The StartUp Awards have been launched to recognise the booming startup scene across the UK, which has accelerated since the 2019 pandemic. Over 800,000 new businesses were founded in the UK since 2021, a 4.3% increase from the year before.
A record number of businesses applied to this year’s StartUp Awards, with 1,100 firms shortlisted across ten UK nations and regions. The contribution of these firms – all of which were started in the last three years – is significant, having created over 5,000 new jobs since they were established and generating annual sales of £584 million.
Library of Stuff CIC is a Not-for-Profit Social Enterprise that lends DIY and gardening tools and other equipment to the 1,500 members of the community signed up to use the service for a small fee to save the community money, space, and the impact of consumer goods on the environment by sharing things. Founded by Alan Dalgairns in 2020, the business has been nominated for the Social Enterprise StartUp of the Year.
Alan said: “It’s a great privilege to be recognised as a finalist for the Social Enterprise Startup of the Year in the North East, Yorkshire & the Humber, and for all the great work that the Library of Stuff is achieving in supporting the 1,500 signed up in the community by providing an alternative to buying things, while at the same time reducing potential CO2 by sharing things. We have great plans for the future of this enterprise as we continue to grow.”
Supported nationally by Starling Bank, British Business Bank, BT, Creative Ideaz, GS1 UK, Jeeves, Join Talent, ScoreApp and The Purposeful Project, the programme will celebrate the achievements of the amazing individuals who have turned an idea into an opportunity and taken the risk to launch a new product or service.
The cohort of finalists will be considered for the regional prizes by a panel of seasoned judges with experience founding or supporting entrepreneurial ventures.
Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, the creator of the StartUp Awards, said: “Start-up businesses are the lifeblood of any economy, being responsible for new jobs, innovation and in supporting communities in every nation and region across the UK. All of the finalists this year represent the best of those entrepreneurs who have spotted an opportunity and through their sheer hard work, talent and perseverance, have created an amazing new business that is creating real impact in its sector.”
The StartUp Awards were created in collaboration with the team behind the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, one of the most successful awards programmes in the UK. The StartUp Awards are running for the second year after launching in 2022.
This year’s StartUp Awards finalists can be found online here.