Startups celebrated for groundbreaking ideas that will create global impact
LONDON, JAN 18, 2017 – MassChallenge, the most startup-friendly accelerator on the planet, tonight awarded 100,000 in zero-equity cash prizes to 6 of the highest-impact startups from the 2016 MassChallenge UK accelerator program.
From allergy detection and prevention to repurposing insect protein, the winning startups represent the best and the brightest of the UKs vibrant startup ecosystem, said Diane Perlman, Chief Marketing Officer of MassChallenge. Now in our second year, MassChallenge UK is proud to be a trusted support system for startups as they grow their businesses and solve some of the worlds biggest problems.
The prizes were announced tonight at the second annual MassChallenge UK Awards & Fun(d)raiser, sponsored by Swiss Re, which brought together more than 500 leaders from the UK and European entrepreneurial community at the Old Truman Brewery Boiler House in East London. The event featured an augmented reality showcase of the 100-startup 2016 cohort, on-stage pitches by the top 20 startups, a keynote by Brent Hoberman, founder of Made.com, LastMinute.com, and Founders Factory, and remarks by Dan Ryan, Head of Digital Catalysts, Managing Director at Swiss Re. MassChallenge partner ViiV Healthcare awarded an additional cash prize of 25,000 to Ideabatic, who is solving for last-mile vaccine delivery.
The awards ceremony was the capstone on another record-breaking year in the UK. The MassChallenge UK received more than 1,300 applications from 76 countries and accelerated 100 diverse startups over three months. In addition to the robust acceleration program, MassChallenge UK launched the East London Business Booster with the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, which is currently supporting more than 60 early-stage small businesses.
We are proud of our second cohort of startups in the UK, said John Harthorne, Founder and CEO of MassChallenge. MassChallenge UK has rapidly become the leading startup accelerator in London, thanks in large part to the community of partners, supporters, and mentors who believe in the catalytic power of startups.
The UK prize winners join the elite community of MassChallenge startups. Since 2009, MassChallenge has accelerated over 1,000 startups who have collectively raised more than 1.4 billion in funding, generated over 560 million in revenue, and created over 60,000 jobs. Notable past MassChallenge UK alumni include Cambridge Bioaugmentation Systems (2015 Diamond Winner), mOm Incubators (2015 Diamond Winner) and Glisser (2015 Gold Winner). After the awards, all startups remain part of the MassChallenge family and have access to a global network of supporters, mentors, and investors.
30K Diamond Winner
White Lab
UK | Health and wellness
White Lab develops the smart indoors allergen and air quality tracker that helps you improve the air you breathe.
20K Platinum Winners
WeTrack
UK | Enterprise software
WeTrack is an innovative project management software, allowing companies to manage large scale events efficiently and clearly.
Entocycle
UK | Agriculture
Entocycle is an innovative feed company that is developing the most advanced, efficient, and sustainable systems to feed the world.
10K Gold Winners
Oxford Heartbeat
UK | Healthcare / Life sciences
Not public at this time.
The Hearts Milk Bank CIC
UK | Healthcare / Life sciences
The Hearts Milk Bank will provide a consistent source of safe, screened donor breast milk to neonatal units across London and the southeast.
Agricision Ltd
UK | Agriculture
Making precision agricultural technologies more affordable and accessible, we are dedicated to improving efficiency of world food production.
About MassChallenge
MassChallenge is the most startup-friendly accelerator on the planet. No equity and not-for-profit, we are obsessed with helping entrepreneurs across any industry. We also reward the highest-impact startups through a competition to win a portion of several million dollars in equity-free cash awards. Through our global network of accelerators in Boston, the UK, Israel, Switzerland, and Mexico, and unrivaled access to our corporate partners, we can have a massive impact – driving growth and creating value the world over. To date, 1,211 MassChallenge alumni have raised over 1.4 billion in funding, generated over 560 million in revenue, and created over 60,000 direct and indirect jobs. For more information, please visit masschallenge.org.
Top MassChallenge UK Partners Include
SwissRe, J.P. Morgan, GCHQ, BCG The Boston Consulting Group, IBM, Satellite Applications Catapult, ViiV, EMC2, Fried Frank Technology, Taylor Wessing, Crowdcube, Digital Catapult, Tobacco Dock, Eversheds, School of Management Fribourg, Interchange, APCO Worldwide, Hubspot, Moo, JCDecaux Nurture, Shout, UK Business Angels Association, Angels Den, and Tech City UK.