The 100 coolest people in UK tech

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Britain's technology scene includes a broad selection of interesting people working to scale companies, develop cutting-edge research, and shed light on the latest advances in tech.

Business Insider has sorted through the biggest names in UK tech to find the 100 coolest people in 2017.

We define "cool" as having done influential and interesting things — whether it's getting a new job, raising money, or something more off the wall.

Our list includes startup CEOs, as well as journalists, investors, and PR people — and even a drone racer and a chief emoji officer. We've also included how many places people have climbed or fallen since last year's ranking.

Scroll down to see the 100!

Reporting by James Cook, Shona Ghosh, Sam Shead, Rob Price, Edoardo Maggio, and Bobbie Edsor.

UK Tech 100 is sponsored by Getty Images, Upday, and Techspace:

UK Tech 100 sponsors 2017

100. Florence Orban, helping blind people navigate cities with smartphones

Florence Orban is managing director of Wayfindr — an organisation that wants to transform how blind people navigate the world.

The product of a partnership between the Royal London Society for Blind People and development studio ustwo, Wayfindr makes an open standard that companies can use to build navigation aids for people with visual access needs.

It was recently confirmed by the ITU, a United Nations body, as the definitive open standard for audio wayfinding.

Read Business Insider's September 2016 interview with Florence Orban.

Total amount raised: $1 million (£753,000)
Headcount: 1 to 10
Previous rank: N/A
Twitter: @WayfindrStd

99. James Hind wants to make buying a car easy

James Hind is the cofounder and CEO of Carwow, a London-based startup that is seeking to rethink the way people buy cars.

Carwow customers have so far bought over £2 billion worth of cars, with an average saving that the company claims to be at £3,600 for each purchase.

The firm recently secured £30 million in investment from Vitruvian Partners in its Series C round at the end of July, bringing Carwow's total funding almost to £50 million.

Total amount raised: £48.9 million
Headcount: 150
Previous rank: N/A
Twitter: @james_carwow

98. Ismail Ahmed wants to allow everyone to help their loved ones — even from far away

Ismail Ahmed is the founder and CEO of WorldRemit, a money-transfer service that aims to help migrants to send money back to their home countries.

Before launching WorldRemit, Ahmed worked for the UN, where he helped to crack down money-laundering operations.

The company has received nearly £110 million in funding across seven rounds, with six main investors, including Accel Partners, TCV, and Silicon Valley Bank.

The latest round, raised in February last year, was worth $45 million (£34 million), and brought the company's overall valuation to $500 million (£377 million).

Total amount raised: £108.6 million (£81.8 million)
Headcount: 394
Previous rank: 21 (-77)

See the rest of the story at Business Insider