Tech Track 100 entry criteria

Tech companies

The closing date for nominations for the 2021 league table is 2 July 2021, with publication in September 2021.

• Independent tech* company
• UK registered, unquoted, and not subsidiaries
• Sales of at least £250,000 in the base year (2017 or 2018)
• Sales of at least £5m in the latest year (2020 or 2021)
Year-on-year sales growth in the latest year from 2019 to 2020, or 2020 to 2021
• Trading weeks in the base and latest years have to exceed 25
• Excluded companies include payday lenders, computer resellers and companies that are equal joint ventures, or majority-owned by quoted or other companies. IT consultancies and IT services companies are required to generate a significant proportion of their sales from proprietary technologies
• We reserve the right to change the qualification criteria set out above and to make exceptions. This is not a competition; the compiler’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into
• Companies that do not meet the criteria can still be considered for the Ones to Watch programme. This is a selection of companies that have either achieved, or predict, good sales growth.

*The definition of a technology company is based on the London Stock Exchange’s techMARK definition, i.e. “a company that shows a commitment to innovation, research and product development, and operates in sectors including software, internet, telecoms and biotech.”

Fast Track 100 entry criteria

The closing date for nominations is 1 October, with publication on 5 December 2021.

• UK registered, unquoted, and not subsidiaries
• Sales of at least £250,000 in the base year (2017 or 2018)
• Sales of at least £5m in the latest year (2020 or 2021)
• Year-on-year sales growth in the latest year from 2019 to 2020, or 2020 to 2021
• Ten or more employees in the latest year (2020 or 2021)
• Operating profit of at least £500,000 in the latest year (2020 or 2021)
• Trading weeks in the base and latest years have to exceed 25
• Recruitment firms, payroll services providers, energy firms and media agencies are required to have gross profits of at least £5m. Sales for recruitment and payroll firms represent the total amount invoiced to clients; media agencies’ sales are net of advertising spend on behalf of clients
• Companies that do not meet all the criteria can still be considered for our 10 Fast Track Ones to Watch programme, particularly if they forecast good sales growth

Exclusions

• Technology companies (which appear on Tech Track 100), LLPs, pure property and financial trading companies, and companies with sales of over £500m
• Companies that are equal joint ventures, or majority-owned by quoted or other companies
• We reserve the right to change the qualification criteria set out above and to make exceptions. This is not a competition; the compiler’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into

SME Export Track 100 Entry Criteria

Total sales less than £25m

• UK registered, unquoted, and not subsidiaries
• International sales of at least £150,000 in the base year (2016 or 2017)
• International sales of at least 20% of total sales in the latest year (2018 or 2019)
• Total sales of between £5m and £25m in the latest year (2018 or 2019)
• Year-on-year international sales growth in the latest year from 2017 to 2018, or 2018 to 2019
• Operating profit must be positive in the latest year (2018 or 2019)
• Ten or more employees in the latest year (2018 or 2019)
• Trading weeks in the base and latest years have to exceed 25
• Recruitment firms, payroll services providers and media agencies are required to have gross profits of at least £5m. Sales for recruitment and payroll firms are the total amount invoiced to clients; media agencies’ sales are net of advertising spend on behalf of clients
• Excluded companies include LLPs, pure property and financial trading companies; companies that are equal joint ventures, or majority-owned by quoted or other companies
• We reserve the right to change the qualification criteria set out above and to make exceptions. This is not a competition; the compiler’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into

International Track 200 entry criteria

Total sales £25m-£1bn

Publication is on 21 February 2021

• UK registered, unquoted, and not subsidiaries
• International sales of at least £500,000 in the base year (2017 or 2018)
• International sales of at least £1m in the latest year (2019 or 2020)
• Total sales of at least £25m and less than £1bn in the latest year (2019 or 2020)
• International sales of at least 5% of total sales in the latest year (2019 or 2020)
• Year-on-year international sales growth in the latest year from 2018 to 2019, or 2019 to 2020
• Operating profit must be positive in the latest year (2018 or 2019)
• Ten or more employees in the latest year (2019 or 2020)
• Trading weeks in the base and latest years have to exceed 25
• Recruitment firms, payroll services providers, media agencies and travel agencies are required to have gross profits of at least £5m. Sales for recruitment and payroll firms are the total amount invoiced to clients
• Excluded companies include LLPs, pure property and financial trading companies; companies that are equal joint ventures, or majority-owned by quoted or other companies
• We reserve the right to change the qualification criteria set out above and to make exceptions. This is not a competition; the compiler’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into

Profit Track 100 entry criteria

The closing date for nominations for the 2021 league table is 7 February 2021, with publication in late April 2021.

• UK registered, unquoted, and not subsidiaries
• Profits of at least £500,000 in the base year (2016 or 2017)
• Profits of at least £3m in the latest year (2019 or 2020)
• Profits are defined as operating profits before exceptional items
• Profits must increase in the latest year, from 2018 to 2019, or 2019 to 2020
• Trading weeks in the base and latest years have to exceed 25
• Excluded companies include pure property and financial trading companies, and those with restricted accounts; companies that are equal joint ventures, or majority-owned by quoted or other companies
• Companies that do not meet the criteria can still be considered for the Ones to Watch programme. This is a selection of companies that have either achieved, or predict, good profit growth
• We reserve the right to change the qualification criteria set out above and to make exceptions. This is not a competition; the compiler’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into

Top Track 250 entry criteria

Sales £110m - £700m

The closing date for nominations is 16 July 2021, with publication on 3 October 2021.

• UK registered, unquoted, and not subsidiaries
• Sales are taken as total turnover, net of VAT
• Sales in the latest year must have grown by 5% or more for companies with the highest sales, graduated to 10% for those with lower sales; or profit growth must have been 5% or more
• Companies must also have operating profit margins that exceed 2%
• Trading weeks in the latest year have to exceed 25
• Companies may have their ultimate holding company offshore
• Sales are typically between £110m and £700m

Exclusions

• Companies that are either equal joint ventures, or majority-owned by quoted companies
• Companies with the majority of sales generated by their quoted subsidiaries
• Companies with fewer than 50 staff
• Not-for-profit companies, co-operative societies, mutual societies, provident associations, and member-owned buying groups
• We reserve the right to change the qualification criteria set out above and to make exceptions. This is not a competition; the compiler’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into

Top Track 100 entry criteria

Sales £750m - £25bn

The closing date for nominations is 28 May 2021, with publication in July 2021.

• UK registered, unquoted, and not subsidiaries
• Sales are taken as total turnover, net of VAT
• Companies are not required to be in profit
• Trading weeks in the latest year have to exceed 25
• Companies must have at least 100 staff (average full-time equivalents for the year)
• Bookmakers, betting and gaming companies should provide net revenue
• Companies may have their ultimate holding company offshore
• Sales are typically between £750m and £25bn

Exclusions

• Companies that are either equal joint ventures, or majority-owned by quoted companies
• Pure trading companies and companies with fewer than 100 staff (average full-time equivalents for the year)
• Not-for-profit companies, including co-operative societies, mutual societies, provident associations, and member-owned buying groups
• We reserve the right to change the qualification criteria set out above and to make exceptions. This is not a competition; the compiler’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into