Wales makes up around 3.1% of the UK’s active companies. Among them are some well-known names that first started out here. Iceland Foods Ltd was founded back in 1970, moneysupermarket.com became a familiar name in the world of price comparison, and Coffee #1 began as a single café before growing into a chain.

In this third part of the series, we’ll take a closer look at Wales’ business landscape today, from the companies driving growth to the broader trends shaping activity across the nation.

Discover the Welsh business landscape

Before we get into the companies that made the list, let’s take a wider look and explore Wales’ business landscape overall.

Currently in Wales, there are currently 155k active companies. Out of those active companies, 46.1k are headquartered in Cardiff — approximately 30% of the total.

Industries and sectors

Diving into industries we can see some overlap with England and Scotland, in particular over three industries, two of which have featured in all three nations’ top three industries, and one of which featured in two.
Application software, which came in second place in England, came in at number four for Wales (as it did for Scotland), with 5.5%.

Gender balance of directors

In Wales, 62% of active companies were founded entirely by men, while 15% were started by all-women teams. A further 16% of companies were established by founding teams with an equal gender balance.

These figures, as with Scotland, closely reflect the UK-wide picture, where 62% of active companies have all-male founding teams, and 17% were founded solely by women.

Foundations and cessations

Looking at Welsh company foundations and cessations, there’s a deviation from what we saw with England and Scotland. So far in 2025, Wales has seen a record number of cessations — 62.6k — much higher than last year’s total of 48.6k. From 2023, cessations have been increasing rapidly.

And we’re seeing a similar story with company foundations. Foundations in Wales climbed every year from 2016 to 2023, where Wales had an all-time high of 62.6k. However, they have since begun to drop each year, and in 2025 there have only been 18.2k company foundations so far.

Equity investment in Wales

Our recent report, The State of UK Investment, explores all equity investment into UK companies made in H1 2025.

The report found that in H1 2025 Wales secured 2% of the UK’s deals and 1% of the total amount invested — third place behind England and Scotland, but beating Northern Ireland. However, this was a 34% drop in the number of deals and an 80% drop in the amount invested compared to H2 2024.

Want a more detailed breakdown of equity investment in the UK? Read the report.

Wales’ fastest-growing companies

To make our list of Wales’ high-growth companies, we’ve used data from the Beauhurst platform, which was used in conjunction with research from the Sunday Times to create the Sunday Times Hundred. This ranking, published in the Sunday Times on 29th June, ranks the UK’s fastest growing companies by sales growth over a three year period.

Seven Welsh companies made the list in 2025 — Here is the lineup:

07. LITELOK
Location: Swansea
Growth rate: 59.2%

Founded in 2013 by engineer Neil Barron, Litelok is a Swansea-based company tackling bike theft with innovative, lightweight security solutions. The company manufactures its products in a solar-powered Welsh factory and has grown rapidly, earning a place on The Sunday Times Hundred.

Litelok’s standout invention is Barronium®, a ceramic composite developed with Swansea University that resists angle-grinder attacks by damaging the tool itself. Alongside this, the company offers wearable belt-style locks and lighter everyday models, all independently rated for security.

With sales reaching over £5m in 2024, and much of its growth coming from international markets, Litelok has established itself as a leader in high-security bike and motorcycle locks.

06. Brand Hatchers
Location: Cardiff
Growth rate: 80.1%

Founded in 2019 by a father–daughter duo Chris Howarth and Emily Griffiths, Brand Hatchers is a Cardiff-based brand-building agency with global ambitions. Their journey began with the revitalisation of Brain Blasterz, a sour-candy brand acquired in 2019. Through a branding refresh, product innovation, and global distribution, it’s now a leading sour candy in Europe and the Middle East.

Building on that success, Brand Hatchers has since launched two more brands: Nurture by Nature, a personal-care gifting line, and Guitar Lab, focused on guitar accessory gifts.

As well as appearing on The Sunday Times Hundred, the company has featured on the Wales Fast Growth 50, and the The King’s Awards for International Trade.

05. Tŷ Nant
Location: Bethania
Growth rate: 100%

Tŷ Nant is a natural mineral water company based in Bethania, Ceredigion, at the edge of the Cambrian Mountains in Wales. The spring was first identified in 1976 and the water was introduced commercially in 1989 at London’s Savoy Hotel.

The brand became well known for its distinctive cobalt blue glass bottles, which have won design awards and later expanded into other formats including red glass, PET plastic, and the TAU range in clear glass. Today, Tŷ Nant water is drawn from a protected 300-acre site and bottled at the company’s facility in Bethania.

In recent years, Tŷ Nant has expanded through acquisitions. In late 2024 it purchased Fonthill Water and Decantae Mineral Water, followed in 2025 by the acquisition of Strathmore Water from A.G. Barr.

04. Solar Buddies
Location: Cwmbran
Growth rate: 141%

Solar Buddies is a sunscreen company, founded in 2011 by Kelli Aspland and Laura Waters, who are both still directors and primary shareholders.

The idea for Solar Buddies originated from Kelli and Laura’s shared concern for children’s sun safety. They developed a refillable, child-friendly sunscreen applicator that simplifies and reduces the mess of applying sun protection, particularly within the constraints of school environments.

The company featured on Dragons’ Den in 2023, where they secured an £80k investment from Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden.

03. Coffi Lab
Location: Cardiff
Growth rate: 156%

Coffi Lab is a coffee shop chain based in Wales and the southwest of England. The brand was launched in 2021 by entrepreneur James Shapland, who had previously founded Coffee#1 and sold it in 2011.

Since then, Coffi Lab has expanded to operate ten stores — including several in and around Cardiff, Monmouthshire, and parts of England.

In December 2024, the company received a £1.70m investment from the Development Bank of Wales. As well as featuring on The Sunday Times Hundred, it has also featured on two other high-growth lists: Wales Fast Growth 50, and FEBE Growth 100.

02. Hair Syrup
Location: Pembrokeshire
Growth rate: 167%

Headquartered in Pembrokeshire, Hair Syrup specialises in natural, plant-powered pre-wash hair oil treatments, formulated to nourish the scalp, improve shine, and address concerns like breakage, dryness, and itchiness.

The brand saw substantial growth through social media, particularly TikTok. A viral video of founder Lucie Macleod’s homemade routine garnered hundreds of thousands of views and pushed customer demand skyward. As a result, Hair Syrup entered retail partnerships with outlets including Boots, Superdrug, ASOS, and Beauty Bay.

Lucie Macleod also appeared on Dragons’ Den, where she was passed over for investment, but the publicity triggered a 66% boost in sales, alongside a surge in social media followers and expanded media interest.

01. de Novo Solutions
Location: Newport
Growth rate: 187%

de Novo Solutions is a digital transformation consultancy based in Newport, founded in June 2021 by Mark Sweeny and Tim Warner. The company specialises in implementing and supporting Oracle Cloud and ServiceNow technologies, focusing on enhancing operations in Finance, HR, Payroll, and Procurement sectors for both public and private organisations .

Since its inception, de Novo Solutions has experienced significant growth. By May 2025, the company reported annual sales of £9.8m, marking a 187% increase over three years. The firm has expanded its global presence, including the opening of an office in India in March 2025.

In recognition of its rapid growth and entrepreneurial success, de Novo Solutions was ranked eighth in The Sunday Times Hundred, and number one on our list of Wales’ fastest-growing companies.

Access live data on the UK and beyond

If you want to stay ahead of the curve and keep an eye on Wales’ most exciting scaleups, as well as fast-growing businesses across the UK and major European hubs like Germany, Beauhurst has everything you need. Our platform delivers up-to-date intelligence on ambitious companies, helping you spot the organisations driving the economy of the future.

With advanced search functionality, real-time company alerts, and extensive coverage of the UK’s high-growth landscape — now complemented by full coverage of Germany’s economy and innovation scene — you’ll always have the inside track on opportunities others might miss.

Expert Advice: How GS Verde Group Supports Wales’ Fastest-Growing Companies

Wales is home to some of the UK’s most dynamic businesses, with sectors such as technology, life sciences, and manufacturing driving remarkable growth. As highlighted in Beauhurst’s latest report on the Fastest Growing Companies in Wales, this thriving landscape shows how ambition, innovation and resilience continue to fuel the region’s success.

But rapid growth also brings complexity. Whether securing investment, managing acquisitions, or planning for long-term sustainability, businesses need more than ambition; they need specialist guidance to navigate fast-moving markets with confidence.

That’s why GS Verde Group works with ambitious companies across Wales, providing expert legal, financial and strategic advice. By combining corporate finance, law, tax, accountancy and communications under one roof, our multi-discipline model delivers integrated support that helps businesses scale effectively, attract investment, and achieve successful exits.

From high-growth tech firms and energy innovators, to established manufacturers embracing expansion, GS Verde supports Welsh businesses at every stage of their journey. Our goal is simple: to empower you with the expertise needed to turn opportunity into lasting success.

To explore the companies making an impact in Wales right now, visit: Fastest Growing Companies in Wales – Beauhurst