These are the five most successful start-ups of the past year

Every year, start-ups spring up, daring to try something new. Research shows that 90% of start-ups fail, but at MASTERS, the glass is always half full and we look at the 10% that do make it and are successful. According to the annual LinkedIn Top Startups list , these five startups are among the absolute best of the past year.Text: Patrick StofferThe list is compiled based on a combination of factors such as interaction with the company, staff growth, number of employees and the extent to which the company is able to attract the best talent. In addition, turnover and investment also play an important role in making this list.

1. Picnic Technologies

The way people shop for groceries these days has changed considerably in recent years. And Picnic has responded well to that. Where people used to depend on the supermarket, they can now easily have groceries delivered to their door via an app. Online supermarket Picnic has raised another €600 million by 2021 to grow in Germany and France. One of the generous donors was computer magnate Bill Gates. Picnic was founded in 2015 by Frederik Nieuwenhuys, Bas Verheijen, Joris Beckers and Michiel Muller. The latter spoke about his success and career in the podcast series Uitblinkers. Listen to it here.

2. Crisp

Online supermarkets are in demand; the number two on this list also falls into this category. The Internet supermarket believes that local food supply will be the future and therefore awards itself this USP: quality products from the region. The start-up was founded in 2018 and received a hefty €30 million investment in 2021. After a year where the company faced a hefty loss of €8.5 million, the company has since grown strongly and Crisp is now making a profit, according to CEO Tom Peters.

3. Felyx

It is now impossible to imagine big cities without the green two-wheelers: Felyx shared scooters. In 2017, the first scooters rode the canals of Amsterdam and are now shared in eight Dutch cities. And the Netherlands is not the end station. After Felyx raised €24 million just last year, the company wants to operate to Germany and France. The competition is not sitting still either and is making significant inroads. Meanwhile, Check and GO shared scooters are also cruising the streets of major cities.

4. Otrium

When physical outlet centers had to close their doors, online shops began to proliferate. So did online fashion outlet Otrium, which sells leftover stock from fashion brands such as Karl Lagerfeld. It is the so-called winner of the corona crisis. The online platform, which was founded in 2016, raised €100 million just last year and today operates in 11 European countries and the US.

5. Lightyear

Brabant-based Lightyear has been developing an electric car with built-in solar panels since 2016. Just last year, the solar car producer raised €93 million euros, with which it is exploring options for an IPO, among other things. The production of the cars is not done under the rivers, but in Finland.