People’s Champion 2016

Start-up name: Cornerstone
Founder: Oliver Bridge
Started in: 2014
Based in: London
Business description: Shaving kit subscription service

Presented by Start Up Loans, and always one of the most of exciting and competitive categories, the People’s Champion award is truly unique, with the winners voted for by you – the loyal readers of Startups.co.uk.

With more votes than ever before, this year really was a close shave. However, the people (in their thousands) have spoken!

Retaining its title for a second year in a row, Cornerstone took home the People’s Champion 2016 title at this year’s Startups Awards.

Founded by young serial entrepreneur Oliver Bridge, who started his first business when he was just 15, Cornerstone sells men’s razors and shaving products on a regular, flexible online subscription service – with subscribers allowed to cancel, pause, or change their order at any time.

The start-up’s tailored ‘shaving plan’ – which includes a razor, gel, face scrub and post shave balm – enables users to re-stock their bathroom cupboard based on their own personal routine.

Claiming to bring “shaving into the 21st century”, Cornerstone ignores the ‘gimmicks’ and ‘cheesy’ marketing of some of its big brand rivals and says its success is down to its back-to-basics mentality; its signature lightweight razor is handcrafted in Britain and uses German-engineered blades.

Within two years of launching, Cornerstone has already reached 85,000 subscribers and received £4.5m worth of funding, and expects to hit six-figures for customers by the end of the year – no wonder the 5,000 voters think it’s a cut above the rest!

FanFinders took highly commended for People’s Champion, with the second highest number of votes, with ‘flowers-through-the-letterbox’ service Bloom & Wild earning the commended title.