Entrepreneurial Spark awarded an incredible £30,000 to startups at its Brighton business accelerator ‘Hatchery’ in NatWest’s Preston Park office at the prestigious Entrepreneuring Awards in July.
Entrepreneurial Spark is the world’s largest free business accelerator for early stage and growing ventures, run in partnership with NatWest, KPMG and EMC. The Entrepreneuring Awards offered ‘Chiclets’ (entrepreneurs) in Brighton the chance to win between £1,000 and £10,000 to propel their business growth. Previous winners have gone on to increase turnover by up to 60%, create additional jobs to grow their team and expand across the country.
The main award of the evening, Entrepreneur of the Moment, was awarded to Melanie Lawson, founder of Bare Biology, alongside a cash prize of £10,000 to help take her business, the UK’s Leading Premium Omega 3 Fish Oil Specialists, to the next level. Having shown sheer determination, dedication and a flair for disrupting the market and spotting little opportunities that can result in big value, Entrepreneurial Spark believes Melanie has what it takes to create a truly outstanding business.
After making real progress in the last six months and nailing every opportunity, OMG Tea, a start-up producing organic green tea, walked away with the Acceler-8 award and £7,000. Awarded to the entrepreneurs who take action, seek challenges and deliver impressive results with a great #GoDo mindset Noel Sesto, founder of Control Freq, David Williams, founder of Shuttle, and Ineke Nugteren, founder of Nourish, were awarded the #GoDo prize and £3,000 cash each.
Nominated by his fellow entrepreneurs David Williams, founder of Shuttle, was presented with the Chiclets Choice award and £1,000 as a result of his hard work, determination and entrepreneuring spirit.
On the night eight entrepreneurs took to the stage to battle it out at the Entrepreneuring Awards pitching competition. Scott Henery, founder of Social Care Training Solutions, providing organisations with key professional development, Katherine Swift, founder of OMG Tea, a producer of organic green tea, and Louise Wells, founder of Brighton Ceilidh Collective, a feel-good Ceilidh events company, wowed the judges on the night with their 60 second pitch, and walked away with £1,000 each for their business.
Fiona Anderson, Entrepreneurial Development Manager, NatWest, Brighton, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to recognise and reward the hard work, perseverance and growth that these entrepreneurs have shown since joining the Entrepreneurial Spark programme six months ago. It can be daunting starting your own business but these entrepreneurs have had incredible support from the Enablement team and all of the partners involved.
“It’s also been great to see how much they’ve benefitted from working together at the Hatchery where they have the opportunity to share ideas and look for ways to overcome challenges. They have already proven to be a positive reflection of Brighton’s vibrant startup community and I have no doubt they will continue in their success.’’
