Proud finalists in the 2022 LeicestershireLive Innovation Awards were able to meet the judges and sponsors at an informal drinks reception at Winstanley House Hotel, Leicester.
The event was a precursor to the annual awards night which take place on Thursday, February 24, at the King Power Stadium, and which will showcase the world-beating innovation and technical expertise currently being developed in Leicester and Leicestershire.
Tickets for the awards night, which takes place during the two week Leicestershire Innovation Festival, are now on sale.
Winstanley House guests enjoyed networking and cocktails and a chance to hear from headline sponsors Dr Will Wells, of the University of Leicester, Rob Ricketts from De Montfort University and Morningside Pharmaceuticals founder Dr Nik Kotecha OBE.
LeicestershireLive editor Adam Moss hosted the reception, which was also a chance for the 21 finalists to make presentations to the judges either in person or by video.
Among the finalists attending were Ismay Mummery, founder and managing director of Ashby-based Boy Wonder, a sustainable and ethical boys fashion brand aimed at five-to-10 year olds.
She said pitching to the judges was a nerve-racking experience but worth the effort.
She was recently named as one of the UK’s most inspirational and dynamic female entrepreneurs by Small Business Britain and said: “It’s been a really difficult journey so these awards are just great.”
Other finalists have developed services and products such as games to stimulate people with dementia, hydrogen energy cells and drone delivery systems.
For ticket details click here
The independent judging panel has been made up of members of the county’s business and academic community, and has now spent hours sifting through nominations to choose the finalists and winners.
The February 24 awards evening – click here for details – starts at 7.30pm following a drinks reception and will be hosted by journalist and BBC Travel Show presenter Lucy Hedges.
As well as revealing the 2022 winners the night will also be an excellent networking opportunity and a chance to meet local business leaders.
Judge Rachel York, who manages the county’s Business Gateway Growth Hub, said it was exciting to see the level of expertise and entrepreneurship on offer.
She said: “It has been a real privilege to be part of the judging process for the Innovation Awards, although judging can be very hard when there are so many fantastic innovators nominated.
“We've always believed that Leicestershire, with its three universities, wide range of businesses and high concentration of microbusinesses, is uniquely placed to be more innovative than other cities and counties. This year's entries prove that point very convincingly.
“The Business Gateway will continue its work in supporting and fostering innovation across Leicester and Leicestershire and demystifying the concept of innovation for anyone who feels that it's something that only big business does.
“Again, this year's entries demonstrate that innovation is relevant to any size of business and some might say, innovation is essential to every business in such challenging circumstances as we've recently experienced.
“In the future, my hope is that the judging will get harder still as more companies embrace innovation for the first time, while others champion it and celebrate the innovation that, for them, is just part of business as usual.”
The awards are also supported by BusinessLive, Business Gateway Growth Hub, MIRA Technology Institute, Loughborough University, law firm Howes Percival and Acute Business Advisory.
