Judging panel comprising Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Sir Richard Branson selected UK and Europe’s most disruptive and innovative tech start-ups and leaders in prestigious awards programme
London, UK, [22 July 2016] – In an awards ceremony at the illustrious BAFTA headquarters in Central London yesterday evening, a variety of the UK and Europe’s most disruptive and innovative tech start-ups and leaders were crowned winners of the 2016 Talent Unleashed Awards, hosted by global IT and recruitment firm Talent International.
Now in its fifth year, Talent Unleashed is a prestigious awards programme that recognises outstanding start-ups and inspiring entrepreneurs dedicated to transforming business and the wider community through technological innovation. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak chaired the global judging panel for the awards and was joined by Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson, Facebook EMEA VP Nicola Mendelsohn and many more.
The 2016 Talent Unleashed Awards UK and European winners are:
Best Start-Up – Social Impact: bio-bean
bio-bean® is the first company in the world to industrialise the process of recycling waste coffee grounds into advanced biofuels and biochemicals. The company works within the existing energy and waste infrastructure, developing sustainable products and solutions to displace conventional fuels and chemicals.
Best Start-Up – Tech Innovation: Sup
Bumping into friends is the best thing in the world but it just doesn’t happen often enough. The Sup app shows you which friends are within a 5, 15 or 25 minute walk so you can grab them for a catch up. Send a ‘Sup’ to let your friends know you want to hang out. This lets them know what you’re doing and where you’re doing it, so you can cut out the hassle of planning and get straight to the good bit.
Best Digital SME – Tech Innovation: Therapy Box
Therapy Box provides speech and communications solutions powered by cutting edge technology. The company designs award winning apps for Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC), education and dyslexia needs on both iOS and Android devices.
Most Disruptive CIO/CTO: Rachel Dunscombe
Rachel has extensive experience in the NHS and Private Sector, is a curator of TEDx events and has a passion for innovation and looking at how society can do things differently. She believes that innovation can provide the answers that the NHS needs in delivering new models of care.
Best Tech IPO/Venture Capital Raising: Blippar
Blippar is a leading visual discovery app. It uses image recognition and augmented reality technologies to bring the physical world to life through smartphones and wearables. Once the Blippar app is downloaded, people can ‘blipp’ (scan) objects to unlock an interactive experience.
Jon Butterfield, EMEA CEO, Talent International commented on this year’s winners and the incredible journey that awaits them all: “Congratulations to all of our 2016 Talent Unleashed winners. Out of hundreds of entries from some interesting and cutting-edge companies, we believe we have unearthed the best and brightest in UK and European tech talent. Each of the companies and leaders crowned this year have their own missions, their own achievements and the ability to deliver real change and innovation for the wider community.”
This year’s UK and European winners will now fly out to Sydney, Australia on the 18 August where they’ll compete against fellow category winners from across Asia-Pacific at the global awards final. During the event, each winner will get the chance to pitch in person to Wozniak and his fellow judges. The prize is a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Silicon Valley, touring the world’s largest technology companies.
Butterfield concluded: “Good luck to all of our UK and European finals ahead of the global awards ceremony in August. We hope this awards experience and the exposure it has helped to generate will help to kick-start a fruitful and successful future for all involved.”