Deliveroo and Crowdcube tipped as future tech giants
Government funded group Tech City UK has announced the new entrants in its Future Fifty programme, which helps kick-start the growth of emerging tech brands.
It follows a bumper twelve months for Deliveroo with the start-up raising over £130m to expand in the UK and worldwide.
The app – which launched in London in 2013 – delivers food from over 2,000 restaurant brands including Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Patara and Pho.
London has seen a boom in the restaurant delivery market this year, with the launch of Michelin-starred delivery service Supper, ‘online restaurant’ EatFirst expanding worldwide, and Pizza Express announcing its own delivery service in the capital.
Deliveroo founder Will Shi described the company’s plan as ‘ambitious but realistic’.
“My goal is this: if it’s raining and you don’t want to go out, I want you to think of Delieroo immediately,” he said.
“We want to be affordable and high-quality enough that it’s not even a choice in your mind.”
Crowdcube is fast becoming the go-to method for small hospitality businesses looking to expand.
Masterchef finalist Andy Oliver, tea pub Brew, Chilango, Pizza Rossa and restaurant payment app Cake are just a handful of entrepreneurs who turned to the site to grow this year.
Gerard Grech, CEO of Tech City UK said: “Britain’s digital industry continues to defy expectation.
“In a rich and varied marketplace, these entrepreneurs are united by global ambition and enormous potential. The digital businesses joining the Future Fifty programme are a window into the future of the digital economy.”
Since Future Fifty launched in 2013 companies on its list have raised a total of £791m and operate in 170 countries worldwide.
The programme has kick-started some of the most successful digital businesses in the UK, including room-sharing site One Fine Stay, online retailer Naked Wines and music app Shazam.
