- Investors, platforms, advisers and entrepreneurs invited to submit online entry forms by 2nd June
- Two new awards highlight breadth of SME investment ecosystem: ‘Corporate Investor of the Year’ and ‘Best Angel Syndicate’
- Black tie dinner for 450 guests taking place on Wednesday 8 November at Royal Lancaster Hotel, Lancaster Gate, London
Intelligent Partnership, the UK’s leading curator of education and insights on alternative investments, has announced that entries for the 2017 Growth Investor Awards can now be submitted. Any company or individual that meets the relevant award criteria can complete the online entry form at growthinvestorawards.com/enter. Companies have until 2nd June to submit their online applications.
The Growth Investor Awards celebrate the companies and individuals that represent the best of the UK’s entrepreneurial spirit, as well as recognising those who are helping start-up and ‘scale-up’ businesses drive Britain’s economy and realise their full potential. This year’s awards ceremony will be taking place on Wednesday 8th November at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, Lancaster Gate, London.
Major winners at the 2016 Growth Investor Awards included Eve Sleep (Growth Champion of the Year), Octopus Investments (Growth Investor of the Year and Best BPR Investment Manager), Syndicate Room (Best Investment Platform and Industry Game Changer) and Sam Smith from finnCap, who received the highly-coveted Industry Champion award.
Guy Tolhurst, Managing Director of Intelligent Partnership, said: “The Growth Investor Awards are where the exemplars of the entrepreneurial ecosystem assemble under one roof. If you want to gain an understanding of how UK SMEs are driving economic growth, just follow the money.
This is the third annual Growth Investor Awards, and the ecosystem we’re championing carries even greater significance this year. In an uncertain environment for the UK, SMEs will have to work even harder to grow their market share and reach out to new customers. Many will be looking to non-traditional sources of finance such as private equity and crowdsourcing to gain access to capital. But they need more than investment to realise their growth ambitions. They need better access to markets and talent, and a greater understanding of what else is on offer from the SME investment ecosystem.
There are now so many ways in which companies of all shapes and sizes can be funded. To reflect this, we’re introducing two new awards: ‘Corporate Investor of the Year’ and ‘Best Angel Syndicate’. We want SMEs to feel more confident about taking advantage of a more diverse set of funding options. But investment is just the start. We want to ensure our ecosystem continues to support entrepreneurs throughout their growth journey, by helping them attract talent, make technological breakthroughs and spark innovation. We bear a collective responsibility to make sure the UK continues to be the best place to start and scale a business.
Daniel Kiernan, Intelligent Partnership’s Associate Director presides over the two-stage judging process. He said: “Last year we received 103 entries across 14 different categories, with the winners and finalists chosen by an independent panel of around 39 judges. Our third annual awards promises to be bigger in scale. We’re celebrating businesses that have been a catalyst for a regional revival, fostering growth across the UK and expanding into international markets. I’d like to wish everyone that submits an online application the very best of luck, and we hope to see you on the winners’ stage in November.”
Simon Devonshire OBE, member of the Advisory Board for the Growth Investor Awards said: “The calibre of entrants in 2016 was truly exceptional. The judges and Advisory Panel were fortunate enough to judge entries from a diverse range of companies that were demonstrating remarkable potential through nurturing talent, disruptive thinking and global growth ambitions. I’m already looking forward to discovering the talent and potential of this year’s entrants.”
Information about previous award winners, judges and selection criteria for each award can be found at growthinvestorawards.com.