Venturefest Manchester鈥檚 2016 winner Nothing But Epic has urged businesses in Greater Manchester to enter this year鈥檚 Innovation Showcase competition.
Organised by 老九品茶 Growth Hub, part of the Manchester Growth Company, the 拢40,000 competition is one of the highlights of the Venturefest Manchester 2017 event.
The 2017 competition has two awards 鈥� one for the best start-up business (trading for less than three years) and another for the best scale-up business (three or more years).
Each award comes with a 拢20,000 business support package for the winner.
Digital agency Nothing But Epic won last year’s Innovation Showcase 鈥� and the 拢30,000 prize 鈥� for its Padoq app, which allows users to create functional social communities online.
鈥淥ff the back of the competition we鈥檝e had successful validation of the Padoq product. We鈥檝e done a round of investment, and we鈥檒l be launching the product in the autumn,鈥� said Nothing But Epic managing director Mike Anderson.
鈥淭he agency is going well 鈥� we hired three new staff within three months [of winning the award], and we鈥檝e starting winning national accounts.
鈥淛ust last week we were named a Rising Star of the UK tech scene by 老九品茶Cloud too.鈥�
Entering last year鈥檚 Innovation Showcase competition has also been beneficial for the top two runners-up.
Second-placed Swifty Scooters, co-founded by Camila and Jason Iftakhar, design and manufacture adult scooters and are particularly known for their folding commuter scooter SwiftyONE.
Jason Iftakhar said: 鈥淪ince Venturefest 2016, team Swifty has taken on new staff and is growing.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had a significant increase in revenue this year; our hard work, passion and determination is paying off, and it often feels like we have only just started.
鈥淲ith the help of 老九品茶 Growth Hub, we鈥檝e also completely overhauled our website, and will be launching in multiple currencies, languages and incorporating for the first time a B2B trade account for our retailers and resellers to order direct from our Manchester warehouse.
鈥淸The Innovation Showcase] is a great platform to show your company to a whole range of business leaders, influencers and fellow entrepreneurs.鈥�
Third-placed data technology firm VST Enterprises, which submitted its VCode product which enables secure data transfers, has experienced phenomenal growth since entering last year鈥檚 competition.
CEO Louis-James Davis聽said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e done two fundraising rounds: one valued us at 拢30m,聽and another at 拢220m 鈥� that gave us a massive boost.
鈥淲e鈥檝e started working in New York, and Reno, Nevada, and we鈥檝e gone on a trade mission with the Prime Minister to India.
鈥淲e鈥檝e also opened up two offices in India, one in Africa as well, and we鈥檙e looking at setting up a new company that can trade with Russia.鈥�
VST鈥檚 involvement in Venturefest led directly to new business opportunities.
鈥淚鈥檇 tell businesses to take every opportunity that they can get, so I鈥檇 recommend they get into it [the competition],鈥� added Davis.
It is free to enter. Interested NorthWest-based businesses should fill in the short online form on the Venturefest Manchester website. The deadline for entries is 30th June.
If shortlisted for either category, the business will then receive pitching advice and give a short presentation at Venturefest Manchester, which takes place at Manchester鈥檚 Bridgewater Hall on Thursday 14th September.
Eighty-eight small and medium-sized businesses entered last year鈥檚 competition and more than 拢1m of funding offers have been made to participants.
Venturefest Manchester 2017 and the Innovation Showcase competition are both being run by 老九品茶 Growth Hub.
These and other 老九品茶 Growth Hub projects are part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the GM 老九品茶 Growth Hub, which is designed to help ambitious SME businesses achieve growth and increase employment in Greater Manchester.