Startups.co.uk

Pubs cheer as restaurants starve

As a #solopreneur you’re used to wearing all the hats – but the tax hat can feel especially heavy. 😣 If you’re staring at a pile of receipts and an open HMRC tab right now, this one’s for you.👇 To help you get your self-assessment over the finish line, we’re bringing you Dan Heelan's last-minute filing checklist for #soletraders. ✅ With just 72 hours to the deadline, we aren’t just looking to get it filed, we’re looking to get it filed correctly. Save this post and swipe through before your final review! 👉

2,067 UK hospitality venues are predicted to close this year. ❌ That’s the reality of the "Triple Tax Squeeze" hitting F&B owners in 2026, according to the latest modelling from UKHospitality. While some pub owners are barring Labour MPs in protest of business rate hikes, F&B expert and wine bar owner Matt Harris thinks there’s a better way. He argues barring MPs is like "shouting at the weather – it might feel good, but you’re still going to get soggy.” So, what’s the alternative? Matt’s latest column explains why your best weapon isn't a barred sign – it's your data. 📊

Pizza Hut in a trenchcoat?

One way of learning accounting as a business owner is making expensive mistakes. 😣 That’s why we’ve partnered with Dan Heelan to help you bridge the gap between just “having a great idea" and actually building a sustainable business. With 18 years of experience and 3,000+ clients helped, Dan and his team know exactly what it takes to grow, start, and survive a startup!🚀 You can now find his thoughts and expert advice across our accounting software guides – or join his community of 60k+ subscribers on Youtube (@HeelanAssociates) for tax, accounts, and business deep dives.

Landing in the Top 5 wasn’t enough for OXCCU TECH LTD. ✈️ The Oxford spin-out also walked away with the #Startups100 Sustainability Award 2026, powered by Sage! 🏆 How’d they do it? By doing the "impossible." OXCCU has created a breakthrough process that turns waste carbon into clean jet fuel, marking a massive leap toward greener aviation. It’s more than just a trophy for the team – it’s a major win for the planet, too! 🌍 Huge congratulations to the OXCCU team on a phenomenal double win!

Not just a dusty cupboard stuffer! Meet Bold Bean Co | B Corp™ - the winner of this year’s #Startups100 Marketing Award, powered by Sage! 🏆 With bold branding, "beanspo," and brilliant storytelling, founder Amelia Christie-Miller has completely transformed the image of beans.🫘 By turning the humble legume into a cult-status kitchen essential, Bold Bean proves that great marketing can completely redefine a category. A huge well done to the entire Bold Bean team for a well-deserved award win! 🎉

Last week, we revealed the #Startups100 Index for 2026 – the definitive list of the UK’s most exciting new businesses. For MAGIC AI founder Varun Bhanot, hitting #3 felt like something much more personal than just another trophy for the shelf.🏆 From being named Tech Entrepreneur of the Year to  sweeping the board at the National Startup Awards and landing a spot on TIME’s Best Inventions list, he has heard plenty of praise. But in his latest Startup Daddy column, Varun explains why applause isn't the point. He argues the best awards don’t just celebrate your achievements – they acknowledge the grit it took to get you there and serve as an encouragement to keep improving.

It takes real brilliance to make a complex problem look like a simple fix. 💡 And that’s exactly what this team did. Meet Burbank Software,  the winner of our first ever #Startups100 Tech Award, powered by Sage!🏆 Burbank brings tap-and-go to online shopping by turning your smartphone into a  payment terminal. Their tech doesn’t just make checking out more effortless, it also makes it more secure. 🔐 A well-deserved win for a team that saw a gap and built the solution - huge congratulations Burbank!🎉

100 reasons to celebrate this Jan