The Start-Up Stars Awards culminate with a glittering black-tie event at London’s Dorchester Hotel on 29 October, where top new businesses will hope to be crowned ‘Start-Up Star 2008’ and walk away with a cheque for £50,000, courtesy of HSBC.
A cheque for £5,000 will also be presented to the business scooping the Green Award and demonstrating they are putting the environment at the top of their business agenda.
Google will be offering £5,000 of AdWords and a visit to their London office as a prize to both the National Winner and the Green Award Winner. Each of the runners-up will receive £2,500 of AdWords.
Helping to launch the awards, minister for business and competitiveness Shriti Vadera said: ‘Successful start-ups are essential to the UK meeting the challenges of today’s globally competitive market.’
The regional heats, which generate 60 regional winners, seek entries from all over the UK. A panel of business experts will then select the top ten new businesses to fly the flag for their region in the national finals.
