A special category to recognise those new firms that have been started during the last 12 months is again one of the most highly competitive at the 2021 Wales Start-Up Awards.
The Rising Stars award – which is given to those new companies that are less than one year old – has again been sponsored by fast growing co-working specialists Town Square which is developing spaces and communities where entrepreneurship can thrive across England and Wales.
Town Square was founded in 2017 by Mandy Weston and Gareth Jones who, over the past decade, have supported thousands of freelancers, new company directors and aspiring entrepreneurs in starting-up, raising investment and growing their businesses.
Gareth said that this year’s finalists for the Rising Star category reflected the changes in the economy and society not only in Wales but across the World
“The quality of the entries for this year was outstanding and this cohort of Rising Stars give me a lot of confidence for the future. They all recognise that business needs to be a force for good, and that how they choose to spend their careers can leave the world better than they found it”
“As a B Corp, TownSq recognises and highly values these qualities and the success they're getting shows that it’s no longer a choice between social or commercial focus as we navigate the ‘new normal’ after the Covid-19 pandemic”.
‘Congratulations to the 2021 Rising Stars – you’re already making a real difference setting a great example for future generations.”
Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, the creator of the Wales Start-up awards, said that the quality of entries in 2021 for this category was exceptional.
“We created the Rising Stars award last year to recognise those firms that would be in the very early stage of their entrepreneurial journey but had enormous potential for growth in the future. Yet again, this was the most popular category for all those applying for the awards and the process of shortlisting and choosing the winners was one of the most difficult for the judges.”
“More relevantly, all of the Rising Star finalists were started during the Covid-19 pandemic and had to develop their market during the worst economic environment in three centuries. Yet, they have come through this challenge successfully, and the creativity, innovation and sheer hard work demonstrated by all the finalists suggest that entrepreneurial talent in Wales can overcome almost any barrier and thrive in the most difficult of conditions.”
The finalists for the 2021 Rising Stars award at the Wales Startup Awards are Consumer Insights Lab, Darogan Talent, Fleet-e, Willow Day Care, Haia, Lumen SEO, Onesta, Penbedw Lamb, Reworking (Reliving Ltd), Shroot, The Scouted Hub and The Sorbus Tree.
The winners will be announced at the 6th Wales Startup Awards which will be held at the Depot in Cardiff on Thursday September 9th. For further details, go to www.walesstartupawards.com
