4. Hailo

Founders: Jay Bregman, Russell Hall, Gary Jackson, Terry Runham, Caspar Woolley, Ron Zeghibe
Founded: July 2011
Website: www.hailocab.com

When the venture capital firms behind Facebook, Groupon and Spotify decide to invest (plus the founders of Skype), there’s a good chance the company concerned has got something going for it. Hailo already claims to have the largest app-based taxi network in the world, enabling customers to order a licensed cab with a mere two taps to their iPhone or Android device. Founded by three experienced entrepreneurs and three London cabbies, Hailo takes a 10% cut of every booking.

The app has now been downloaded well in excess of 300,000 times and works in four cities globally – London (which has 19,000 black cabs), Chicago, Toronto, and Dublin – with more locations to follow. Bregman (who co-founded eCourier.co.uk with Shutl’s Tom Allason) claims a Hailo cab is booked every minute of every day in London – demonstrating what a yawning gap in the market he has discovered.