Meet 10 Top Bristol Startups Advancing Various Industries

10 Top Bristol Startups

1. 1. GenomeKey – Targeted Sepsis Treatment
   2. Awaretag – Damp, Mold, and Insulation Sensors
   3. Smart PPR – PPR Request System
   4. Glaia – Carbon-based Biostimulant
   5. REACH INDUSTRIES – AI-powered Visual Lab Intelligence
   6. ReadyGo – Diagnostic Platforms and Assays
   7. Light Trace Photonics – Photonic Chip Components
   8. Moropo – Automated Mobile App Testing
   9. PLUG Charging – EV Charging Solutions
   10. Observer – Real-Time Website Monitoring

How did we choose these 10 Bristol tech companies?

We rely on innovation data from StartUs Insights’ Discovery Platform, which tracks 4.7 million startups, scaleups, and tech companies worldwide. We filtered by location, founding year, technology readiness, and employee count, reducing the pool to 500 startups in Bristol. From this pool, we identified 10 standout startups by analyzing funding information and our proprietary popularity metric, Signal Strength. Signal Strength evaluates a company’s influence within the global innovation ecosystem. Let’s take a look!

1. GenomeKey

• Founding Year: 2019
• Industry: Biotechnology
• Technology: Targeted Sepsis Treatment

GenomeKey offers an in vitro diagnostic (IVD) device that reduces the time required for targeted sepsis treatment from days to hours. It utilizes DNA sequencing directly from patient blood samples, followed by machine learning to interpret bacterial genomes. This delivers rapid identification of pathogens and their antibiotic resistance profiles. GenomeKey’s technology bypasses slow bacterial culture processes to provide high-accuracy and low-cost results with pathogen coverage. This enables clinicians to administer precise antimicrobial treatments much earlier to save lives, reduce healthcare costs, and preserve the efficacy of antibiotics for future use.

2. Awaretag

• Founding Year: 2019
• Industry: PropTech, Real Estate
• Technology: Damp, Mold and Insulation Sensors

Awaretag provides damp, mold, and insulation sensors to detect and address common building issues. Its wireless sensors are battery-powered and monitor environmental conditions in real-time to collect data on factors like humidity, temperature, and airflow. The collected data is analyzed using strong analytics to determine the root causes of dampness, mold growth, and insulation deficiencies. This guides appropriate remediation actions and saves time for property owners and housing associations. Awaretag improves living conditions and optimizes maintenance and retrofit decisions.

3. Smart PPR

• Founding Year: 2021
• Industry: Aviation
• Technology: PPR Request System

Smart PPR provides a web-based PPR (prior permission required) request system that streamlines airfield operations by enabling efficient management of PPR requests. Its platform allows pilots to submit PPR requests from any device, while airfields manage landing fees, approvals, and schedules through an intuitive dashboard. The system offers features like automated approvals, customizable landing fee structures, and integration of payment options for a better experience. Additionally, Smart PPR’s embeddable widget lets airfields retain website visitors, and its reporting tools facilitate quick access to crucial data. Smart PPR enhances airfield efficiency, reduces administrative workload, and improves overall service quality for pilots and airfield operators by optimizing PPR handling.

4. Glaia

• Founding Year: 2019
• Industry: Agriculture
• Technology: Carbon-based Biostimulant

Glaia develops a carbon-based biostimulant that enhances photosynthesis efficiency in plants to improve agricultural productivity. The biostimulant increases the absorption of solar energy at a cellular level using nanotechnology inspired by natural carbon materials. It results in more biomass production without requiring additional fertilizers or water inputs. It is applied through foliar spray or irrigation methods which show yield improvements in crops such as tomatoes, lettuce, and strawberries. Glaia enables growers to achieve higher yields, maintain crop quality, and contribute to a more sustainable food production system by optimizing photosynthesis.

5. REACH INDUSTRIES

• Founding Year: 2019
• Industry: Life Sciences
• Technology: AI-powered Visual Lab Intelligence Platform

REACH INDUSTRIES develops Lumi, an AI-powered visual lab intelligence platform to enhance scientific research. Lumi uses computer vision, AI, and machine learning to capture and analyze experimental data hands-free to provide scientists with real-time monitoring, live streaming, and automated data collection. The platform integrates with lab workflows to reduce manual tasks and ensure data integrity. The platform’s features improve compliance and collaboration for distributed labs and offer insights into experimental processes. REACH INDUSTRIES accelerates R&D, enhances reproducibility, and enables scientists to focus on innovation rather than administrative tasks by augmenting human capabilities.

6. ReadyGo

• Founding Year: 2020
• Industry: Healthcare
• Technology: Diagnostic Platforms and Assays

ReadyGo offers diagnostic platforms and assays that simplify testing and make it more accessible and decentralized. Its product range includes devices like Geo, a portable molecular test platform, and Snapcollect, a sample collection tool that integrates with various diagnostic tests. It allows easier collection and testing in diverse settings. These products are used in human healthcare, agriculture, veterinary, and forensic diagnostics. They offer features such as rapid sample collection and compatibility with lateral flow and molecular tests. ReadyGo enhances the reliability and efficiency of diagnostics by combining advanced engineered materials and proprietary chemistry. The company makes lab-grade testing available anytime, anywhere, reducing costs and ensuring accuracy across multiple applications.

7. Light Trace Photonics

• Founding Year: 2021
• Industry: Materials, Electronics
• Technology: Photonic Chip Components

Light Trace Photonics provides photonic chip components to accelerate integrated photonic product development. Its verified components enable the design and fabrication of advanced photonic systems that allow engineers to create efficient and high-performance integrated circuits. Additionally, the company offers LightPort:Edu, a training module that provides hands-on experience with programmable photonic chips. It is equipped with an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) and detailed lesson plans. Its key features include plug-and-play reconfiguration, exposure to photonic elements like waveguides, and various programmable components for practical learning. Light Trace Photonics enhances both product development and education in integrated photonics by simplifying photonic chip integration and providing accessible training tools.

8. Moropo

• Founding Year: 2022
• Industry: Information Technology
• Technology: Automated Mobile App Tests

Moropo provides automated mobile app testing technology that allows developers to build, run, and scale open-source test scripts without writing any code. The platform leverages an intuitive interface to automate various aspects of mobile app testing to reduce the time and effort needed to ensure app quality. Its features include code-free test script creation, scalable automation capabilities, and integration with existing development workflows. Moropo ensures mobile applications meet quality standards by enabling more comprehensive app testing in a fraction of the time. This provides a reliable solution for developers to safeguard app performance and user experience efficiently.

9. PLUG Charging

• Founding Year: 2021
• Industry: Mobility
• Technology: EV Charge Delivery

PLUG Charging offers EV charge solutions through its fleet of mobile and fixed charging stations leveraging green hydrogen and other clean fuels. Its mobile chargers provide rapid on-demand charging services directly to electric vehicles, which are managed via a user-friendly app. Further, the fixed station model offers charging infrastructure for landowners to create new revenue opportunities with solutions ranging from installation to driver access through the app. Both on-grid and off-grid options allow for rapid scalability without the limitations of traditional grid connections. PLUG Charging makes electric vehicle charging convenient, sustainable, and economically beneficial for users and stakeholders by addressing the lack of fast charging points.

10. Observer

• Founding Year: 2024
• Industry: Cross Industry
• Technology: Real-time Website Monitoring

Observer provides real-time website monitoring technology that tracks performance metrics, uptime, and user experience signals around the clock. Its monitoring suite gathers data on website operations, while its alert system sends immediate notifications for any downtime, performance drops, or security concerns. The company also features optimization tools to offer actionable SEO and performance suggestions and includes reporting and archiving for historical data analysis. Its backup and testing solutions ensure data security and resilience against high traffic. Observer enables website owners to enhance performance, reliability, and user engagement by combining comprehensive monitoring, optimization insights, and proactive alerts.

Explore the Bristol Startup Ecosystem

The startups in Bristol’s ecosystem comprise 500+ companies with an average of 15 employees each, indicating a vibrant community of small, agile enterprises poised for growth. This ecosystem is particularly strong in sectors like marketing, fintech, food and beverages, healthcare, and manufacturing, highlighting its diverse focus on both emerging and essential industries. Key investors, including the Development Bank of Wales, Innovate UK, SFC Capital, Tech Nation, and Green Angel Ventures, provide backing, which reflects confidence in the ecosystem’s potential for impactful innovation.

Predominant funding types include seed, early-stage VC/series A, angel, pre-seed, and accelerator/incubator funding, suggesting a supportive environment for early-stage ventures. For Bristol tech companies, this means access to diverse financial resources and sector-specific expertise, while corporates engaging with these startups benefit from the opportunity to co-innovate with dynamic, well-supported teams across multiple industries. This is just the tip of the iceberg. For personalized insights into the local or global startup ecosystem, depending on your needs, get in touch with us. We can provide tailored information and analysis to help you navigate the vibrant startup landscape.