A-Star Sports is listed in the nation’s Startups 100 for 2012

The team at Startups announced today the 2012 Startups 100 and A-Star Sports is there amongst the nation’s best.

Steph Welstead and her team said: “The British business press is often accused of pessimism. It’s great, therefore, to be able to share some good news: there’s a crop of phenomenal start-ups in the UK, of which the nation should be extremely proud.  How do we know this? Well, we’ve spent the last four months seeking out the most creative, original, disruptive and downright impressive new companies for the Startups 100 – our pick of the hottest, most exciting start-ups in the UK.”

The list spans franchises, social ventures, disruptive tech companies and mobile apps.  A-Star Sports is in the Startups 100 at number 89.

Steph and her team explained: “To be considered, companies had to have launched on or after 1 January 2009 and be UK based. After that, we were looking for innovation, impressive achievements, a viable business model and growth potential.  Launched in 2008, the Startups 100 was the first and bar-setting countdown of the top 100 start-ups in the country. It’s now our flagship feature, published every two years (you can check out our 2010 Startups 100 list here) and previous winners have gone on to phenomenal successes. Huddle, Shortlist Media, Naked Wines, Wonga and Zoopla are just a few of our alumni, and we have equally high hopes for the companies on our latest list.

The businesses that make it on to the list are described as ‘creative, exciting, and original, the 2012 Startups 100 are a force to be reckoned with’.

Why A-Star Sports made the list:

“This is a good year for sport, thanks to the UK’s hosting of the Olympics, but the co-founders of A-Star Sports, coaches all, are interested in the idea of ‘sport for life’. Their franchise business is designed to make sport fun and accessible for children, and to this end its advisory team includes PE specialists and teachers, child psychologists and authorities in child behaviour management. Its peer-reviewed programme includes weekly classes, parties and holiday club places, as well as regular sessions in nurseries, playgroups and schools, which are attracting more than 3,000 attendees per week. The business is part way through the accreditation process with the British Franchise Association, and the co-founders are focusing on building brand awareness through sport and health-based partnerships and high-profile charity links.”