The NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator award for best start-up technology business Area

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2017 UPDATES

Winners revealed at Biztechs BrightSparc Awards in Central Milton Keynes

16/11/2018

The winner of a Biztech BrightSparc student award in 2015 took away two categories at the 2018 ceremony on Friday (November 16).

Wayne Cartmel's MyNewTerm is an innovative web application that has connected thousands of job seekers and education employers.

MyNewTerm scooped the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator Award for best start-up technology business, and the award for Best technology collaboration.

Wayne said winning a BrightSparc Award in 2015, when his business was a concept, had helped him get his business off the ground. "Without a shadow of a doubt," he said. "It was the catalyst for me to go forward. It proved to me that it had real traction."

He praised the role of the University of Bedfordshire, and the CityLabs project, based at the Open University, for their help in getting MyNewTerm to a whole new level.

The BrightSparc award for Best new B2B technology innovation in MK and SEMLEP region went to Red Giraffe. They build smart websites that use Artificial Intelligence to enhance the user experience and deliver relevant content to users. The adaptive technology allows companies to position themselves as the expert for multiple industries, and use the right kind of language for the right kind of target audience.

The CityLABS Innovation award for Milton Keynes went to Living Well at Home. They have a property assessment service called Home Check, tailored to individual households so they can stay living well, at home, in later life. Technology (data collection, processing, and digitisation has enabled them to reduce the assessment and report preparation time down from about two days, to four hours.

The award for Best student technology project in Milton Keynes and SEMLEP went to Wei Hang Chen.

Biztech chairman Fredi Nonyelu said the Biztech BrightSparc Awards are all about celebrating success, building profile, and collaboration, built around Biztech's passion and vision of creating a hub of technology in the Milton Keynes region. He urged all the other finalists to let their entrepreneurial spirit shine, and to "come back stronger" in the 2019 Biztech BrightSparc Awards.

Compered by Milton Keynes councillor David Hopkins, the Biztech BrightSparc Awards ceremony welcomed a fantastic range of speakers, including Michael Bracey, the Acting Chief Executive of Milton Keynes Council. He said Biztech and the council share a vision for creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit.

Sharon Rai, from the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator Hub, and Dr Oksana Karyak, from the Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship, spoke of the importance of the SME community to growth.

Alan Fletcher, of the Knowledge Media Institute at the Open University, said growth and business development is "all about the network".

This year's Biztech BrightSparc Awards received a record number of entrants, and planning for next year's awards is already underway. To get involved as a sponsor, email i nfo@biztech.org.uk or use the contact form HERE

Next event up for Biztech is the ever popular Annual Dinner, on December 6, 2018. For more details, and tickets, click HERE.

To join Biztech technology forum, click HERE.

© 2018 Biztech Business and Technology Forum