London and East England’s most exciting new businesses have been shortlisted as part of a recently launched awards programme.
The StartUp Awards National Series has been launched to recognise the booming start-up scene across the UK which has accelerated since the pandemic began. In 2020, when most of the world was shutting down, more than 400,000 start-ups were set up in Britain, with similar increases seen in other European countries.
This marked boost in new-found entrepreneurship is mirrored by a huge 2,500 applications which have been received in response to the Startup Awards National Series’ first ever call for entries.
The London and East England start-ups that made the shortlist are a true snapshot of the future economy, with a collective turnover of over £158m and employing 2,228 people between them. Of the region’s passion for entrepreneurship, one finalist said:
“It’s a great place to launch a business as there is a wealth of experienced and skilled talent to work with from full-time to contractors and agencies.
“Many clients are also based here, so it’s easy to meet people face to face and strike up great relationships.”
The cohort of finalists will be considered for the regional prizes by a panel of seasoned judges with experience founding or supporting entrepreneurial ventures. This includes London and East England-based Philip Belament, founder and CEO of Zilch; serial entrepreneur Hugh Chappell; and Wesley Rashid, co-founder and CEO of Accountancy Cloud.
Supported nationally by BT, EY, Dell and Intel, the programme will celebrate the achievements of the amazing individuals across the UK who have turned an idea into an opportunity and taken the risk to launch a new product or service.
Co-founded by the team behind the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, the new series follows the success of the Wales StartUp Awards, after organisers recognised the exceptional potential in the start-up scene across the other British regions.
Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, the creator of the StartUp Awards National Series, said:
“New firms are important for generating economic prosperity, employment opportunities and innovation. Since 2016, the Wales StartUp Awards have celebrated this amazing annual contribution to our economy by entrepreneurs and the impact they have on communities across the nation.
“Given the sheer volume of phenomenal start-ups we’ve heard from since then, as well as the huge post-pandemic shift in people’s desire to take their career in a new direction and set up a business against the odds, we felt it was the right time to take the programme nationwide. We’ve been blown away by the standard of entries from London and East England in this first year and truly look forward to crowning the winners.”
The London and East England final will take place at BoxPark Wembley on June 23, 2022.
Find out more at https://www.nationalstartupawards.com