Accolade as UK’s most-sustainable start-up for Bath firm setting sail on a mission to reap ocean wind

January 16, 2025
By

A Bath-based company aiming to use hi-tech sailing vessels to generate green energy at sea has been hailed as the UK’s most-sustainable new business.

DRIFT Energy, which last summer raised £4.65m to fund its next stage of growth, has also been named among the UK’s best start-ups.

The Startups 100 Index for 2025, in which DRFIT appears at number 11, lists the top 100 UK new firms with the highest growth potential for the year ahead.

The Startups 100 Sustainability Award celebrates businesses that demonstrate innovative and impactful sustainability practices while also recognising sustainability leaders who prioritise the health of the planet as part of their company mission.

DRIFT’s high-performance, state-of-the-art sailing ships will harness deep ocean wind to produce green energy and deliver it globally.

They do this using a unique, AI-enabled vessel-routing algorithm that enables them to find and stay in optimum weather conditions, returning to port when their tanks are full.

The firm eventually hopes to deploy a fleet of ‘DRIFT ships’ to meet the growing demand for clean hydrogen to accelerate the decarbonisation of sectors such as heavy industry, transportation and manufacturing is sparking innovation in the sector. 

Green hydrogen, produced via electrolysis using renewable energy, has a much lower carbon footprint than ‘grey’ hydrogen, which is produced from natural gas through steam methane reforming.

DRIFT founder and CEO Ben Medland said: “The UK is a hotbed of innovative and exciting startups tackling a multitude of important challenges of our time, so to be listed among them is a great honour.

“It’s also the ultimate motivation to keep working towards bringing our vision of ‘Oceans of Energy’ to life with a fleet of net positive energy ships.”

Run by Startups.co.uk, the website for entrepreneurs, the Startups 100 offers a showcase of new businesses that demonstrate innovation, solid financials, opportunity in their market, a great concept and a strong customer base or following.

The list has previously identified successful brands including Monzo, Deliveroo and HelloFresh.

Startups.co.uk editor Zohra Huda said: “Amidst the gloom-and-doom headlines, our annual Startups 100 Index provides a much-needed jolt of optimism.

“These 100 companies, a diverse list of innovators from every sector and region, show that the grit and ingenuity of entrepreneurship is still very much alive.

“Despite the challenges, the UK is still a fertile ground for disruption and world-leading technologies, and these companies will be leading the charge to recovery and growth in 2025.”

 

 

Comments are closed.

ADVERTISE HERE

Reach tens of thousands of senior business people across the Bath area for just £75 a month. Email info@bath-business.net for more information.