The best start-up firms in Wales were honoured at a virtual awards ceremony on Thursday 1st October 2020, with the overall title going to sustainable pet brand Project Blu.
Cardiff-based Project Blu is revolutionising the pet accessories market by transforming polluting materials, including fishing nets, ocean bound plastic, leather waste and recycled clothes, into pet products such as dog beds, collars, leashes and toys.
Project Blu has already received support from Mars Petcare and was chosen to attend its Leap Venture Studio in the USA earlier this year. It was also named the Green Start-Up of the Year and the Global Start-up of the Year in the awards.
Other winners that are part of the Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme were:
- Consumer services Start-Up – Skybound Therapies
- Medtech Start-Up – Concentric Health
- Retail Start-Up – The Goodwash Company
- Rural Start-Up – In The Welsh Wind Distillery
- Valleys Start-Up – Drone Evolution
- Rising Star – Suppliety
The Wales Start-Up Awards is the only award ceremony exclusively celebrating Welsh start-ups and their contribution to the economy. 22 businesses that are benefiting from the Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme were shortlisted for the awards.
The Business Wales AGP team is delighted to see such an impressive number of clients win their categories, and are very proud of all businesses that made the shortlist.
Founder of the Wales Start-Up Awards, Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE said:
“Notwithstanding the Covid-19 pandemic, the awards received a record number of entries with 40% of applications from female-owned firms. With a total of 107 finalists selected across 26 categories, the high quality of all these businesses made the judges’ task more difficult than ever and I am certain that many of this year’s shortlist are destined to make a real impact in their sectors over the next few years.”
“New firms will be creating the majority of jobs as we emerge out of recession and the 2020 finalists, along with thousands of other start-up businesses across Wales, will be critical in ensuring that the Welsh economy recovers quickly over the next twelve months. Their innovation, enterprise and sheer hard work during these turbulent times have been an inspiration to us all."
Further information on the Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme