Finalists for the South East in a new Ƶ-wide awards initiative championing the best in start-ups and entrepreneurial activity can been revealed.
The has been launched to recognise the booming startup scene across the Ƶ which has accelerated since the pandemic began. In 2020, when most of the world was shutting down, more than 400,000 startups were set up in Britain, with similar increases seen in other European countries.
This marked boost in nascent 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 South East startups that made the shortlist are a true snapshot of the future economy, with a collective turnover of almost £15m and employing 362 people between them.
One finalist said: “The South East is incredible for its network of like-minded businesses. They are extremely forward-thinking; the companies in our region care about technology and their impact on the environment.”
The cohort of finalists announced today will be considered for the regional prizes by a panel of seasoned judges with experience founding or supporting entrepreneurial ventures. This includes South East-based Joel Dalton, co-founder of Clone Media, Jo Tutchener-Sharp, founder of Scamp & Dude, and Kate Hills, founder of Make it British.
Supported nationally by BT, EY, Dell & Intel, the programme will celebrate the achievements of the amazing individuals across the Ƶ 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 , the new series follows the success of the Wales StartUp Awards, after organisers recognised the exceptional potential in the startup 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 startups we’ve heard from since then, as well as the huge post-pandemic shift in people’s desires 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 the South East in this first year and truly look forward to crowning the winners.”
The South East final will take place at Reading SU on 21st June 2022.
This year’s StartUp Awards National Series finalists from the South East are:
B2B Services StartUp
Founded by James Lee
Founded by Harriet Smith
Founded by Jade Scotney
Founded by Helen Brown & Orla Murphy
Founded by Rebecca & Daniel Brown
, Founded by Kate Hesk
B2C Services StartUp
Founded by Emily Hale
Founded by Olli Astley & Mima Rybanska
Founded by Meg Roundell Greene
Founded by Fleur Emery
Founded by Patrick Brown & Robert Kemp
Construction & Building Services StartUp
Founded by Elise Jalon
, Founded by Alan Gillett
Founded by Nic Cory
Creative StartUp
Founded by Hannah Springett
Founded by Aysha Powell, Francesca Moody & George Perrin MBE
Founded by Nikki Owen & Robert Wagner
Founded by Tushar Sharma
Digital StartUp
Founded by Shabbir Mookhtiar
Founded by Kathy Kyle Bonomini & David Worsell
Founded by Olli Astley & Mima Rybanska
Founded by Deborah Reid
Founded by Terry Cannon
Fintech StartUp
Founded by Richard Jackson
Founded by Jamie Stokes & Daniel Stanton
Founded by Les Jeal
Founded by Kevin Ludford
Food and Drink StartUp
Founded by Tim Davies & Michael Naylor
Founded by Imran Hamid
, Founded by Alex Lewis & Charlie Fermor
Founded by Tom Dale
Founded by Suzie Walker
Global StartUp
Founded by Alex Fordham
Founded by Samuel Freeman
Founded by Ryan McSorley
Graduate StartUp
Founded by Jessica Muscio & Molly Cook
Founded by Remy Beaumont
Founded by George Bacon
Founded by Sonny Drinkwater & Joshua Barley
Green StartUp
Founded by Shiv Misra
Founded by Alex Watson
Founded by Victoria Coe
Founded by Rory Dickens
Founded by Thom Groot
Founded by Jonathan & Thomas Mbu
Innovative StartUp
Founded by Maddelena Bergen
Founded by Laura Roeder
Founded by Christopher Denman, Rolandas Lakavicius & Stephen Goldsmith
, Founded by Debbie Medlin & Mandy Nicholls
Manufacturing & Engineering StartUp
Founded by Luke Smith & Chris Hibbert
Founded by Alex Taylor & Jamie Smith
Founded by Mike Mockford
Mobile & Emerging Technologies StartUp
Founded by Sadie Chillingworth
Founded by Olli Astley & Mima Rybanska
Founded by Ricky Laub-Turner & Alexander Milan Varmuza
Online Retail StartUp
Founded by Simon Hassett
, Founded by Farhana Haque & Henry Draine
Founded by Dave Weller
Founded by Elizabeth Cook & Gemma Wareham
Professional Services StartUp
Founded by Paul Reilly & Joe Corcoran
Founded by Hannah Chapman, Ben Wallin & Daniel Cox
Founded by Sarah Roads & Anna Smith
Founded by Daniel De La Cruz
Founded by Ray Nicholls
Social StartUp
Founded by Nikki Mears & Nick Boothroyd
, Founded by Ebony Lyon & Curtis Ackie
Founded by Benjamin Checkley
Tourism & Leisure StartUp
Founded by Catherine Grinyer & Sarah Florence
Founded by Chris Beaumont & Simon Richardson
Founded by Chris Brant
Rising Star Award
Founded by Aimée Kwan, Linda Wei, Francesca Verceles-Zara & Yin Ting Lau
Founded by Ben Smyth
Founded by Jacqueline Hamilton
Founded by Eduardo Salazar & Julio Guijarro
Founded by Luke McMillan
Founded by James Gayle
Founded by Georgia Macaulay
Founded by Jo & Darren Howton
Founded by Sina Sadrzadeh
Founded by Jonny Leung
Young Entrepreneur
Founded by Patrick Brown & Robert Kemp
Founded by Jamie Stokes & Daniel Stanton
Founded by Hannah Chapman, Ben Wallin & Daniel Cox
Founded by Harriet Smith
For the full list of national finalist click
