We’re very pleased to announce the winners for The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2025, sponsored by Rathbones.
Economic Innovator of the Year
Cuvva is the UK’s leading short-term car insurance provider, built entirely with customers in mind. Essentially, Cuvva gets people on the road on their terms, faster and for less, by making it super-easy to get insured on any car – yours or someone else’s with policies starting from just one hour.
Innovator to Watch
AssetCool delivers a scalable, cost-effective solution for upgrading power grids by combining advanced photonic coatings with automated robotic application. Their technology addresses three key challenges in the energy sector: enhancement and loss reduction, corrosion prevention and asset longevity, and noise reduction and environmental impact. These coatings are applied using a robotic system, which operates in-situ on overhead power lines, eliminating the need for outages and cutting upgrade costs by up to 95 per cent compared to traditional reconductoring. AssetCool’s innovative approach supports grid modernisation, boosts energy efficiency and accelerates the transition to a more sustainable energy infrastructure.
Excellence in Sustainability
Artus Air designs and sells simple, patented air conditioning solutions for living and working environments. The company’s founding purpose was to reduce carbon impact in the built environment, in the materials used (the system is water- rather than chemical-based) and the energy required to heat or cool in a way that maximises architectural flexibility and enhances comfort.
Breakthrough
Neuranics is pioneering a new category of magnetic bio-signal sensing with patented Tunnelling Magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors, custom Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), and AI-enabled hardware and software. They have created a complete solution for real-time, non-invasive detection of muscle and heart activity, enabling next-generation wearables, health monitoring and gesture control.
Scale Up
Artus Air designs and sells simple, patented air conditioning solutions for living and working environments. The company’s founding purpose was to reduce carbon impact in the built environment, in the materials used (the system is water- rather than chemical-based) and the energy required to heat or cool in a way that maximises architectural flexibility and enhances comfort.
Breakthrough
Protrack Solutions is a multi-award-winning, family-run small business based in Gloucestershire which provides contracted GPS vehicle telematics and fleet management solutions to companies that have fleets of vehicles. Recently Protrack designed, developed and patented a fully remote biometric (ie. fingerprint-based) authorisation solution for vehicles called BioStart.
Scale Up
Hair Syrup is a natural haircare brand specialising in pre-wash oil treatments that promote stronger, healthier hair. It has grown from a kitchen start-up (during Covid lockdown) into a viral beauty brand stocked in major UK retailers, driven by community loyalty, TikTok marketing and founder-led innovation. As seen on the BBC show Dragons’ Den.
Breakthrough
Blum Health is one of the Sifted Top 100 fastest-growing businesses and a digital health innovation company specialising in the design, development and delivery of advanced healthcare technology solutions for the public and private sectors, including the NHS and international partners. It brings together clinicians, engineers and regulatory experts to co-create high-impact digital systems that improve patient outcomes, streamline clinical workflows and ensure compliance with health data standards. Its services span the full product lifecycle – from discovery and advisory to custom software build and long-term support.
Scale Up
Preston Technical is a family-owned adhesive tape converter, trusted by leading automotive manufacturers and suppliers. With decades of expertise, the company specialises in precision die-cut solutions and its unique TabTech® technology, designed to improve efficiency and performance in manufacturing processes. Combining innovation with a strong family culture, Preston Technical delivers high-quality, tailored solutions to customers across the UK, Europe, and beyond.
Breakthrough
Sitehop is redefining encryption for the next era of cybersecurity. As networks scale and post-quantum threats evolve, legacy encryption services drains energy and slows performance. Sitehop eliminates these bottlenecks. Powered by FPGA hardware, our cutting-edge encryption platform and network management system outpace software-based solutions with ultra-low latency, seamless algorithm upgrades and up to 90 per cent lower power use. Trusted by Tier One telecommunications and critical infrastructure, Sitehop secures data in motion with line-rate performance.
Scale Up
SoPost is the global leader in digital product sampling, working with some of the world’s most influential and recognisable brands and retailers to deliver high-impact, measurable sampling campaigns. Its innovative platform enables sampling to be seamlessly integrated into almost any digital or physical environment, from social media and influencer campaigns to e-commerce, out-of-home, and experiential activations. SoPost strategically supports brands in achieving their goals, including driving conversions and repeat purchases, building rich first-party data strategies, generating authentic user-generated content, and amplifying product and brand awareness, all while ensuring that every sample reaches its ideal consumer.
Breakthrough
Drone Defence delivers pioneering drone detection and mitigation technologies that secure airspace around critical assets. From prisons to super-yachts (and unspecified defence uses), its integrated solutions protect against evolving threats – ensuring safety, compliance and operational resilience. Drone Defence is shaping the future of aviation with intelligent systems for a smarter, safer world.
Scale Up
Maeving is a British electric motorcycle company, founded in Coventry: the historic heart of British motorcycling. It blends timeless design with electric simplicity to create bikes that are elegant, effortless to ride, and made for the way we move today. Rooted in craft and built for modern life, Maeving is opening motorcycling to a new generation of riders, one, quiet joyful journey at a time.
Breakthrough
AUAR combines robotic micro-factories with Master Builder software to allow homebuilders to deliver sustainable, affordable homes at 30 per cent lower costs via its no-CapEx business model. AUAR is active in Europe (Belgium) and the US.
Scale Up
Sirius Insight is a UK specialist in maritime surveillance, combining AI and sensors on land and sea, in space and in the air, to autonomously detect and classify marine activity, strengthening safety and security at sea. Sirius technology provides persistent domain awareness alerting authorities to suspicious maritime activity in real time.
