What the Sunday Times 100 Tech List Is
- The Sunday Times 100 Tech is an annual league table of the 100 fastest-growing private tech companies in the UK, published by The Sunday Times and supported by data from Beauhurst. (Insider Media Ltd)
- To qualify, companies must be independent, privately owned, and headquartered in the UK, with growth measured by sustained revenue increases over a three-year period. (Insider Media Ltd)
- The list is split into two categories — software and hardware & other technology, including energy, life sciences and services. (Insider Media Ltd)
The companies on the list collectively:
- Generated £3.7 billion in revenue in the latest reporting year.
- Added 11,600 jobs over the past three years, with 4,300 planned hires this year.
- Employ around 23,100 people overall. (Insider Media Ltd)
London remains the dominant hub, with over half of the top 100 based there. (EasternEye)
Top Growth Stories from the Ranking
Overall and Category Leaders
Abound
- Took the top spot overall and led the software category.
- A London-based fintech using AI to offer tech-driven lending solutions, with around 490 % annual sales growth and £66.8 m in sales last year. (Insider Media Ltd)
Fuse Energy
- Ranked number one in the hardware & other tech category and second fastest-growing overall.
- A renewable energy company founded by former fintech executives, reporting ~484 % annual growth and £129.7 m in sales. (Insider Media Ltd)
Other Notable Companies Included
Software & Digital Services
- Vertice – AI procurement platform with ~437 % growth.
- Oxbury Bank – Fintech bank with ~399 % growth (Chester).
- BondAval – Digital credit insurance solutions.
Hardware, Connectivity & Science
- E1 Electric – Electric raceboat technology developer.
- Netomnia – Full-fibre broadband provider with rapid sales expansion. (Insider Media Ltd)
Sector Diversity Highlights
- Fintech and lending companies dominate software growth.
- Energy, broadband infrastructure and life sciences show strong hardware growth. (Insider Media Ltd)
Regional and Sector Insights
Digital health & online pharmacy:
- Several digital pharmacy platforms — such as Phlo, Evaro and HeliosX — made the list, showing healthcare-tech expansion. (C+D)
- Evaro, a Norwich-based digital pharmacy, was singled out in local coverage as one of the fastest-growing UK tech firms. (Yahoo News UK)
Connectivity & broadband challengers:
- Alternative broadband networks including Netomnia and others ranked highly, reflecting the UK’s push on connectivity innovation. (ispreview.co.uk Geographic spread:
- While London hosts the majority, companies across Northern Ireland, the Midlands, Scotland and the South West also appear on the list, illustrating wider regional growth. (Business Eye)
What This List Shows About UK Tech
1. Resilience and momentum:
Despite a tougher economic backdrop, the tech sector continues to scale quickly, attracting investment and expanding revenues. (EasternEye)
2. Job growth and hiring plans:
The combined growth of these firms translates into significant employment opportunities — with thousands of planned new jobs this year. (Insider Media Ltd)
3. Diversity of innovation:
From fintech and AI in software to renewable energy and broadband infrastructure in hardware, the UK’s tech ecosystem is broad and dynamic. (Insider Media Ltd)
4. Importance of private and early-stage tech:
These are privately owned tech businesses — often scaling rapidly before public listings — reflecting strong entrepreneurial activity in the UK. (Insider Media Ltd)
Quotes & Commentary
*Jon Yeomans, Business Editor at The Sunday Times:
“Despite a challenging economic backdrop, Britain’s tech sector continues to produce businesses of extraordinary ambition and momentum.” (Insider Media Ltd)
This list not only celebrates fast revenue growth but also highlights job creation, global reach, and innovation across sectors — with many of these companies already exporting technology internationally. (EasternEye)
Here’s a case-study and commentary-focused review of the UK’s 100 fastest-growing tech companies in 2026, based on the Sunday Times 100 Tech ranking — with specific examples, growth highlights, and reactions from industry voices.
How the Sunday Times 100 Tech List Works
The Sunday Times 100 Tech ranks the fastest-growing private tech companies in the UK based on sustained revenue growth over three years, using verified financial data combined with independent research from the Sunday Times and Beauhurst. It covers both software and hardware/other technology firms. (LinkedIn)
Across the 100 companies in 2026:
- Total revenues reached ~£3.7 billion.
- They employ ~23,100 people and have created 11,600 new jobs over three years.
- London is a dominant hub — hosting more than half of the companies on the list. (Punchline Gloucester)
Case Study 1 — Abound: Leading Software Growth
Company: Abound (fintech using AI)
Highlight: Ranked at the top position overall on the 2026 list — the fastest-growing software company.
- Uses artificial intelligence to improve lending decisions beyond traditional credit models.
- Grew rapidly to generate around £66.8 million in sales in the latest year.
- Represents how fintech innovation — especially combining AI with financial services — can scale quickly. (Minutehack)
Why it matters:
Abound’s success illustrates how AI-powered fintech solutions are attracting capital, expanding fast, and redefining traditional lending markets in the UK.
Case Study 2 — Netomnia: Scaling Connectivity
Company: Netomnia (full-fibre broadband provider)
Highlight: A standout in the hardware/other tech category — with high growth rates in broadband infrastructure.
- Based in the South West (Tewkesbury), the company merged with Brsk in 2024 and has expanded rapidly to serve millions of premises.
- It has attracted £1.6 billion+ in funding and reported strong revenue growth.
- It reflects demand for next-generation connectivity outside traditional telecom incumbents. (Punchline Gloucester)
Industry comment:
Netomnia’s performance shows that challenger networks can compete with larger firms by focusing on full-fibre expansion — a critical part of UK digital infrastructure growth.
Case Study 3 — toob: Repeat Growth Recognition
Company: toob (broadband provider)
Highlight: Ranked ninth overall in the hardware list and featured again for the second year running in 2026.
- Founded in 2017, it now serves 100,000+ customers with ultrafast full fibre.
- The repeat recognition underlines consistent momentum — not just one-off growth spurts — in digital infrastructure build-out. (fibreprovider.net)
CEO Insight:
“To be ranked … for the second year is a testament to rapid growth, thriving customer demand, and our dedicated team,” says founder Nick Parbutt. (fibreprovider.net)
Case Study 4 — Sessions: Tech Meets Hospitality
Company: Sessions (AI-driven platform for restaurants)
Ranking: #14 in the 2026 list.
- Founded by former Deliveroo executive Dan Warne, Sessions helps restaurant brands scale nationwide with its AI insights engine and unified operating platform.
- Combines technology with hospitality operations — showing tech growth isn’t limited to traditional sectors like software or telecom. (Hotelier & Hospitality Design)
Commentary:
Sessions demonstrates how AI and tech operations platforms are reshaping legacy industries like hospitality — especially during periods of structural change in dining and delivery.
Case Study 5 — Cerca Magnetics: Deep Tech Growth
Company: Cerca Magnetics (University of Nottingham spin-out)
Highlight: Ranked #15 in the 2026 list for rapid annual sales growth.
- Develops advanced brain-imaging instrumentation — a deep tech company rooted in scientific innovation.
- Sold £6.4m in lightweight wearable brain scanners, highlighting UK strength in medical and scientific hardware innovation. (University of Nottingham)
What it shows:
Deep tech spin-outs can scale commercially while pushing scientific frontiers, contributing both jobs and new product categories to the UK tech ecosystem.
Other Notable Growth Stories
PQShield — Post-Quantum Security Tech
PQShield was named among the fastest-growing tech firms for its post-quantum cryptography solutions — a niche but globally critical security technology. CEO Dr Ali Kaafarani highlighted that the growth “allows us to invest even more deeply in research and engineering” to support secure digital infrastructure. (PQShield)
Regional Success — MiFinity in Northern Ireland
Belfast’s MiFinity topped the Northern Ireland segment of the list with a payments services platform handling multi-currency transactions — showing that high growth isn’t just London-centric. (Business Eye)
Fintech Example — Oxbury Bank
Chester-based Oxbury Bank — a specialist lending fintech — placed third in regional tech rankings with significant lending volumes and savings balances, reflecting strong tech-enabled financial services growth outside London. (The UK)
Industry and Public Commentary
Sector confidence:
Business editors note that, despite a challenging economic backdrop, the UK tech sector continues to deliver “extraordinary ambition and momentum,” with firms scaling rapidly, creating thousands of jobs, and exporting innovation globally. (Punchline Gloucester)
Community reactions:
Online discussions about the list highlight a mix of pride in UK innovation and reflection on what “fast-growth” really means — with some pointing out that sustainability and long-term resilience matter as much as headline growth. (Reddit)
What This List Reveals About UK Tech in 2026
Diverse growth across sectors:
- AI and software fintech (e.g., Abound) are scaling quickly.
- Infrastructure tech (broadband, connectivity) shows strong commercial momentum.
- Deep tech and hardware (e.g., wearable brain scanners, eSIM security) are commercially viable.
- Tech-enabled platforms in non-traditional areas (e.g., hospitality) are gaining traction.
Regional breadth:
While London dominates numerically, high growth is also visible in the South West, North West, Northern Ireland, and beyond — showing a broader geographic tech expansion.
Jobs and economic impact:
The collective job creation and planned hires highlight tech as a key engine of employment and economic dynamism in the UK.