The best start-up firms in Northern Ireland have been revealed.
The inaugural awards, part of the StartUp Awards National Series, recognise excellence in nascent entrepreneurship across nine UK nations and regions of the UK - supported nationally by BT, Clearco, Moblox, Fearless Adventures and with regional support from Moja Group.
The Northern Ireland final was held at the Ulster Museum in Belfast and saw 14 different awards.
The Start-up of the Year for Northern Ireland was won by Scanmatix, which also won the Business-to-Business Start- up of the year category. The firm was established in 2020 to provide business owners with a software tool and services to improve efficiencies, increase turnover, increase margin, and improve customer retention and loyalty by ensuring that they can always fulfil orders in-store and online.
The awards were judged by a panel of prominent local judges, including Dave Linton, of Madlug, Dr Roisin Molloy of Trimedika and Audrey Osbourne of TechStart Ventures.
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 said the inaugural event had recognised the amazing entrepreneurial talent that exists across Northern Ireland.
He added: “We’re so proud of the amazing reception the first year of the StartUp Awards National Series has had across all the nations and regions of the UK. We have heard exceptional stories of dedication and passion from founders of new Northern Ireland firms, and it was an honour to showcase these local entrepreneurial heroes in Belfast last night.
"With record numbers of new businesses being created in Northern Ireland, there is no better time to celebrate the achievements of these amazing businesses that are creating employment and wealth in their local communities.
“A huge congratulations to all the category winners and especially to the team at Scanmatrix that, like many others, started and traded during the Covid pandemic and through resilience, innovation, and sheer hard work, have succeeded and thrived during the most difficult economic circumstances.
" They, and many of the other winners, are going to have a major impact on their sector in years to come and we look forward to seeing what’s next for these amazing entrepreneurs and their businesses.”
THE winners in full
Northern Ireland Start-up of the Year
Business to Business Services Start-up of the Year
Consumer Services Start-up of the Year
Creative Start-up of the Year
Digital Start-up of the Year
Food and Drink Start-up of the Year
Global Start-up of the Year
Innovative Start-up of the Year
Mobile and Emerging Technologies Start-up of the Year
Online Retail Start-up of the Year
Professional Services Start-up of the Year
Rural Start-up of the Year
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Belfast Start-up of the Year
Whytematter Staffing Solutions
Rising Stars
Tara Pollock, director of corporate affairs, enterprise at BT said: “It has been a pleasure to be a judge for the Awards Series and see the incredible work that startups have been doing across areas such as B2B, professional services and future innovation.
“At BT, we are committed to championing the cause of small businesses and start-ups because we recognise the creativity and value they bring to our economy. I’d like to say a huge congratulations to all the winners on their achievements and wish them well for the future.”
