Why start-ups need to be championed across UK

NINE years ago I launched the Wales Start-Up Awards to address a gap in how we recognise and celebrate the role of entrepreneurs in driving economic development.

- DYLAN JONES-EVANS

While initiatives such as the Wales Fast Growth 50 had long championed the success of scale-up firms, there was little focus on those individuals who had spotted opportunities, taken considerable risks, and were already contributing to employment, innovation, and regional vitality.

Such early-stage ventures are often formed in spare rooms, co-working spaces, or small industrial units and yet their impact can be profound.

Despite limited resources, they create jobs, develop new products and services, and revitalise local economies, and the Wales Start-Up Awards were established to provide long-overdue recognition for these individuals and their achievements.

Over time, this initiative revealed a wider need for national appreciation of early-stage business excellence. Given there were no other similar awards taking place in other nations and regions, I decided to set up the UK Start Up Awards to reflect and support entrepreneurial activity across all parts of the country, and since launching them four years ago interest and participation have been remarkable, with more than 2,000 applications received each year which highlight the scale of entrepreneurial ambition in the UK today.

This month we begin our annual roadshow of awards across ten nations and regions of the UK, where 750 regional finalists will compete to be the best in their sector.

From Belfast to Birmingham, Edinburgh to Cardiff, and Manchester to London, all the regional winners will progress to the UK Start Up Awards final, which will be held at Ideas Fest in September, an event increasingly recognised as the “Glastonbury for business” due to its informal and innovative approach to connecting entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders.

So why set up these awards?