Entrepreneurs -

Inspiring Innovator of the Year 2021

Celebrating its sixth year, we are delighted to continue our support of grassroots entrepreneurship through our Inspiring Innovator of the Year award.

Published

2nd November 2021

Category

Video -

Entrepreneurship in 2021

As the world continues to change and adapt, it is the innovators of today who will secure our future tomorrow. Passionate, creative, and endlessly inspiring, this year’s Inspiring Innovator of the Year finalists offer new solutions to the modern consumer.

The Inspiring Innovator of the Year award was created by the Entrepreneurs team at Arbuthnot Latham to support new entrepreneurs to the market, understand the key challenges facing the world and how these are being addressed, and to bring together different aspects of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the UK. Partnering with City, University of London, we are delighted to introduce our talented and spirited finalists.

 

Join us for Inspiring Innovators of the Year 2021

 

Date: Thursday 18th November 2021 
Time: 15:30 – 18:00

Our passionate and brilliant finalists will each present their business idea live for your vote. Our winner will receive a cash prize, plus a bespoke mentoring package from experts to help them maximise their business plan.

We will be joined by a diverse panel from across the ecosystem of entrepreneurism.

If you would like to find out more, please email privatebankingevents@arbuthnot.co.uk.

 

 

Hear from our finalists

fethr

fethr is the friendship app for making more compatible connections using artificial intelligence and machine learning to match members based on their personality and ever-changing social preferences. Whether you’re looking for deeper conversations, or someone to explore your local area with, we’ve got you covered.

The pandemic has messed things up a bit. We’re spending more time on social media, and we’re now working from home and taking lectures online. Building a community at work, uni or just anywhere has become that much more difficult. Fethr is here to change this.

PanMoja

PanMoja is a peer-to-peer micro financing group digital platform facilitating group savings, lending and investments enabling financial independence and generational wealth.

This is done by providing a digital stokvel/rotating savings and credit association platform that automates the management of members, administration, reporting of contributions, internal loans and investment portfolio performance.

Smart Cirquit

We install ‘Smart Cirquits’ into your house which make your existing switches smart. With our top-notch product you can control what’s on and what’s off without an expensive upgrade to your current electrical infrastructure. Our product is unique and cost-effective as it allows our users to keep using their previously owned devices or buy any off-the-shelf products of their liking.

Along with these exquisite features, our product also promotes the sustainability agenda of the United Nation by promoting users to keep their usage in rigorous and regular check. With our state-of-the-art technology we aim to not only cater to high-end consumers, but we also intend to provide it as a medium to support physically disabled individuals.

Smoofii

smoofii sells ready-to-blend smoothie kits that have the aim of improving the customer's overall health. With each smoothie flavour having a distinct combination of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, our low sugar smoothies support physical wellbeing with a natural nutrient refuel.

Containing only fruits, vegetables, nuts and superfoods, the smoothie mixes arrive frozen at the customer's doorstep and all that is left to do is pour the ingredients into a blender, add a liquid, and blend. "5-a-Day" was never easier or more delicious.

Meet the panel

We are delighted to be joined by some of the biggest names in business to help us question our finalists to dig a little deeper

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Christine Nicholson

Christine Nicholson

Business Mentor UK

Christine is UK Business Mentor of the Year 2020 and a Top 50 Woman in Accounting 2020, an author of four business books, a regular keynote speaker and a businesswoman who has built multi-million turnover businesses over the last 30 years. She has worked with many business owners in all sectors including taking one from bankruptcy to eight-figure exit in 18 months. She has spent a few years accidentally running a zoo! Her latest book, SELL IT, helps business owners get their business and themselves ready for the hardest part of the entrepreneur journey, leaving their business in the hands of others.

She sits as a Court Assistant of the Company of Entrepreneurs of the City of London.

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Jim Keeling

Jim Keeling

Chairman and Chief Executive, Corbett Keeling

Jim set up Corbett Keeling 25 years ago as he wanted to be able to provide UK private company owners with advice on selling their businesses, raising finance and making acquisitions in the way he had seen his father and grandfather before him – as a friend, with honesty and integrity, unfettered by conflicts of interests for which many investment banks and large accountancy firms had begun to be known.

Jim is a past Chairman of the Corporate Finance Faculty, the largest trade body worldwide for corporate financiers with over 7,000 members; served as Alternate on the UK's Takeover Panel; and is a past President of Globalscope, the international family of M&A advisers with colleagues across the globe. Jim has extensive knowledge of the private equity industry and leads the firm's sector teams. He graduated from Oxford University prior to qualifying as a chartered accountant with KPMG.

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Lauren Le Franc

Lauren Le Franc

Little Coffee Company

Lauren has been named one of the top 10 women in sustainability by Forbes Magazine due to her efforts in democratising payments to coffee farmers across the world. Lauren is also the CEO of The Little Coffee Company, which is available nationwide and in Selfridges.

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Khalid Al-Qaqa

Khalid Al-Qaqa

Founder and CEO, EEE Group

Khalid Al-Qaqa is the founder and CEO of EEE Group. Founded in 2003, today the group operates in 13 countries across three continents, employing more than 600 employees, with turnover exceeding USD 70m.

Named one of the top 100 executives by Forbes magazine, Khalid holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and master’s degree in business administration from Bayes Business School – City University London. Today he is responsible for developing and expanding the business and products of the group across the MENA region, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia where the group has direct offices and operations.

Khalid has a focus on sustainability and in 2019 launched a new construction technology using local recycled material to produce the world’s most sustainable building methodology reducing CO2 emissions by at least 20% in any project. This technology has now been adopted across the globe.

2020 winner

 

EmenuNow logo

 

EMenuNow

Designed by hospitality experts with simplicity, portability and affordability at the core, EMenu was created to satisfy the hospitality industry’s need for an order & pay solution that would help businesses to serve more customers, for less.

Their journey so far has seen them receive multiple awards for their innovative system, including the Innovate UK Sustainable Innovation Award, the City Spark VIP Judge’s Choice Award and of course, the Arbuthnot Latham Inspiring Innovator Of The Year 2020.

As a recognised driver of productivity and economic growth within the hospitality sector, they are now on a mission to drive the hospitality sector bounce-back following the impact of the pandemic, by helping businesses to save money while they make money.

If you would like to find out more about how we can help you, get in touch with the Entrepreneurs team today.

 

 

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