Scaling Britain

Scaling Britain 2025

Key insights into the backgrounds of The Sunday Times Hundred 2025 founders

Trends and insights

The founders of The Sunday Times Hundred 2025 represent some of the UK’s most dynamic and influential business leaders, driving innovation and growth in today’s competitive landscape. These entrepreneurs have built organisations from the ground up, navigating challenges, seizing opportunities and shaping the future of their industries.

But what does it take to reach this level of success? Robert Half explores the career paths of these leaders, uncovering the key traits, experiences and decisions that set them apart. Our analysis identifies the hiring, leadership and growth trends that define today’s most successful founders and reveals the strategies that helped them turn ideas into the fastest growing businesses in the UK.

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Top findings

A homegrown ecosystem with a global edge

90% of founders are UK nationals, underscoring the accessibility of the domestic start-up environment.

International founders – 10% of the list – contribute diverse perspectives, cross-border networks and overseas market insight.

London remains the start-up capital (35% of founders) yet Manchester (9%), Wales (6%) and Scotland (2%) are gaining ground.

No single ‘right age’ to start

Founder ages range from 17 to 68.

The average founder is 42, balancing youthful ambition with seasoned expertise.

42% launched their businesses in their 20s.

Generational strengths

Younger founders dominate in fast-moving consumer brands, especially in fashion and beauty.

More mature founders excel in complex, high-value sectors such as consulting and tech services.

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