May 9

May 9 Virgin and intu launch search for the next foodpreneur 2017

The Foodpreneur 2017 is a programme by Virgin Startup and intu, created to find the UK’s next big food and drink entrepreneur. To add to this amazing programme, they have selected some of the most exciting food and drink experts to help them judge the competition.

The call has been sent for innovative foodpreneurs to register to take part in the six-week initiative, which could see them win the competition and get their products to millions of intu customers in person and online.

The competition closes on Wednesday 17th of May and finalists will have the opportunity to pitch their businesses to four of the UK’s top food and drink experts.

The judging panel includes Levi Roots, founder of Reggae Reggae Sauce, Ella’s Kitchen founder Paul Lindley, Jimmy Cregan of Jimmy’s Iced Coffee and Instagram Clean Eating, Alice Living.

Levi Roots, Foodpreneur judge said, “I jumped at the chance to join the judging panel for intu and Virgin’s Foodpreneur as I share their passion for supporting new businesses and innovation."

From all the entries received, they will be whittled down to eight semi-finalists, who will be awarded the opportunity to showcase their business in a customised pop u at one the intu’s prime regional shopping centres and online, for one week. From that eight, four finalists will then be selected to pitch and present their businesses to the judging panel in September to win a space at an intu centre and online for six weeks.

David Fischel, Chief executive, intu says, “Our expert panel of judges’ outstanding credentials across the food and drink industry will play an important part in the competition’s aim of finding and supporting the most creative and innovative new businesses."

This marks the third year that this innovative competition has been running. Previous winners include Harry Brompton’s Iced Tea and Cauli Rice. This opportunity opened a lot of doors for both winners, so will be an amazing opportunity for this year’s foodpreneur winner.

Mei Shui, Managing Director Virgin StartUp: “We’re into our third year of this fabulous competition and following the success of our previous winners I’m excited to see what’s on the horizon for this year’s entrants."

trending blog

The seamless world of prefilled vape pods

Its simplicity has made transitioning from traditional tobacco to vaping a breeze for many.

5 ways bitcoin has shown resilience in the face of financial market volatility

Bitcoin, the digital currency conceived in 2009 by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto, is a financial phenomenon. Despite the volatility of global markets, it has demonstrated remarkable resilience.

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: Best practices to confidently grow in your career

From university students and young entrepreneurs to senior executives, imposter syndrome remains a common thread in everyone’s personal career journey.

Signs that the CEO path isn't your ideal career

Seeing your ideas materialise, working for yourself, leading others, and becoming a CEO might seem like a dream come true, and indeed, it is for many.

Overcoming CEO scepticism: How to successfully advocate for PR

While the benefits of a well-executed PR strategy are evident to practitioners, misconceptions among business leaders often cast PR as fluff, lacking business results.

The rising importance of customer loyalty programmes

In an era marked by the cost-of-living crisis, the landscape of consumer behaviour is undergoing a significant transformation. This shift demands a strategic adaptation from businesses.

Look after the spending and the budget will look after itself: Streamlining through spend management

When it comes to managing spend in a business, the budgeting process can set a high level of accountability. This drives headcount forecasts, subscription-based spend, and key projects throughout the year.

What are the best odds in roulette?

ChatGPT untapped: A blueprint for optimal business results

Real-world usage of ChatGPT highlights a challenge that entrepreneurs and business leaders face today in understanding how to harness ChatGPT's capabilities effectively and seamlessly integrate it into business processes to yield tangible productivity.

The boom and bust of Amazon aggregation: what happens next?

However, 2022 was the year of the Amazon aggregation downfall. Funding dried up and inflation and rising interest rates hit the highly leveraged aggregators’ debt hard.

Unlocking Success: How democratising decision-making will promote organisational growth

It goes without saying that moving away from outdated decision-making processes which rely solely on a handful of senior executives can unlock a realm of opportunity for businesses, but it is useful to begin by considering why exactly there is a need for this change.

SEO strategies to improve ranking

Beyond the launch, the challenge then becomes the pursuit to be seen. This is where search engine optimisation (SEO) comes in to act as an ally for your online business. With the high street experiencing dwindling foot traffic, the allure of being a hidden gem has lost its appeal.

I’m tired of the same “reality of being a founder” posts

When the narrative is almost always the same, it can perpetuate a very particular idea of how a business should be run that has for so long excluded so many.

Unraveling fintech's role in driving growth and financial inclusion

With the emergence of embedded finance and digital payment solutions, a lot of businesses are experiencing fundamental shifts leading them to become, to some extent, a fintech.

What to do before you pitch: A guide to building a pitch deck that converts

The difference between securing the investment and losing interest often hinges on how effective startups are at conveying their vision and value proposition, so creating a compelling pitch deck has never been more important.

Dr. Yousef Alhammadi on safeguarding children's screen time with innovative technology

Acknowledging these concerns, Dr. Yousef Alhammadi, the Executive Director of The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA), sheds light on a groundbreaking approach that empowers parents to safeguard their children’s digital experiences.

Simplifying the customer onboarding process for faster payments

Every business has taken on the responsibility to speed up the process of collecting customer payments without compromising security. It is another way to stay competitive in a business environment with decreasing margins and substantial competition.

Five areas Edge computing gives a competitive advantage in privacy, communications and innovation

Edge computing has emerged as one of the most important trends in IT since the advent of ChatGPT and LLMs.

Preparing for Making Tax Digital (MTD): 5 essential steps for entrepreneurs

Are you equipped to embrace the future of tax administration? With the UK's Making Tax Digital (MTD) initiative, traditional tax practices are poised for a digital makeover.

Protecting the privacy of Gen Z consumers online

Recent instances of Microsoft, TikTok, and Meta facing GDPR fines due to inadequate protection of young people's data underscore the insufficiency of efforts by Big Tech to safeguard the next generation of consumers.

7 affordable Small Business accounting software 2023

Now, there are opportunities to access accounting software that simplifies the process. This is especially crucial since tax regulations have gone digital, requiring all financial reports, including tax returns, to be submitted online.

Unveiling the Future of Mobility: Introducing smart EVs #1

Within this exciting landscape, the concept of "smart EVs #1" has emerged, encompassing a range of cutting-edge electric models that combine intelligence, sustainability, and style.

How to create a wellness-friendly workplace that supports everyone

A happy and healthy workforce will bring more productivity, engagement, and loyalty. However, it’s important employer’s realise a ‘1 size fits all’ approach to wellbeing just won’t cut it.

How artificial intelligence can supercharge your email marketing campaigns

In particular, AI’s potential impact on email marketing cannot be overstated. For businesses, it has the potential to streamline activity, increase engagement, and ultimately drive conversions.

Investing in the Future: 8 early-stage tech investment funds in the UK

From the humble kitchen table offices to the dynamic innovation hubs scattered across the UK, venture capitalists and angel investors have wholeheartedly recognised the nation's immense potential in spearheading advancements in the tech sector.

How to get your startup in the media

You are an early-stage founder, eager to generate buzz and excitement around your business. You live and breathe your startup, but how do you catch the media's attention and inspire them to write about it?

Circular economy 101: What is it and why should businesses be using it?

Circular economy is another way of thinking about an economic system that far better matches both the fact that man exists as part of an ecosystem, not separated from it, and how we best create and deliver valuable solutions.

How to create a sales strategy in 11 steps

A sales strategy is a plan of action that outlines the approach and tactics a business will use to achieve its sales goals and sell to prospective clients. It details the steps that a company will take to identify, engage, and convert leads.

Why celebrating Black talent promotes an inclusionary world

The sheer diversity of marginalised groups celebrating triumph over adversity is testimony of just how expansive and ubiquitous the human experience of discrimination is.

“We are a family” – why workplace language matters and can lead to poor mental health

We were persuaded that we had everything we needed to survive right here and to want anything else was to be at risk of losing our livelihood or worse, losing our sense of purpose and belonging - triggering that primal instinct that will have us compromise on our values if it means survival.

women in tech

Emilie Vallauri, Program Manager at Techstars

Emilie Vallauri is a 27-year-old program manager at Techstars with a passion for innovation. Born and raised in Nice, France, Emilie studied business and political sciences before embarking on a career punctuated by innovation and supporting startups.

Zsuzsa Kecsmar, Chief Strategy Officer and co-founder of Antavo

Zsuzsa has been instrumental in growing Antavo from a startup to a scaleup. As Chief Strategy Officer and co-founder, she is transforming the company into a unique loyalty technology vendor, offering a next-gen, best-in-class solution to the loyalty sector.

Nicola Hills, VP of Engineering at Personio

Software engineering and product development is my specialisation - and I have had a wide range of experience across the industry. I had a brilliant 22-year long career at IBM, working across a number of roles, which I really loved.

Holly Zoccolan, founder of the Carol App

Holly Zoccolan is an entrepreneur and Founder of new parenting app, Carol. Before Founding Carol and entering the tech space, Holly built successful online wellness brand The Health Zoc in 2016.

Anna Gudmundson, CEO and co-founder of Sensate

Anna Gudmundson is the CEO and co-founder of Sensate, a device that emits infrasonic waves that are synchronised to resonate with the specially composed hemispheric audio in the app.

Rebecca Dykema, Senior Vice President of Clients, Partnership and Creative Transformation at CreativeX

Rebecca is Senior Vice President of Clients, Partnership and Creative Transformation at CreativeX, provider of an industry-first AI driven data platform to help the world’s most loved brands including PepsiCo, Nestle and Facebook achieve creative excellence.

Jo Halliday, co-founder and CEO of Talking Medicines

Laura Fox, Chartered Mechanical Engineer and Systems Design Lead at Exergyn

Sarah Callery, Director of Strategic Sales in EMEA

Cheryl Griffin, founder of AlphaBetty

Stephanie Desmond, co-founder of bloss

Maeve Bleahene, co-founder and Head of Operations at Peroptyx

Diana Morato, Chief Growth Officer at Sensei

Elizabeth Tweedale, founder and CEO of Cypher

Vivi Cahyadi Himmel and Karolina Saviova, co-founders of AltoVita

Louise Jackson, founder of Joya

Anne Lise Waal COO of Attensi

Candy-Ellie Graham founder of StylzMag

Sophie Baron founder of Mamamade

Jennifer Quigley-Jones, founder of Digital Voices

Diana Gaertner and Claudia Wagner, co-founders of Ubooker

Cassie Sneglar, founder of The X Cartel

Eynat Guez, founder of Papaya Global

Xanthe Kueppers, co-founder of Pilcro

Daniela Paredes, co-founder of Gravity Sketch

Michelle Roberts, Director of Parners at Ensono

Caroline Plumb, founder of Fluidly

Rebecca Hopkins, founder of the Sports Technology Awards Group

Sylvia Ng, VP of Product and Growth at 500px

Marielle Price, Head of Construction at Fieldwire

meet the founders

Meet Ivo Gueorguiev, co-founder and executive chairman at Paynetics

It was more of a gut feeling that led us to the intersection of digitalisation, mobiles and the democratisation of payments. Paynetics felt strongly about making moving and managing money right for everyone and started building a platform that covers it all.

Meet Simon Goodman, founder of Over The Moo

I’m Simon Goodman and I started out in PR, where I was introduced to the noble Choc Ice working on the Cadburys account. At the time they were looking to upgrade the humble choc ice.

Meet Matt Ovenden, founder and CEO of Borrow A Boat

In 2017, Matt launched Borrow A Boat, aka the ‘Airbnb’ of boats, making waves in the charter industry by offering a modern marketplace solution with the aim of making boating more accessible, affordable, flexible and inclusive for all.

Meet Alisa Patotsakaya, founder of Immersive Fox

Founded in 2021 by Alisa Patotsakaya, Immersive Fox is a text-to-video generation startup that specialises in providing businesses with AI-generated videos for sales and customer communication.

Meet Samantha Gilchrist, co-founder and CEO of The Gilchrist Collection

Samantha Gilchrist, co-founder and CEO of The Gilchrist Collection, shares her life as an entrepreneur.

Meet Conrad Poulson, CEO and co-founder of Huq

Co-founded by Conrad Poulson in 2014, Huq has been at the forefront of utilising cutting- edge technologies and innovative mobility research methods.

Meet Barney Packer, founder of Modern Classic Digital

Going from employee to founder was a huge leap of faith. I announced the agency just a few days after turning 26 and like most 26-year-olds, I hadn’t ever owned or run a business before.

Meet Dr Anas, CEO and co-founder of Patchwork Health

Patchwork Health was co-founded by Dr Anas Nader and Dr Jing Ouyang with the mission to make truly flexible and sustainable working a reality for all healthcare staff, amid the current workforce crisis.

Meet Jeb Buckler, founder of Startup Giants PLC

After a lifetime working as a project manager for some of the world’s largest tech companies, Jeb Buckler set up Startup Giants PLC to ensure that no good tech concepts should go to waste.

Meet Charlotte Staerck, founder of The Handbag Clinic

So, I encouraged Ben to officially incorporate The Handbag Clinic as its own independent luxury handbag offshoot in 2013 – all still operated through our ecommerce platform at the time.

Meet Diana Babics, founder of Nourish Awards

I’m Diana Babics, founder of Nourish Awards. I began in finance (accounts and auditing) before deciding this simply wasn’t for me. I then headed off to university as a mature student, initially to study art and design and latterly interior architecture.

Meet Mat Ilic, CEO and co-founder of greenworkx

greenworkx is co-founded by two education sector workers, Mat llic and Richard Ng, who are passionate about the planet and believe reskilling and upskilling UK workers into green jobs is future-proofing the economy.

Meet Blaise Hope, founder of Origin Hope

Blaise Hope, founder and CEO of Origin Hope, brings two decades of media experience to his groundbreaking content partnership venture.

Meet Nisha Ramisetty, co-founder of Naksha Collections

Co-founded by Nisha Ramisetty and Sam Williams, the idea for Naksha was born in 2020 when cooking became an escape during lockdown.

Meet Charlene Hurlock, co-founder of Swoperz

Charlene Hurlock was inspired by her daughter and her best friend who independently started swapping their pre-loved clothes. Aside from being a Mum, Charlene's background is predominately in global exhibition sales and media advertising.

Meet Kevin Tang, founder of Kaytea Drinks

In North America, Iced Teas (Coldbrew) is a bustling £2bn marketplace. Yet, in the UK, despite being the second fastest-growing soft drink sub-category (after cold brew coffee), there is still a lack of appreciation for brands like Kaytea.

Meet Melissa Gauge, founder of SpareMyTime

I’m Melissa Gauge, founder of SpareMyTime. I left my corporate role in 2016 to set up a City-based business with a couple of partners and another business by myself, an online platform.

Meet Amelia Peckham and Clare Braddell, co-founders of Cool Crutches & Walking Sticks

Founded in 2006 by Amelia Peckham and Clare Braddel, Cool Crutches & Walking Sticks aims to empower those who need support to walk.

Meet Gerry Lianos, co-founder of Raffolux

I’m Gerry Lianos - the co-founder of Raffolux, an online raffling platform that gives people the chance to win amazing prizes for a low cost and support charities close to their hearts.

Meet Jason Timm, CEO and co-founder of CloudSmiths

Jason Tim is the CEO and co-founder of CloudSmiths and has been CEO for the past two years. Prior to this, he held previous roles at the company such as Managing Director and Sales Director.

Meet Lucy Bramley, founder of Ruched & Ready

My name is Lucy Bramley and I'm the founder of Ruched & Ready, one of the UK's leading size inclusive fashion labels helping women embrace their curves and feel confident.

Meet Kieran Fisher, founder and MD at KBF Enterprises

KBF Enterprises was established in 2008 by Managing Director, Kieran Fisher and is the business behind two of the most recognised sports nutrition brands in the UK – Bodybuilding Warehouse® and Warrior®.

Meet Matt Cater, co-founder Clix Technologies

Matt Cater is co-founder of Clix Technologies, an innovative new company that offers the UK’s only mobile-first, fully customisable, Web App-based smart lockers.

Meet Ben Maruthappu, founder and CEO of Cera

Ben Maruthappu is a London-based doctor and CEO of Cera, a multi-award winning digital-first home healthcare company, which has grown 100-fold in the past three years, now delivering over 50,000 patient appointments a day.

Meet Ben Foster, co-founder of The Natural Love Company

The Natural Love Company was founded by friends and wedding photographers Ben Foster and Barney Walters. The Cornwall-based business was launched as a result of their previous careers being put on halt by the pandemic.

Meet Adrien Menard, CEO and co-founder of Botify

As the CEO of Botify, Adrien has had both a global and notable career, co-founding Botify back in 2012 and thereafter relocating to the United States from France. Adrien is passionate about shifting the organic search marketing landscape.

Meet Sançar Sahin, co-founder and CMO of Oliva

Sançar has spent years leading marketing teams at high-profile startups, including Typeform and Hotjar. Early in his career, he struggled to set work-life boundaries and lacked a clear understanding of his personal wellbeing needs and values.

Meet Mike Robertson and Adrian Brown, co-founders of AbbeyCross

Co-founded by Mike Robertson and Adrian Brown, AbbeyCross is the world’s first B2B trading and compliance marketplace, focused on improving underlying market infrastructure for Emerging Market (“EM”) currencies.

Meet Derk Roodhuyzen de Vries, CEO and co-founder of Fixico

My name is Derk Roodhuyzen de Vries and I am the CEO and co-founder of Fixico. Alongside my business partner Mark van Laar, we created Fixico back in 2014 to revolutionise the car repair industry.

Meet Jack Peagam and Ben Whatson, co-founders of LinkUp

Linkup was founded by the two Manchester-based entrepreneurs, Jack Peagam and Ben Whatson, as they aim to step away from ‘traditional' career paths and combine their shared passion for creativity with business.

Featured

Criterion Capital powers up with £25m investment

This funding will propel Criterion Capital's vision of redefining hospitality with its sleep-centric, design-forward hotel concept.

Winners of Black British Business Awards 2024

The theme of this year’s BBBAwards is #NEXT. Now in its 11th year, the BBBAwards is marking a new decade of celebration of the outstanding achievements of Black professionals and entrepreneurs in the UK.

Aistetic selected amongst top 0.5% for Techstars Future of Commerce Accelerator powered by Ebay

Aistetic, a groundbreaking Oxford University AI spinout, has proudly announced its participation in the Techstars Future of Ecommerce Accelerator powered by eBay, a highly competitive program designed to help shape ecommerce.

A quarter of leaders unconsciously create an environment of fear costing £2.2 billion in productivity and performance

An alarming new study of workplace leaders describes an environment of unconscious fear in modern-day leadership, leading to toxic culture, stunted growth, performance and productivity, and decision inertia.

Mambu announces availability in AWS Marketplace

Mambu, a leading Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud banking platform, today announced it is now available in AWS Marketplace, making it one of the first core banking providers on the site.