A RAPIDLY growing home builder has been named in the top 20 of the UK’s most exciting startup businesses joining the likes of Deliveroo and HelloFresh in the hall of fame.

Cumbria-based Genesis Homes was ranked 20th in the Startups 100 list run by popular business publication Startups.co.uk, and was praised by judges for ‘creating modern, welcoming, high-specification new-build developments’.

Genesis Homes was founded by young entrepreneur Nicky Gordon in 2017 and is on course to reach its target of building more than 200 homes a year by 2022.

The Startups 100 list, which has featured the household names of Purplebricks and LendInvest in previous years, ranks small-medium businesses on its innovations and the impact it has on the economy.

Nicky Gordon, the Managing Director of Genesis Homes, said: “The Genesis Homes team is delighted to be ranked so highly among some excellent and forward-thinking new businesses across the UK.

“The Startups 100 is a long-established list of exciting and innovative new businesses and to feature in a top 20 that is heavily dominated by digital and ecommerce companies is testament to the hard work and expertise of our staff.

“To establish ourselves in such a difficult sector with so many challenges to entry in such a short space of time is something I am very proud of.

“Genesis Homes strives to be the best we can be in everything we do and to get high recognition for this feels very rewarding.”

Ranked first in the Startups 100 was Multiverse, a company founded by Euan Blair - the son of former Prime Minister Tony - which uses applied learning programmes and software to help people aged 16-24 years old candidates secure apprenticeships across a number of industries.

Richard Parris, the Managing Editor of Startups.co.uk, said: “After a particularly difficult year for businesses, we are happier than ever to celebrate UK success stories. Every year, the Startups 100 shows how UK businesses are responding to the issues, concerns and trends of the time.

“Entrepreneurs solve problems and you can see UK businesses innovating to meet the challenges of the time - and being very successful whilst doing it.”

To feature in Startups 100, all businesses had to have launched in the past five years, be based in the UK and be privately owned at the time of entering.