and Voyager Ventures.
19. Ilya Drozdov, co-founder and CEO, Dwelly
Ilya Drozdov, a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Dwelly. With over 12 years of experience in building and scaling tech products, including a successful exit, he’s now focused on helping the UK real estate sector overcome its tech challenges with Dwelly. This UK-based startup offering an AI-enabled letting and property management marketplace for real estate agencies. It is the first full-stack B2B platform in the UK, tailored to automate tenant management, payments, and post-rental property maintenance.
Previously as a former General Manager at Uber, he boosted regional business GMV up to $200 million and grew the team to 1,000 people in just 15 months. After a successful exit, Ilya was inspired by Jeff Bezos’s growth strategy to co-found a leading tech-enabled letting startup in the CIS. Supported by a venture capitalist and a real estate developer’s VC arm, he served as CEO, managing 10,000 properties, achieving a $50 million GMV, and growing the team to 250 before the company was acquired.
20. Sam Budd, CEO and Founder, Buddy Media
Sam’s career has revolved around finding unique and engaging ways to connect brands with their target audience. His early experiences of promoting the Beach Break Live student music festival ignited an interest in helping brands create unforgettable experiences for their customers. Sam took this spirit to Seed Marketing as New Business Director to win £1 million of new business, propel the agency’s growth to the next level. He then moved to Social Chain where he helped scale the business across three markets and 200+ staff, rapidly getting promoted to Managing Director at Social Chain USA, with the company eventually going to IPO on the German stock exchange.
With over ten years of experience successfully launching global agencies, Sam decided to build his own in 2018, with the intention of driving the KPI that matters most for brands: sales. Buddy Media Group is thriving under his leadership, inspiring a passionate team of data insight experts, performance marketers, and social media and influencer strategists, to help brands around the world with their acquisition and retention objectives. The company can count now leading players in the technology, entertainment, fashion, hospitality and alcohol sectors as key clients. In his spare time, Sam loves to travel and escape to the ocean. A Cornwall native, he is never happier than when surfing the waves.
