The shortlist for the 2021 Wales Start Up Awards has been announced today.

Now in their sixth year, the awards are due to take place on September 9th at the Depot in Cardiff. They are exclusive to Welsh businesses that have launched within the last three years and provide a unique opportunity to celebrate the achievements of those new firms that are making an impact on the Welsh economy.

Having received a record 750 entries, a total of 90 finalists have been selected across twenty-seven categories covering all sectors in Wales.

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, Assistant Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of South Wales who created the awards back in 2016, was delighted at the high number of entries into this year’s competition during the worst economic crisis ever.

“Over the last fifteen months, we have seen record numbers of new firms being created in Wales despite the challenges faced by businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic and this is reflected in the high quality and quantity of the entries to the awards which will make the final judging even more difficult this year. In particular, the Rising Stars category for startups less than 12 months old was the most competitive of all the categories and shows how new businesses have flourished despite the various lockdowns.”

“Various studies have shown that entrepreneurship remains an important element of economies around the World, and it is clear that companies like our finalists, who perceive an opportunity and take a risk to create a new business, will be critical in ensuring the recovery of the Welsh economy over the next few years. It’s good to see that 44% of the finalists are female entrepreneurs as closing the gender gap in new business starts is critical in boosting the Welsh economy.

The sponsors for this year’s awards come from all parts of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Wales including Capital Law, NatWest Bank, BIC Innovation, Bluegg, Business in Focus, Business News Wales, CEMET, Chambers Wales, Fintech Wales, GLLM Food Technology Centre, Glynllifon Rural Economy Hub, M-Sparc, North Wales Ambition Board, the Prince’s Trust Wales, the Swansea Bay City Deal, University of South Wales, Universities Wales, WCVA and Young Enterprise.

There is also support for the awards from a range of entrepreneurial Welsh firms such as ALS Managed Services, Bad Wolf TV, Creating Enterprise, Evabuild, Freight Logistics Solutions, Genmed, GRC World Forums, Lux Family Law, Mazuma, Niche IFA, Penderyn Whisky, the Principality Building Society, Tiny Rebel, Town Square and Wolfberry, as well as London-based venture capital firm, Cognis Capital.

Chris Coughlan, senior associate of the overall sponsor Capital Law said: “It’s heart-warming to see so many start-ups in Wales continue to innovate and grow during such uncertain times. At Capital, we’ve always admired the talent and creativity of Welsh entrepreneurs. That’s why we support these awards. This year, the record number of applications, and the agility they demonstrate, is truly impressive. It’s certainly going to be difficult to choose winners among such high-quality finalists.”

The 2021 Wales Startup Awards finalists are as follows:

Business to business services start-up of the year

DCW Insights
Dewin Tech
Infoteam International
UK Gummy Company

Cardiff start-up of the year

Aura Ads
Configur
Talent Ticker
Yoello

Construction start-up of the year

Inndex
Intuety
PS Engine
Temptag

Consumer services start-up of the year

Beaming Babies
EcoFriendly Energy
Kitchens by Emma Reed
Meithrinfa Cywion Bach Nursery

Creative start-up of the year

Aura Ads
The Blackened Teeth
Iungo Solutions
Zodiak VFX

Digital start-up of the year

Configur
Cufflink
Porter
Talent Ticker
Web Marketer

Financial and professional services start-up of the year

Care Ethics
Central Recruitment Services
Elizabeth Jones Law
Moxie People

Fintech start-up of the year

Kuva
Monva
Ship Shape
Yoello

Food and drink start-up of the year

Bragdy Cybi
Cardiff Distillery
Mallows Distillery
The Good Pud

Global start-up of the year

Ecoslurps
Log 6
Olew
Semper Paratus

Graduate start-up of the year

Caerphilly Eats
Grow up Gaby
Pai Language Learning
Route Konnect

Green start-up of the year

ArcitekBio
Eco Friendly Energy
Harvst
Log 6

High street startup of the year

Cocovanill
Cuffed in Coffee
Loaded Burger and Fries
SY23 Restaurant
U Melt me and Gifts

Innovative Start-Up of the Year

Grafmarine
Intuety
Nightingale HQ
Starfish Labs

Manufacturing start-up of the year

Harvst
LIMB-art
Slate Creation
The Good Pud

Medtech start-up of the year

Agile Kinetic
Cansense
Ceryx Medical
Kingston Medical Equipment and Garments

Mobile and Emerging Technologies start-up of the year

Dewin Tech
PSEngine
Starfish Labs
Techdrobe

North Wales start-up of the year

Aspire Leadership Academy
Inndex
Merch Locker Print Shop
Semper Paratus

Online retail start-up of the year

Bad Ass Mother Runners
Mallows Beauty
Mesoa for men
Olew
The Blackened Teeth

Prince’s Trust Wales start-up of the year

Grow up Gaby
Not Your Grandma’s
Sero Zero Waste
Welsh Luxury Hamper

Rural start-up of the year

By the Wye
Llaethdy Mynydd Mostyn
Meithrinfa Cywion Bach Nursery
The Farmers Arms Llanybri

Social enterprise start-up of the year

Mubo
Prom Ally CIC
Swperbox
Yma

Swansea Bay start-up of the year

DCW Insights
Kitchens by Emma Reed
Temptag
The Secret Beach Bar & Kitchen

Tourism start-up of the year

Black Mountain Bespoke Breaks
By the Wye
Henry’s Chepstow
The Secret Beach Bar & Kitchen

Valleys start-up of the year

Care Ethics
Central Recruitment Services
Infoteam International
Nightingale HQ

Young entrepreneur of the year

Ronnie Bourne and Laura Mallows (Mallows Beauty)
Oliver Williams (Ollywood)
Tim Winstanley (Pendragon Drinks)
Sina Yamani (Yoello)

Rising Stars

Consumer Insights Lab
Darogan Talent
Fleet-e
Haia
Lumen SEO
Onesta
Penbedw Lamb
Reworking (Reliving Limited)
Shroot
The Scouted Hub
The Sorbus Tree
Willow Day Care