Saber founders join 42 Under 42 after £13m revenue

Jakub Lenski and Mitch Shephard have been named in Insider Media's 42 Under 42 list, following growth at their Manchester AI company, Saber.

The co-founders, aged 26 and 28, were included in the North West ranking of young business leaders as Saber reported £13m in annual recurring revenue. It said it reached that level without external investment or a dedicated sales team.

Founded in 2024, Saber develops artificial intelligence software for regulated organisations handling large volumes of correspondence and documents. Its system is designed to automate workflows while fitting into existing business systems rather than replacing them.

The business said it has processed more than five million cases across UK insurance, mass claims and financial operations. It says its focus is on reducing manual work in operations where staff still review and approve outcomes.

The founders' inclusion on the list adds to a period of recognition for the company. Earlier this year, Saber was named UK Technology Startup of the Year and National Overall Startup of the Year at the UK Startup Awards.

Insider Media's 42 Under 42 list highlights entrepreneurs in the North West based on factors including business growth, innovation, financial performance and local impact. Saber's appearance places Lenski and Shephard among a group of younger regional founders attracting attention as AI businesses expand beyond London.

Bootstrapped growth

Saber's growth stands out partly because it has been self-funded. In a market where many AI start-ups have relied on venture capital to scale, the Manchester company said it built revenue organically without a formal sales operation.

That approach may appeal to investors and industry observers watching whether newer AI companies can turn adoption into repeat income rather than relying on external capital. For businesses serving regulated sectors, sustained revenue is often tied to proving that tools can fit into established compliance processes and legacy technology.

Saber's product is aimed at that challenge. The company said its software automates the handling of correspondence and documents in complex, high-volume environments while retaining human oversight.

It also said its platform is system-agnostic, meaning it can connect with existing record systems and other integrations. According to the company, this allows customers to change workflow processes without removing core infrastructure.

Regulated sectors

Saber's focus on regulated industries gives it a distinct position within the wider AI market. Insurance, financial operations and large-scale claims processing often involve repetitive administrative work, but they also require auditability and controls that can slow the adoption of new software.

By targeting those sectors, the company is addressing a part of the economy where automation can reduce manual handling at scale, but where businesses are often cautious about replacing existing processes outright. Saber said its model keeps human review in place while shifting repetitive stages of work to software.

The founders have built the company in Manchester rather than in one of the more established AI hubs in the South East. The latest recognition is likely to increase scrutiny of regional technology businesses building scale outside traditional venture-backed start-up centres.

Commenting on the recognition, Mitch Shephard, co-founder of Saber, said: "Building Saber into the business it is today has been an incredible journey, and being recognised in this way is a proud moment for us. We built Saber with a mission to solve real-world challenges, giving businesses a smarter way to handle complex processes.

"This achievement would not have been possible without the dedicated team behind Saber. Their hard work and expertise have been the foundation of the business's success, and this recognition belongs to them as much as it does to us.

"Scaling organically as a bootstrapped business makes this achievement even more rewarding, but this is just the beginning for Saber. The UK's technology sector is continuing to grow, and there is still huge untapped potential to modernise heavily regulated industries using AI. We are thrilled to keep driving that innovation from Manchester."