Enter the Cambridge Independent Entrepreneurial Science and Technology Awards

The Cambridge Independent is pleased to launch our 2017 Entrepreneurial Science and Technology Awards.

Aimed at start-ups and scale-ups, they will celebrate the best in Cambridge’s emerging science and tech community.

An esteemed judging panel will include leading Cambridge entrepreneurs Hermann Hauser and Charles Cotton, prizes include mentoring from the likes of AstraZeneca and shortlisted companies will receive pitching advice from Grant Thornton.

There are categories for artificial intelligence, cleantech, medtech, biotech and fintech, with winners in both start-up and scale-up classes.

Simply fill in the form below to apply.

Woodfines Solicitors, workspace experts Regus, financial and business advisers Grant Thornton and intellectual property experts Appleyard Lees are sponsoring the competition.

Editor Paul Brackley said: “Cambridge’s science and technology community is among the most exciting in the world. We are celebrating this by focusing on emerging talent in these awards, which will seek to recognise companies on track to become leading lights of the future.”

The winners will be announced at the huge Venturefest East business showcase event at Newmarket Racecourse on September 21, for which the Cambridge Independent is pleased to announce it is media partner.

Charles Cotton, the founder and chairman of Cambridge Phenomenon International Ltd and co-author of The Cambridge Phenomenon: 50 Years of Innovation and Enterprise book, encouraged companies to apply.

“It’s worthwhile,” he said. “It’s a bit like trying to raise money. In a short space of time you have to get your ideas across in a compelling way – and that’s something that is valuable for all young companies.”

The competition will also offer scale-ups a chance to tell the story of how they have developed – and attract the attention of customers.

“Competitions are good – they show people what others are doing and inspire others to think ‘I could do that’,” said Charles.

Shortlisted companies will be invited to pitch before the judges, including Hermann Hauser, Charles Cotton and Paul Brackley. We have been asked by a number of companies to extend the deadline for entries by a day to June 7. Good luck!

• Categories

Artificial intelligence / Cleantech / Medtech / Biotech / Fintech

These will be divided into two: start-ups and scale-ups.

Start-ups are typically defined as any business operating for less than three years.

Scale-ups are typically defined as companies growing the turnover by at least 20 per cent consecutively for a minimum of three years.

Please contact the editor, Paul Brackley, if you wish to discuss eligibility.

• Prizes

Shortlisted companies can receive free pitching advice at a workshop on June 15 from G, the team at Grant Thornton that helps dynamic companies to grow.

One winner will benefit from intellectual property advice from Appleyard Lees, which has opened a Cambridge office.

The biotech start-up winner will receive a prize from AstraZeneca of four hours of free mentoring plus an initial diagnostic session. The mentoring would be spread over a few weeks, to be agreed between the parties. Mentoring could include support preparing pitching material/capability presentations useful, for example, in advance of investor presentations, finance modelling expertise, disease area expertise and help with business development and IP. The scope of the mentoring will be shaped at a one-to-one meeting with the winner, where their needs would be explored.

• Our sponsors

We are grateful for the support of our sponsors: Regus, Woodfines Solicitors, Grant Thornton and Appleyard Lees.

• Regus

“Regus is proud to be sponsoring these awards for 2017. We may be a global business but we are also a local one and are passionate about supporting the communities around our centres. With three locations across Cambridge, we understand for smaller businesses the first few years are critical and business owners cannot afford to be side-tracked by back-office challenges. Flexible working is providing these businesses with the ability to scale up or retract as business needs dictate.”

• Woodfines

“Woodfines, a full-service firm of solicitors in Cambridge, is excited to sponsor these awards. We are known for our forward-thinking approach and are committed to supporting start-ups and scale-ups across the region with effective legal advice” – Stephen Oliver, Woodfines

• Grant Thornton

“Cambridge’s entrepreneurial businesses, many of which are science and tech based, play a vital role in the health of the economy, creating new products and services, jobs and income. Supporting these dynamic, ambitious businesses to unlock their growth potential is a key part of Grant Thornton’s work and we need to keep creating the right environment so they continue to thrive. We are delighted to sponsor the first Entrepreneurial Science & Technology Awards and celebrate the achievements of some of Cambridge’s finest” – Darren Bear, Grant Thornton’s Cambridge office

• Appleyard Lees

“With its wealth of new and emerging companies and technologies, Cambridge is an exciting place for Appleyard Lees to be.

IP strategy is crucial to a business’ success and we are keen to offer our support in helping local start-ups and scale-ups evolve and thrive. So we are delighted to sponsor these awards and offer our extensive legal knowledge and commercial experience in a prize (providing tailored IP advice worth £1,500).”

The awards are also supported by: World Nano Foundation, World Science Aid and Enabling Tech Capital.