Startups Awards 2018 finalists unveiled: UK’s top start-ups launched since 2014

Hundreds upon hundreds of UK start-ups and supporters entered and we can now reveal that 77 exceptional businesses have made it into the esteemed Startups Awards 2018 shortlist.

View the Startups Awards 2018 finalists here!

The finalists include 77 outstanding start-ups and 20 equally impressive start-up supporters.

Running since 2004, the Startups Awards has an eye for entrepreneurial talent and, year after year, has successfully identified the country’s most ambitious, game-changing and exciting new businesses – many having gone on to become established brands and fast-growth companies.

Open to early-stage businesses that are privately owned, UK-based and launched since August 2014, the Startups Awards is backed by headline sponsor The Start Up Loans Company, alongside sponsors AXA Business Insurance, haysmacintyre, GoDaddy, and Oracle NetSuite.

2018 finalist categories include new awards Family Business of the Year, Best Place to Work, and Side Hustle of the Year, alongside established awards titles such as Venture-funded Business of the Year, Innovative Business of the Year, Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and the Women in Business Award.

New for this year, the Startups Awards has expanded its spotlight beyond the start-up market with two inaugural supporter categories.

20 businesses have been shortlisted in the supporter categories and include Community Catalysts such as accelerators, incubators and co-work spaces helping start-ups go further, and an award for Growth Business Enablers; companies delivering key services to fast-scaling start-ups.

The finalists will now be judged by an expert panel of entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders, including Mumsnet founder and CEO Justine Roberts, innocent drinks and JamJar Investments co-founder Jon Wright, and the co-founder of LOVEFiLM, Simon Franks.

The judging panel will decide the winners for each category and highly commended and commended, alongside the overall winner; The Start Up Loans Company Start-up of the Year.

Bulb, the renewable energy provider was crowned overall winner in 2017 and  has achieved marked growth since; recently topping the 2018 Startups 100 index of the UK’s 100 best start-ups and taking its customer numbers to over 300,000.

Each of the finalists will also be competing for People’s Champion 2018, an award voted on by the public.

Shaving subscription service Cornerstone won over three consecutive years but, with the business no longer eligible, the category is wide open for a new People’s Champion. People’s Champion voting will open later this week.

View the incredible Startups Awards 2018 finalists here.

The Startups Awards 2018 winners will be revealed at a prestigious awards ceremony hosted by the inimitable Oli Barrett MBE at the Royal Garden Hotel, London on 21 November.

Share the love! Share your support for the Startups Awards 2018 on social media with the hashtag #StartupsAwards