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25 UK Startups on a Mission to Change the World
- Amazing Britain
- Oct 4
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 10
These 25 UK startups show that progress comes in all shapes and sectors — from fertility care, packaging tech and funding equity, to mental health, inclusion and zero‑waste. What unites them is purpose, innovation, and the determination to turn big ideas into tangible change.
The UK is fertile ground for companies with purpose — ventures that tackle climate, equality, wellbeing, and sustainability. Below are 25 bold British startups combining social and environmental impact with strong business models. Read on to meet innovators redefining what success looks like in 2025.
Zero Gravity – levelling the school playing field
Zero Gravity bridges the gap in social mobility by connecting high‑performing students from disadvantaged backgrounds with mentors, universities, and employers. With partners like HSBC, KPMG and Morgan Stanley, its programme helps students access elite opportunities. Its scholarship fund, renewed partnerships, and impressive university placement numbers show it’s more than ambition — it’s impact in action.
Gaia Family – making fertility care more accessible
Gaia Family offers a flexible payment model for IVF, helping those for whom cost is prohibitive. Members pay an upfront protection fee; if treatment is successful, they repay in instalments, if not, they pay nothing. With full transparency around fees and up to three cycles covered, Gaia Family is breaking down financial barriers to parenthood and easing the stress of fertility treatment.
The Seam – repairing clothes & reducing fashion waste
The Seam is a matchmaking platform that connects consumers with local tailors, menders, and artisans to repair or alter clothing. By making repair services visible and bookable, it challenges fast‑fashion’s disposable culture. With partnerships like Adidas and campaigns promoting reuse, it contributes to waste reduction and supports artisan businesses across the UK.
Hormona – supporting hormonal health with science
Hormona offers personalised tools for tracking hormonal cycles, symptoms, and an at‑home quantitative hormone test (via a waitlist). Built to address how women’s hormonal health has often been overlooked, its app combines expert guidance with data. Over two million users already rely on Hormona, making it a fast‑growing resource in women’s health.
Black Seed VC – funding Black founders & closing gaps
Black Seed VC was created to redress the large disparity in startup funding for Black entrepreneurs, operating a Europe‑first venture fund dedicated to this cause. Beyond capital, it provides mentorship, ecosystem building, and visibility. Its work is reshaping the venture capital landscape and enabling ideas that might previously have struggled to attract investment.
By Rotation – sustainable fashion rentals, high end, lower waste
By Rotation allows users to rent rather than buy high‑value fashion pieces (typically over £100), helping reduce consumption and fashion waste. With a strong social media following, celebrity support, and curated partnerships, the platform is helping fashion lovers access luxury responsibly — offering style without the environmental and financial cost of fast fashion.
PulpaTronics – greener RFID tech in retail
PulpaTronics is tackling the environmental harm from traditional RFID tags by developing fully recyclable, non‑toxic alternatives. Their approach avoids metals and chips, instead using paper circuits that can biodegrade. It’s an infrastructure innovation with potential to cut e‑waste, reduce pollution, and help retailers adopt sustainable supply chains.
Volunteero – making volunteering seamless for charities
Volunteero is a platform designed to reduce administrative burden for charities managing volunteers. It makes onboarding, scheduling, communications and tracking easier. Serving organisations such as Citizens Advice, RAF Museum, and NHS trusts, Volunteero enables charities to focus on impact, saving time and resources otherwise lost to red tape.
Lottie – transparency & choice in elderly care
Lottie is transforming how families find care homes, retirement living, or at‑home care. Its marketplace lets users compare services, fees, and accommodation with confidence. With opaque pricing historically the norm, Lottie helps people make better informed, less stressful decisions when looking after loved ones.
Purple Transform – meet the startup using AI to detect danger in real time
Purple Transform is harnessing the power of AI to identify and respond to real-time threats. Whether it’s a fire, a fall, or suspicious behaviour in public spaces, their platform rapidly analyses visual data to detect potential danger and trigger alerts. Already used in healthcare, education, and public venues, this UK startup is setting a new standard for proactive safety technology — helping to prevent harm before it happens.
Seep – greener kitchen cleaning without plastic sponges
Seep aims to eliminate plastic waste around the kitchen sink. From sponges to brushes to cleaning cloths, many tools are made of non‑recyclable or microplastic‑shedding materials. Seep designs sustainable alternatives that are effective and compostable, giving consumers real choices for greener, healthier kitchens.
Walking on Earth (WONE) – micro‑moments for mental wellbeing
WONE provides in‑the‑moment stress reduction through an AI‑powered coaching app, focused on neurodiversity and mental wellbeing. It works with employers to insert brief recovery and regulation prompts in the workday, aiming to reduce burnout and improve resilience. As workplace stress rises, WONE offers preventative tools with measurable benefits.
Cashblack – rewarding support for Black‑owned businesses
Cashblack blends shopping and activism. Users get cashback for purchases from Black‑owned businesses, supporting them financially while increasing visibility. The platform partners with larger marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy and helps users discover, support, and benefit from inclusive commerce.
Flexa – real transparency around flexible working
Flexa is a job marketplace with a twist: every role clearly states how flexible the employer is. No guesswork. It was founded by people who’d experienced misleading flexibility promises themselves. Now used by millions of workers, Flexa helps match talent with employers who truly support flexible and inclusive work arrangements.
Financielle – financial literacy and budgeting to close the gender finance gap
Financielle aims to help women improve financial literacy through budgeting tools and educational content. With money management, investment basics, and practical guides built in, it helps users gain confidence over finances. This kind of empowerment is essential in an era where gender gaps in investment and financial decision‑making still persist.
Nugget Savings – planning parental leave with financial clarity
Nugget Savings is on a mission to demystify parental leave pay in the UK. Founded in 2023, the app supports expectant parents with tools to estimate leave payments and help plan finances during one of life’s most stressful transitions. Clear, actionable information replaces uncertainty.
PEEQUAL – pee parity at festivals & events
PEEQUAL invented the UK's first women’s urinal, aimed at reducing the long, frustrating toilet queues that women and AFAB (assigned female at birth) people often endure at large events. Their “squat & go” touch‑free facilities are faster, more equitable, and more sustainable than many portable toilets. A clean and quick answer to a basic need.
PlantSea – seaweed packaging replacing plastic
PlantSea creates biodegradable and compostable packaging using seaweed and plant‑based materials. Their seaweed‑derived flexible films, paper, and card alternatives mimic the performance of plastic without the waste. Certified recyclable by the OPRL, backed by investors, and growing fast — this startup is helping turn the tide on plastic pollution.
Cogs AI – mental health for neurodivergent lived experience
Cogs AI is built by and for neurodivergent people, offering mental health tools, peer support, and lived‑experience insights. It’s creating safe, tailored digital spaces rather than one‑size‑fits‑all solutions. In a time when neurodiversity is better understood, it fills a critical gap in care and wellbeing.
Bloom Money – financial inclusion for diaspora communities
Bloom Money provides savings, credit building, and financial management tools to UK diaspora users who often face barriers in traditional banking systems. It supports financial resilience, helps with remittances, and builds trust — vital for communities under‑served by mainstream finance.
Unfabled – less toxic, less taboo women’s care products
Unfabled creates sustainable, non‑toxic personal care products for women, addressing both health concerns and stigma. Its line includes items designed with safer ingredients, clean formulations, and packaging that avoids harm. By removing taboos and improving access, it promotes wellness and environmental responsibility.
Peachies – eco nappies for conscious families
Peachies produces eco‑friendly nappies: soft, absorbent, and more sustainable than many conventional options. For eco‑conscious parents, reducing waste in diapering is a serious challenge — Peachies offers a better alternative without sacrificing performance or comfort.
Asan Cup – ending period poverty globally, one menstrual cup at a time
Asan Cup is committed to tackling global period poverty through affordable, reusable menstrual cups. By offering an alternative to expensive or wasteful products, Asan Cup helps women, girls, and marginalised groups access dignified, sustainable menstrual care.
TaskHer – increasing visibility & opportunity for tradeswomen
TaskHer connects homeowners with verified tradeswomen for jobs around the home. It addresses both a gender imbalance in many trades, and the frequent barrier of lack of visibility. With transparent pricing, quick quotes, and secure payments, TaskHer helps both customers and tradeswomen benefit.
Luna Daily – microbiome-friendly skincare, head to toe
Luna Daily is changing how we think about body care by creating microbiome-friendly products for all skin — including intimate areas. Their pH-balanced, soap-free formulas are designed to cleanse without disrupting delicate skin ecosystems. By combining science with inclusivity, Luna Daily is tackling outdated taboos and helping consumers care for their whole bodies with confidence and comfort.
Purpose-Led Innovation: British Startups Solving Real-World Problems
These 25 UK startups show that progress comes in all shapes and sectors — from fertility care, packaging tech and funding equity, to mental health, inclusion and zero‑waste. What unites them is purpose, innovation, and the determination to turn big ideas into tangible change. As citizens, investors, consumers, or policy makers, supporting missions like these helps build a more just, sustainable future. Keep them on your radar — because Britain’s best future might already be being built.
We intentionally don’t include photo captions—our aim is to encourage you to visit the featured brand’s website and explore their work in full context.
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