Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2025

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The Spectator Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2025, in partnership with Rathbones, celebrate the passion and creativity of British entrepreneurs.

We invite businesses from all corners of the UK to showcase their remarkable achievements and contributions to our economy and society. With the support of a distinguished panel of judges, we select and honour outstanding smaller ‘Breakthrough’ and larger ‘Scale-up’ ventures in six regions. One of the 12 regional winners will be named overall Economic Innovator of the Year and special awards will also be given for Excellence in Sustainability and to a newer entrant picked as our One to Watch.

Martin Vander Weyer, Business editor

What do you receive?

  • Each finalist is offered two free tickets to attend a Gala Dinner at the prestigious Renaissance Hotel, St Pancras.  
  • Two winners will share £30,000 of print and digital advertising in The Spectator.
  • 1 year’s free membership to the Institute of Directors for all winners.
  • 1 year’s free subscription to The Spectator.

‘’Our partner for the 2025 Awards is Rathbones, following its merger with Investec Wealth & Investment (UK), our partner for the previous three years. The Rathbones Group is one of the UK’s leading discretionary wealth managers, supporting entrepreneurs in their business and personal lives with a shared belief in the power of innovation and the spirit of entrepreneurship’’.

2025 Finalists

These exceptional businesses have each demonstrated remarkable innovation, resilience, and vision, earning their places as finalists for the The Spectator Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2025. We want to congratulate every one of these companies for their groundbreaking ideas, entrepreneurial spirit and impact across industries:

Altered Carbon: Digitising scent with AI to detect diseases, contamination and environmental changes invisible to traditional sensors – South West & South Wales

Ancient + Brave: Wellness brand blending ancient nutrition and modern science to support women’s health and sustainable wellbeing – London & South East 

BeZero Carbon:Carbon ratings agency empowering smarter climate investments through transparent data, research, and environmental market insights – London & South East

Bionema: Developing natural bio-solutions replacing harmful agrochemicals, improving yields, restoring soil health and protecting global ecosystems – South West & South Wales

Calyo: Creating advanced 3D sensing technology that helps vehicles and machines see safely in all conditions – South West & South Wales

Camascope: Leading digital medication management platform improving safety, compliance and personalised care across social and pharmacy sectors – London & South East

Clays: Immersive social venue reimagining clay shooting with motion-capture gameplay and exceptional hospitality experiences – London & South East

DEScycle:Transforming e-waste into critical metals through clean chemistry, reducing carbon emissions and building sustainable circular supply chains – North East 

Empro Business Group:Delivering expert consultancy and technology solutions that streamline operations, drive efficiency and achieve exceptional project outcomes – Midlands

Espanaro: Delivering AI-driven defence technologies for intelligence, surveillance and secure communications protecting national and civil infrastructure – North West & North Wales 

ETO:Patented wine decanter preserving freshness by sealing out air, reducing waste and enhancing enjoyment – London & South East

Flexa: Using AI to match talent with transparent, inclusive employers, promoting fairness and data-driven workforce strategy – South West & South Wales

FreshWipes: Providing innovative hygiene products for people without showers, offering freshness, dignity, and convenience anywhere – London & South East

Goldilock Secure: Providing military-grade cybersecurity that physically disconnects networks, removing digital attack surfaces and ensuring ultimate data protection – Midlands 

Gold Standard Phantoms:Standardising MRI diagnostics globally with real-time calibration technology that improves accuracy, reproducibility and patient outcomes – North East 

GoodSAM:Emergency response platform connecting responders faster, enabling lifesaving action and remote video assessment worldwide – London & South East

growyze:Simplifying hospitality stock control with intuitive cloud software reducing waste, cutting costs and improving visibility – London & South East

HELIXX:Building local electric vehicle ecosystems to manufacture affordable electric vehicles, transforming mobility and creating sustainable jobs globally – Midlands 

Hub Culture: A global digital platform connecting leaders through AI, blockchain and collaborative innovation hubs worldwide – London & South East

Lucky Egg: Creator of viral party games uniting millions through laughter, connection, and social fun – London & South East 

LYMA: Wellness pioneer delivering patented supplements and revolutionary at-home, medical-grade laser skincare technology – London & South East

Maiden Cricket: Redefining women’s cricket apparel with inclusive, high-performance designs created by players, for players – North East

Media Stream AI: Transforming media engagement through AI-powered personalisation that adapts content to every viewer in real time – North West & North Wales 

pirkx: Affordable wellbeing platform offering 40+ benefits, democratising access to health, support, and financial savings – London & South East 

Polytag: Enabling packaging traceability with visible and invisible tags that support recycling, compliance and circular economy goals – North West & North Wales

Probe Industries: Delivering world-leading air pollution control technologies that protect communities and improve environmental sustainability worldwide – North East 

Purdy & Figg: Sustainable cleaning brand using natural ingredients and refillable bottles to transform homes and reduce waste – London & South East

Remora: Delivering biodegradable, nature-inspired technology that prevents biofilm growth sustainably across industrial, medical and consumer applications – Scotland & Northern Ireland 

Seafields Solutions: Turning Sargassum seaweed into carbon-capturing biomass, creating sustainable aquaculture and measurable climate impact in the Caribbean – North West & North Wales

Selina Finance: Fintech unlocking home equity through flexible, affordable credit, empowering homeowners to achieve life’s major goals – London & South East

SmartR AI: Empowering businesses with safe, ethical AI that enhances productivity, unlocks insights and supports responsible digital transformation – Scotland & Northern Ireland

Tewke:Smart light switches with built-in sensors and AI automations, saving energy and simplifying home living – London & South East

Thankbox: Digitising appreciation with personalised cards and gifts that strengthen workplace culture, engagement and employee retention – Scotland & Northern Ireland

Totem Learning: Designing immersive serious games and simulations that drive engagement, performance and measurable learning outcomes – Midlands

UNDO: Capturing atmospheric CO2 naturally through enhanced rock weathering, improving soils and enabling scalable, verifiable carbon removal – Scotland & Northern Ireland

Unhidden: Designing stylish, adaptive fashion with accessibility features, empowering disabled people while redefining inclusive design – London & South East

VES: British ventilation experts designing bespoke air systems and AirDoor technology for efficient, sustainable buildings – London & South East

Waymap: Providing accurate indoor and outdoor navigation for visually impaired users, enhancing independence and accessibility globally – London & South East

Xworks AI: Blockchain-based platform creating digital product passports to track, verify and trade sustainable materials responsibly – London & South East

Zeti: Fintech platform enabling real-time, transparent financing for clean transport and sustainable infrastructure projects – London & South East

ZOE: Transforming health with AI-driven nutrition insights, empowering millions to eat better and feel healthier – London & South East

The Spectator Economic Innovator of the Year Award
in Partnership with Rathbones

Domin – And the winner of the South West & South Wales region.

Excellence in Sustainability Winner

Polymateria – And the winner of the London & South East region.

Innovator to watch

Nellie Technologies Ltd – And the winner of the North West and North Wales region.

Regional winners

London & South East

Breakthrough Winner

Novai

Scale-Up Winner

Code First Girls

North East

Breakthrough Winner

Rezon Ltd

Scale-Up Winner

AES Engineering Ltd

North West & North Wales

Breakthrough Winner

Audiebant

Scale-Up Winner

Map of Ag

Midlands

Breakthrough Winner

UB Infrastructure Ltd

Scale-Up Winner

Moasure

Scotland & Northern Ireland

Breakthrough Winner

Biocaptiva Ltd

Scale-Up Winner

Artemis Technologies

South West & South Wales

Breakthrough Winner

Domin

Scale-Up Winner

ANNA Money

To see more photos from the event click here.

To see more photos from the event click here.

Terms & conditions for the Economic Innovator of the Year Awards

ENTRY

1. Entry for the 2025 Awards opens on Thursday 1st May 2025 and closes midnight Friday 18th July 2025. Any entries received after that time will not be considered.

2. The winners of the Economic Innovator of the Year Awards will be announced on Thursday 27th November 2025.

3. You may only submit an entry for a company or business partnership of which you are a director, partner or senior executive, and not on behalf of anyone else. Entries must be submitted by one senior named representative of the entrant.

4. The person submitting the entry must be over 18 years of age.

5. For the avoidance of doubt, entrants for these Awards must be for-profit businesses whose products or services are already available to customers in their marketplace – by direct sale or via joint ventures or licensing agreements. Entries cannot be considered from businesses whose products or services were still in development and not yet commercially available at the end of their last financial year and have become commercially available prior to 1st May 2025 – and the judges’ decision on this point will be final. The Spectator and Rathbones will respect the confidentiality of all financial data provided but entrants must provide an accurate indication of the financial scale of their business, and in particular of actual and forecast revenue growth.

6. The Spectator and Rathbones cannot give an award to any entrant that cannot be contacted after the entry has been submitted.

7. The six regional categories are: London and the South East; Scotland & Northern Ireland; North East; North West & North Wales; Midlands; South West & South Wales. Awards will be given in two categories in all 6 regions: companies with annual revenue smaller than £3million; and companies with annual revenue exceeding £3million.

8. Entrants can only apply for one region. The entrants organisation must either have its registered address or its main place of business located within the region for which it has entered the Awards. In the event of doubt as to which region is most appropriate for any entrant, the decision of The Spectator and Rathbones will be final.

9. An additional Award will be given for a venture that shows excellence in its approach to sustainability. An additional Award will be given for a venture deemed ‘one to watch’ by the judges. Entrants for both these categories will be taken from the regional categories mentioned above.

10. Employees of The Spectator, or Rathbones, and their family members, and anyone else connected with organising the Awards, may not enter any category.

11. All Award winners will be asked to take part in promotional activity and by submitting your entry you give your permission to The Spectator and its headline partner, Rathbones, to use the details of your entry to promote the Awards. This could include but is not limited to websites, press releases and print.

12. Entrants to the Awards are required to complete and submit either the online or pdf entry form.

13. A shortlist of finalists will be selected in each region from the entries submitted by the closing date. The short-listed entrants will then be required to participate in a meeting with the regional judges at which they will be invited to make a short presentation about their business (or a telephone interview if unable to attend the judges lunch). Two podcasts will then be recorded by the judges and will be published on The Spectator’s website, discussing all regional finalists.

14. Shortlisted finalists will be notified by email or phone within six weeks of the closing date and will be invited as guests to the The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards Gala Dinner on Monday 24th November 2025, where the winners will be officially announced.

15. The judges’ decision is final and there will be no appeals.

16. The Spectator and Rathbones reserve the right to refuse to accept any entry which in its opinion does not comply with these terms and conditions or which contravenes the spirit of the Awards.

17. The Spectator and Rathbones further reserve the right to cancel the Awards itself if, in their opinion, the calibre or number of entries is insufficient.

18. We cannot offer feedback about specific shortlisting decisions or any comment on individual entries.

19. The overall winner will receive the prize, consisting of a bespoke Award trophy and an advertising campaign for their company, across print and digital platforms in The Spectator, to the value of £20,000. Subject to availability. The print and digital advertising schedule, given to the overall winner only, is to the value of £20,000 as specified in The Spectator media pack https://spectator.com/advertising. Whilst the winning entrant may express a preference for dates and media type, The Spectator’s decision is final. The Spectator may dictate the date and type of media offered.

20. The winner of the Award for Excellence in Sustainability category will receive a prize consisting of a bespoke Award trophy and an advertising campaign for their company, across print and digital platforms in The Spectator, to the value of £10,000. Subject to availability. The print and digital advertising schedule, given to the overall sustainability winner only, is to the value of £10,000 as specified in The Spectator media pack https://spectator.com/advertising. Whilst the winning entry may express a preference for dates and media type, The Spectator’s decision is final and overriding. The Spectator may dictate the date and type of media offered.

21. The twelve regional winners will each receive a bespoke Award trophy.

22. Prizes are not transferable, and no cash alternative will be offered.

23. The prizes will be awarded to the senior representatives of the winning finalists who are present at the Awards Gala Dinner, where the winners will be officially announced.

24. Events may occur that render the Awards competition itself or the awarding of the prizes impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the The Spectator and Rathbones who accordingly may at their absolute discretion vary, amend, or waive these rules and the entrant agrees that no liability shall attach to The Spectator and Rathbones as a result thereof.

25. By entering the Awards competition participants confirm their agreement of these Terms and Conditions.

DATA PROTECTION

By entering the Awards competition participants confirm their agreement for the data submitted to be processed by The Spectator and our sponsoring partners, including Rathbones, and the judges, for the purpose of assessing their application and as further set out in our Privacy Policy. This may include entrants being contacted ahead of shortlisting. 

Participants also confirm their agreement to be contacted via telephone and email with regards to their application.

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Economic Innovator of the Year 2025

Martin Vander Weyer

An oasis of optimism for UK entrepreneurship

The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards gala dinner, in partnership with Rathbones, returned this year to a spectacular venue: the London St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, one of the great monuments to the expansive spirit of the Victorian era. After a tax-raising Budget and a downbeat economic news cycle, our annual gathering of entrepreneurs, investors, judges and friends – with upbeat opening speeches by The Spectator’s editor Michael Gove and Rathbones CEO Jonathan Sorrell – was an oasis of optimism for the future of UK entrepreneurship.    Since these awards were launched in 2018, they have attracted well over 1,000 entries from every corner of the UK.

The Spectator

Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2025 – the winners

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.

Martin Vander Weyer

Entrepreneurship matters more than ever

The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2025 are open for entries. We’re excited to hear from high-growth businesses in every sector and every corner of the UK that are leading their markets and making positive contributions to society. And we’re delighted to be working with our sponsor Rathbones, one of the UK’s leading wealth management groups with an extensive regional network and a deep commitment to entrepreneurship. Now in their eighth year, these Awards are widely recognised as a prestigious salute to UK innovation which has created its own lively network of founders and investors. The number and range of entrants has grown year by year and we’ve watched many previous winners flourish nationally and internationally.

Economic Innovator of the Year 2024

Martin Vander Weyer

A sparkling celebration of innovation – and business optimism

November is the season for the fireworks display of talent that is The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards gala dinner, in partnership with Rathbones. This year, at the Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel in London’s Russell Square, the energy generated among the assembled founders, judges and sponsors beats any Guy Fawkes pyrotechnics. We’ve attracted more entries each year since we launched these Awards in 2018. This year, our judges chose 50 regional finalists from 267 ventures representing every corner of the UK and every sector, from beans and ketchup in the food industry to the frontiers of bioscience and engineering. A theme of this year’s entries was a growing number of mentions of AI.

The Spectator

Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2024 – the judges

Guest judges Adrian de Ferranti Adrian de Ferranti is an engineer, venture capital investor, financier and farmer who has worked in Silicon Valley as well as in the UK. He was chairman of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, 2007-10. Caroline Theobald CBE Caroline Theobald CBE is the founder of Bridge Club Ltd which has been making connections that matter since the dot-com boom. She is also a founder of Teesside’s Power of Women campaign and past chair of Newcastle Business School at Northumbria University. Clive Bawden Clive Bawden is an accountant with wide industrial experience who was COO of Warwick Music, an early winner of an Economic Innovator award. He has been a trustee/director of several major cultural and sports bodies.

Martin Vander Weyer

Perfect pitch: tips for Innovator success

Entries for The Spectator Economic Innovator Awards, in partnership with Investec Wealth & Investment (UK), come in all sizes and sectors. How do our judging panels choose between them? We’ve asked three of our most experienced judges to offer their top tips for regional finalists to make the very best of a 10-15 minute pitch. But before that, entrants must answer the first question in the online entry form: ‘Please describe your business very clearly in 50 words or fewer.’ In short, make it punchy, passionate and special. That’s the path to Innovator success.

Martin Vander Weyer

We’re looking for an outstanding Innovator to Watch

All the chosen finalists in The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, in partnership with Investec Wealth & Investment (UK), have unique stories to tell. And in 2024, alongside regional and overall winners and an extra award for excellence in Sustainability, we’re looking for a very special entrant which we’re calling the One to Watch. It’s the range of sizes, sectors and stages of development that makes our awards such a fascinating challenge Our Innovator finalists always have positive traits in common.

Martin Vander Weyer

Saluting the best of UK entrepreneurship

Hot news for UK entrepreneurs: The Spectator Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2024, in partnership with Investec Wealth & Investment (UK), is open for entries. As ever, we’re excited to hear from high-growth businesses in every sector and every corner of the UK. We’re also delighted to welcome back our sponsor, Investec Wealth & Investment (UK), who have recently combined with Rathbones Group Plc to become the UK’s leading discretionary wealth manager. The combined business has an extensive footprint among UK wealth managers and a deep commitment to entrepreneurship. This is the seventh year of our quest to salute the UK’s most innovative companies.

Economic Innovator of the Year 2023

Martin Vander Weyer

A booster shot of optimism

Stormy weather, stormy politics, a flatlining economy — but in a gala gathering of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists there’s always optimism. Our Spectator Economic Innovator of the Year Awards dinner sponsored by Investec at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel on 9 November really was a booster shot against autumn blues: a glittering crowd, a buzz that could have charged a fleet of Teslas, and a spectacular venue in the great 19th-century railway terminus that was itself an icon of British innovation in its day. These awards, now in their sixth year, salute high-growth, entrepreneur-led businesses from across the UK.

The Spectator

Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2023 – the regional finalists

We’re very pleased to announce the finalists for The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2023, sponsored by Investec. Nourished NatureSpace Partnership Ltd Igloo Vision iEthico Coracle Equipmake Holdings Plc Sunamp Limited Good-Loop Locate a Locum Agricarbon MacRebur Limited Celtic Renewables Bike Club ComplyAdvantage The Cheeky Panda Exclaimer Beam THIS™ Synthesia Paragraf Yoti Smartify Kheiron Medical Technologies Nuclera CeraPhi Energy Huboo Technologies Ltd Lovat Parks Ltd Rockit (N2M Ltd) Attomarker Ltd. Finboot QLM Technology Limited SoPost EthOss Regeneration Ltd ClearVUE.

Martin Vander Weyer

Innovator of the Year Awards: Business Services and AI

31 min listen

Every year, The Spectator travels the country in search of the best and boldest new companies that are disrupting their respective industries. In a series of five podcasts, we will tell you about the finalists for 2023's Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by Investec. The awards winners will be announced in a prize ceremony in November. Listeners will have heard businesses in all sorts of fields – from consumer goods to health technology, from sustainability to the cutting edge of British engineering. But what about the companies that make these businesses work? The behind-the-scenes, boiler room people who offer services to businesses themselves. These days, with advancement in artificial intelligence, their work has been made more effective than ever before.

Martin Vander Weyer

Innovator of the Year Awards: Sustainability and Social Purpose

32 min listen

Every year, The Spectator travels the country in search of the best and boldest new companies that are disrupting their respective industries. In a series of five podcasts, we will tell you about the finalists for 2023's Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by Investec. The awards winners will be announced in a prize ceremony in November. This episode showcases the finalists in the Sustainability and Social Purpose category. These businesses all want to make the world a better place – whether that’s through helping reduce our emissions or giving back to the local community. They believe that business isn’t just for profit, but for a purpose.

Martin Vander Weyer

Innovator of the Year Awards: Consumer

33 min listen

Every year, The Spectator travels the country in search of the best and boldest new companies that are disrupting their respective industries. In a series of five podcasts, we will tell you about the finalists for 2023's Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by Investec. The awards winners will be announced in a prize ceremony in November. The businesses in this category are reinventing the very staple goods that we, as consumers, use everyday, from pet food to laundry tabs. You might not think that much can be done to improve on them, but some bright British entrepreneurs have come up with great ideas.

Martin Vander Weyer

Innovator of the Year Awards: Healthcare

28 min listen

Every year, The Spectator travels the country in search of the best and boldest new companies that are disrupting their respective industries. In a series of five podcasts, we will tell you about the finalists for 2023's Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by Investec. The awards winners will be announced in a prize ceremony in November. In the West, the UK was the first country to create a national health service, free at the point of use. And yet 75 years on, it’s rare that a winter goes by without some kind of crisis in the NHS. And that’s not even to mention the impact of the pandemic on waiting lists. In this category we’re looking at innovations in the British health industry. How can we do things better?

Martin Vander Weyer

Innovator of the Year Awards: Manufacturing and Engineering

38 min listen

Every year, The Spectator travels the country in search of the best and boldest new companies that are disrupting their respective industries. In a series of five podcasts, we will tell you about the finalists for 2023's Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by Investec. The awards winners will be announced in a prize ceremony in November. This episode will be focusing on the manufacturing and engineering category. Some of the nominees have found novel uses for old materials, often finding a much more sustainable way of producing things. A couple of them use cutting edge engineering – including graphene, a miracle material rediscovered right here in the UK, by the University of Manchester. Britain is, of course, the home of the industrial revolution.

The Spectator

Innovator of the Year Awards 2023 – entries close 16 June

The Spectator’s prestigious Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, in partnership with Investec, are now in their sixth year. These Awards, celebrating the shining talents of British entrepreneurship and widely recognised in business and investment communities throughout the UK, have attracted growing numbers of entries year by year. Potential winners are passionate about their innovative products and services, determined to make a positive contribution to society, financially resilient and capable of scaling up nationally and internationally.

Economic Innovator of the Year 2022

The Spectator

Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2022 – the winners

We’re very pleased to announce the winners for The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2022, sponsored by Investec. Economic Innovator of the Year Excellence in Sustainability Award West and North West Winner North East Winner South West Winner London and South East Winner Scotland and Northern Ireland Winner Midlands Winner You can see photos of the awards evening here.

Martin Vander Weyer

Innovator of the Year Awards: London

23 min listen

For the final round of The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, our kind sponsors, Investec, hosted us at their offices on Gresham Street, London. We met 11 finalists for lunch — out of a record total of 176 entries across the whole of the UK — to pitch their ventures to our distinguished panel of judges.Our finalists are: UpCircle Beauty, Elvie, Ultromics, Silverstream, eConsult Health, Itaconix, Thought Machine, Recycleye, Project Etopia and Housekeep.The judges; Matthew Robinson who works in Private Equity with ICG;Eva-Maria Dimitriadis CEO of Conduit Connect, and finally Kate Gribbon and Michelle White from Investec.

Martin Vander Weyer

Innovator of the Year Awards: Bristol and Birmingham

34 min listen

For this year's Midlands and Southwest Innovator of the Year Awards, the judges met four finalists at each region respectively. These eight finalists were shortlisted down from a record 176 applications.In Birmingham, the finalists in this podcast were MoM incubators, Hybrid Air Vehicles and Bambino Mio. The judges, Martin Vander Weyer, business editor of The Spectator met Steve Hewitt, non-executive director of Gymshark; Clive Bawden, COO of Warwick Music and former finalist of the Innovator of the Year Awards and Michelle White representing Investec.The judges faced the tough task of comparing businesses in very different sectors and stages of development. But all four made compelling pitches – and the variety of entries is part of the fun of these awards.

Martin Vander Weyer

Innovator of the Year Awards: Manchester

28 min listen

This year’s regional podcast series for The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards kicked off with a fascinating lunch at The Ivy Cafe in Manchester. We invited four finalists for the North West region — out of a record total of 176 across the whole of the UK — to pitch their ventures to our distinguished panel of judges. The finalists you’ll hear about on this podcast are: LoveRaw which makes vegan chocolate; Ordo which makes electric toothbrushes; Interact, which drives energy efficiency in data centres and IT systems; and Better2Know, which provides sexual health testing services.

Martin Vander Weyer

Innovator of the Year Awards: Leeds

23 min listen

For the next round of The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards sponsored by Investec, we met in Leeds at the Dakota hotel and restaurant.For the Yorkshire and Northeast region, three finalists joined us for lunch — out of a record total of 176 entries across the whole of the UK — to pitch their ventures to our distinguished panel of judges. The finalists you’ll hear about on this podcast are: Testcard, in the healthcare sector; MudDaddy, a portable dog shower and Tofooco. After lunch, we also met Powersheds via Zoom who couldn’t make it to the pitching lunch.The judges were Gordon Black, venture capitalist and former manufacturer; Caroline Theobald, entrepreneur and chair of the Newcastle Business School at Northumbria University.

Martin Vander Weyer

Innovator of the Year Awards: Edinburgh

26 min listen

The second regional podcast for The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Award sponsored by Investec was set in the picturesque city of Edinburgh where the judges and finalists met for lunch at the Dome on George Street. We invited four finalists for the Scotland and Northern Ireland region — out of a record total of 176 across the whole of the UK — to pitch their ventures to our distinguished panel of judges. The finalists you’ll hear about on this podcast are: Cardinal Analytics a fintech business that predicts when enterprises are about to go bankrupt; MacRebur a novel invention for road surfacing; Roslin Technologies which make lab-grown meat; and Synaptec which work in manufacturing for fault sensors in power networks.

Martin Vander Weyer

Innovators brighten the future

We’re delighted to announce that The Spectator Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2022 are open for entries. It’s a pleasure to welcome our new sponsor: Investec, the internationally connected banking, wealth and investment group. With its extensive UK regional network, Investec is known for the support it offers entrepreneurs across its range of high-quality services. Its willingness to change the status quo in pursuit of a better, more sustainable tomorrow will enhance our Awards and we’re delighted to have Investec on board. But are we discouraged, you might wonder, to be launching at a time when world events are so turbulent and economic prospects suddenly so uncertain? Emphatically not — and for two very good reasons.