Jeremy Simmonds crowned haysmacintyre Top Gun 2018

Jeremy Simmonds, the 35 year-old co-founder and CEO of The Institute of Competitive Socialising – the parent company behind the unique crazy golf social experience Swingers – is the newly-crowned haysmacintyre Top Gun.

Celebrated at the Young Guns 2018 Awards ceremony, Simmonds was awarded the title – an accolade awarded to a business from the Young Guns Class which judges feel stands out the most – for his success in launching, and scaling, the Swingers brand.

This was the 16th year for the Young Guns index, which has become industry-renowned for its history of identifying and showcasing exceptional founders aged 35 and under behind fast-growth UK businesses that have made or raised millions.

A serial entrepreneur since his university days, Simmonds originally launched Swingers with business partner Matt Grech-Smith as a pop-up in Shoreditch back in 2014, and by 2016 had gained enough traction (in fact, they were fully sold-out for the first five months) to open a permanent site.

Today, Swingers has two substantial venues in London with a launch planned in America.

Simmonds was recognised as Top Gun for having built the brand up to multi-million turnover in less than four years, coupled with the economic contribution of the business; Swingers employs over 200 staff, and its growing fan base (it boasts over 15,000 Instagram followers and counting).

Simmonds takes the baton from 2017 winner Jamie Bolding of viral video company Jungle Creations and joins an impressive Top Gun alumni which includes Jemma Fennings and Lesa Bennett of watch brand Olivia Burton, Crafters Companion’s Sara Davies MBE, and Mark Pearson, founder of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk and, more recently, Fuel Ventures..

On his haysmacintyre Top Gun win, Simmonds commented:

“I feel privileged, excited and very surprised given the calibre of other founders. I would definitely encourage businesses to enter Young Guns.

“It’s one of the more exciting competitions that you can enter and I’ve met some incredibly interesting people.

“I’ve already arranged to meet up with three businesses that I met at the Young Guns event and I’m really excited to see where those conversations go. People aren’t just there to sell products and services, there’s a spirit of inclusiveness and trying to help each other.”

View the Young Guns Class of 2018 here.