The best start-up firms in the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber have been revealed.
The inaugural awards for the combined regions form part of the StartUp Awards National Series that recognise excellence in nascent entrepreneurship across the UK.
The awards were staged at the Boiler House in Newcastle with 20 different categories.
The overall StartUp of the Year award for the North East and Yorkshire and Humber went to Power Sheds, a manufacturer of garden sheds, log cabins, summerhouses and potting sheds.
Based in Bradford, Power Sheds were set up in 2019 by Jack Sutcliffe and Simon Hobson who developed a product range which could fit on a pallet and be delivered anywhere in the UK within 24 hours. It has since grown to employ 70 people manufacturing 800 sheds per week.
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 not only celebrated the best new firms in the combined region, but recognised the amazing entrepreneurial talent across the nation.
Prof Jones-Evans said: : “We’re so proud of the amazing reception the first year of the StartUp Awards National Series has had across the region, from initially calling for entries right up to awards night. There are some exceptional stories of dedication and passion from founders of new firms from across the region and it was an honour to showcase these local entrepreneurial heroes in Newcastle last night.”
“What we have seen from every entry this year demonstrates that we have incredible businesses created and run by incredible people. Not only are they creating wealth and employment in their local communities, but they are all inspirational role models for others to follow in their footsteps.
“A huge congratulations to all the category winners and especially to the team at Power Sheds in becoming the Start-up of the Year who have grown the company so quickly in such a short space of time. 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 awards' UK-wide sponsors include BT, Clearco, Dell Technologies & Intel, Moblox, Fearless Adventures and with regional support from Moja Group.
The judging panel including Mark Roberts of Beer Hawk, Sophie Milliken of Moja Group and Jonathan Grubin of SoPost.
The winners:
North East, Yorkshire and the Humber StartUp of the Year
Business to business services StartUp of the Year
The Alcohol Free Drinks Company
Consumer services StartUp of the Year
Construction and building services StartUp of the Year
Creative StartUp of the Year
Digital StartUp the Year
Food and drink StartUp of the Year
Graduate StartUp of the Year
Green StartUp of the Year
Innovative StartUp of the Year
Leeds StartUp of the Year
Manufacturing and Engineering StartUp of the Year
Medtech StartUp of the Year
Mobile and Emerging Technologies StartUp of the Year
Online retail StartUp of the Year
Professional Services StartUp of the Year
Rural StartUp of the year
Social Enterprise StartUp of the Year
Tourism and leisure StartUp of the Year
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Rising Stars
