The most promising new businesses in the North West of England have been recognised at a new awards ceremony last night.
The StartUp Awards National Series debuted this year to highlight the dynamic startup scene across the country that skyrocketed during the pandemic, and has been rolled out in nine UK nations and regions, supported nationally by BT, EY Breakthrough Incentives, Clearco, Dell Technologies & Intel, Moblox, Fearless Adventures and with regional support from Moja Group.
The final was held at the Cotton Sheds in Manchester and saw twenty-one different awards given out to new businesses in categories such as Fintech StartUp of the Year, Innovative StartUp of the Year and Green StartUp of the Year.
The awards were judged by a panel of prominent judges, including successful entrepreneurs and their supporters such as Rimi Thapar of LoveRaw, Michaela Wain of Design & Build Construction, Ash Jones of Great Influence and Sebastien Vanderlinden of Yumi Nutrition.
The StartUp of the Year for the North West was won by Orange County CBD, the wellness supplement brand set up to help people be the very best version of themselves. Established in 2019, the Liverpool-based business has grown to employ 35 people and is focusing on expanding quickly into international markets, having already secured a Spanish distribution partner who has helped develop outreach across Europe.
Originally formed as the Wales StartUp Awards in 2016, the Awards Series has joined forces with the Great British Entrepreneur Awards to take the celebration of newly formed businesses nationwide.
Creator of the awards Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE said the inaugural event not only celebrated the best new firms in the North West of England but recognised the amazing entrepreneurial talent across the nation: “We’re so proud of the amazing reception from all parts of the country for the first year of the StartUp Awards National Series and it was wonderful to be in Manchester last night to showcase the incredible new businesses from across the North West of England.
“As the economy slows down, we will need the creativity, tenacity, and innovation of entrepreneurs to ensure that jobs and prosperity continue to grow in every part of the UK. All the finalists in the North West of England are already making a contribution to their local economies and are set to grow further over the next few years.
“A huge congratulations to all the category winners and especially to the team at Orange County CBD in becoming the StartUp of the Year. They, and many of the other winners, are going to have a major impact on their sector and we look forward to seeing what’s next for these amazing entrepreneurs and their businesses.”
Full list of winners
North West StartUp of the Year
Business-to-Business services StartUp of the Year
Cheshire StartUp of the Year
Consumer Services StartUp of the Year
Construction and Building Services StartUp of the Year
Creative StartUp of the Year
Digital StartUp of the Year
Fintech StartUp of the Year
Food and Drink StartUp of the Year
Graduate StartUp of the Year
TMI Lifestyle
Greater Manchester StartUp of the Year
Green StartUp of the Year
Innovative StartUp of the Year
Merseyside StartUp of the Year
Mobile and Emerging Technologies StartUp of the Year
Online Retail StartUp of the Year
Professional Services StartUp of the Year
Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing
Social Enterprise StartUp of the Year
Tourism and Leisure StartUp of the Year
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Rising Stars
