The most promising new businesses in Northern Ireland were recognised at the first ever Northern Ireland StartUp Awards.
The awards debuted this year to highlight the dynamic startup scene across the country that skyrocketed during the pandemic, and has been rolled out in nine UK nations and regions, supported nationally by BT, Clearco, Moblox, Fearless Adventures and with regional support from Moja Group.
The final was held at the Ulster Museum in Belfast and saw fourteen different awards given out to new businesses in categories such as global startup of the year, creative startup of the year and young entrepreneur of the year.
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.
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The Startup of the Year for Northern Ireland was won by Scanmatix, which also won the business-to-business startup 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.
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 OBE said the inaugural event had recognised the amazing entrepreneurial talent that exists across Northern Ireland. He added: “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”
Full list of winners:
Northern Ireland StartUp of the Year
Scanmatix
Business-to-Business Services StartUp of the Year
Scanmatix
Consumer Services StartUp of the Year
Boobingit
Creative StartUp of the Year
Sheer Blooms
Digital StartUp of the Year
Erised
Food and Drink StartUp of the Year
Mussenden Sea Salt
Global StartUp of the Year
The Mind Tribe UK
Innovative StartUp of the Year
Sativa Learning
Mobile and Emerging Technologies StartUp of the Year
NetworkFit
Online Retail StartUp of the Year
MOVE
Professional Services StartUp of the Year
Occupational Therapy
Rural StartUp of the Year
The Dundrum Inn
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Digital Stylist
Belfast StartUp of the Year
Whytematter Staffing Solutions
Rising Stars
Cubefun
Kinva
