NEWS
Technology leads the way at start-up awards
Speaking at the awards ceremony, judge and founder David Lester said:“ These are clearly uncertain times for British business but these exciting start-ups are proof that by being innovative, agile and customer-centric, it is possible for even small companies to disrupt multi-million pound industries.”
The rising stars of British business were celebrated at The Startups Awards, with winners selected from a diverse range of fields including pet food, pensions and personal grooming. The key factor linking the winners was the way they have embraced technology to help customers and disrupt established industries.
Among the start-ups taking the plaudits were innovative background checking platform Onfido, who not only won Tech Business of the Year and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, but also scooped the main prize as Sage Startups Business of the Year.
Software company Netduma also walked away with two awards, winning Export Business of the Year and Lean Start-up of the Year, while shaving subscription service Cornerstone won the public vote to take the People’ s Champion Award.
The awards, sponsored by Sage, hailed winners across 15 categories who had all been scrutinised by an expert judging panel including Cath Kidston MBE, Emma Sinclair MBE and Dragons’ Den star Nick Jenkins. Winners were selected on commercial criteria such as revenue and profit, but also the kind of visionary leadership shown and the companies’ wider contribution to society.
The full list of awards
• Onfido: Next-generation background checking platform used by thousands of companies worldwide. Winners of Sage Startups Business of the Year, Tech Business of the Year and Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
• Netduma: Software company combating broadband lag and internet congestion. Winners of Export Business of the Year and Lean Start-up of the Year
• Cornerstone: Online subscription company offering razors and shaving products. Voted by the public for the People’ s Champion Award.
• Pip & Nut: Healthy, natural nut butter brand winning fans across the UK. Founder Pip Murray is the winner of the Women in Business Award.
• Laundrapp: Innovative laundry app cleaning up in more than 100 locations across the UK. Winners of App of the Year.
• Tails. com: Dog food brand tailored to each pet’ s individual needs. Winners of Product Business of the Year.
• Lovespace: Revolutionising the £ 1bn self-storage industry. Winners of Crowdfunded Business of the Year.
• PensionBee: Online user-friendly platform shaking up the pensions industry. Winners of Innovative Business of the Year.
• Cubitts: Spectacle retailer combining cutting edge technology with traditional craft. Winners of Retail Business of the Year.
• Housekeep: Home cleaner booking platform now delivering 10,000 cleans per month. Winners of Service Business of the Year.
• ClearScore: Free credit-scoring platform serving 2.5 million users. Winners of Venture Funded Business of the Year.
• Heritage Healthcare Ealing & Richmond: Specialist homecare service provider serving local communities. Winners of Franchisee of the Year.
High profile judges named for inaugural Small Awards
Former Business Secretary Sir Vince Cable, former Culture Minister Ed Vaizey and 2014 Apprentice winner Mark Wright are among the judges for a new awards scheme specifically for small and micro-businesses around the UK.
The Small Awards offers ten categories for small businesses across multiple sectors and areas of activity, including high street businesses, family businesses, start-ups and business-to-business companies, as well as those that export, and even companies that contribute most to their community.
One of the individual category winners will then be named overall Small Business of the Year. Entrants will be shortlisted with judging completed ahead of the awards ceremony in London on May 25.
Cable said:“ The UK has a great track record in enabling fantastic small businesses to grow and develop, whether they are traditional or family-owned businesses at the heart of their particular areas, or those with the potential for high growth and innovation. I think we are going to be able to recognise some great examples of Britain’ s entrepreneurial spirit and some businesses that will set an example that others can follow.”
The full list of categories is:
• High Street Hero- Best high street business
• Bricks and Clicks Award- Best multi-channel small business
• Legacy Award-Best family business
• Supply Chain Champion- Best B2B business
• Home And Away- Best exporting business
• New Kid On The Block- Best business start-up( less than 18 months)
• Digital Star- Best digital only business
• Marketing Genius- Best marketing campaign
• Heart Of Gold- The business that contributes most to its community
• At Your Service- Best small service business
• The Beat Goes On Award- Best use of music in a business
• Small Business Of The Year Award
Stewart wins approval
Stewart, the SME which makes plastic gardening and catering products, is one of 14 elite British businesses chosen to be featured in the Parliamentary Review, Manufacturing Edition 2015 / 2016. The review looks at the parliamentary year with emphasis on trade, industry and manufacturing.
Andy Burns, managing director at Stewart, said:“ We’ re delighted to feature. As a UK manufacturer with a heritage stretching back over 70 years, we’ re proud of our contribution to the country’ s economy, so it’ s highly rewarding to be one of only a selection of businesses included.”
8 SME www. smeweb. com