Finalists for the Oxford Trust Enterprise Awards 2017 Announced
April 26, 2017
The Oxford Trust has today announced the finalists for its 2017 Enterprise Awards, which recognise and celebrate the breadth of innovative companies and individual entrepreneurs who are working in the science and technology industry in the Oxfordshire region today.
The awards, which are run in partnership with Venturefest Oxford and sponsored by big names such as Barclays, Marks&Clerk and product design company Triteq, recognise entrepreneurs and start-ups who are just starting out on their journey to success. They also celebrate established tech businesses who are making an impact on the regional economy. The awards have been running since 2005 and have previously showcased future high-growth companies such as Oxitec, Immunocore and Adaptix.
The 2017 awards will be presented at a gala dinner on Tuesday June 20th, the night before Venturefest Oxford 2017 – and will help launch the annual event by highlighting the region’s new innovation stars. All finalists also gain free access to Venturefest Oxford the next day.
The award categories are:
Young Entrepreneur Award – Recognising and celebrating the best young founders (under 40) of science and technology companies in the region, as demonstrated in the Venturefest Oxford pitching programme, which includes Pitchfest and Pitching for Success
Best Tech Pitch – Presented to the best pitch for a new technology development in the Venturefest Oxford pitching programme.
Award for Innovation – Presented to an Oxfordshire company whose innovation is having a major impact on the industry in which it operates; that could be considered a game-changer. Companies nominated in this category will have been in operation for a number of years and created a new technology that is not only starting to fulfil its market potential but also benefits society and the regional economy.
Lifetime Achievement Award – This award celebrates an entrepreneur who has made an outstanding contribution to society during their lifetime and has had a major impact on enterprise and our economy.
The 2017 finalists in each category are:
- Triteq Young Entrepreneur Award
Travis Wentworth – Langu
Online language tuition
www.heylangu.com
Sasha Afanasieva – BluBel Tech
Smart bicycle bell
blubel.co
Pauline Issard – Trackener
Horse monitoring technology
trackener.com
Sean Peters/Charlie Curtis – DryGro
Agriculture technology start-up
drygro.com
Riham Satti – MeVitae
Unique online recruitment service
mevitae.com
- Marks & Clerk Best Tech Pitch
Simon Harris – Zap Go
Ultra-fast chargers
zapgo.com
David Orren – Alcarrelle Holdings
Alcohol alternative
alcarelle.com
Rafel Jorda Siquier – Open Cosmos
Affordable space access
open-cosmos.com
- Barclays Award for Innovation
Oxbotica
Creating the software to develop the next generation of autonomous vehicles
oxbotica.com
OrganOx
High-tech solution to preserving organs for transplant for longer
organox.com
The Oxford Trust, established by Oxford’s first true entrepreneurs Sir Martin and Audrey (Lady) Wood in 1985, has been a part of the local innovation ecosystem for the past thirty years and helped establish Venturefest Oxford 18 years ago. In 2016, over 100 entrepreneurs, investors and trust partners attended the Enterprise Awards and winners included Adaptix (Innovation award) and Dave Sherwood (Young Entrepreneur.)
This years’ awards will be hosted by Charles Leadbeater, a leading authority on innovation and creativity. He has advised companies, cities and governments around the world.
