* Entrepreneurs and Founder Friendly Funds recognised for driving the next generation of UK innovation

London - Some of the UK's most outstanding entrepreneurs were recognised last night (1 July) at the glittering Enterprise Awards, held at Drapers' Hall in the City of London.

Now in its 14th year, the Enterprise Awards celebrates entrepreneurship, innovation and business leadership, recognising founders and business leaders at every stage of growth. Since the awards were launched, nearly 120 entrepreneurs have been recognised, whose businesses now generate over $3.1 billion in annual revenue and employ around 18,000 people worldwide.

Welcomed by John O'Connell, founder of the Awards and Executive Chair of ScaleUp Group and led by Tola Sargeant, Chair of the Judging Panel and CEO of Archives of IT and Paddy McGwire, Senior Partner at Silverpeak and Enterprise Awards judge, the ceremony brought together entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders to celebrate people building the UK's next generation of high-growth businesses.

2026 Enterprise Awards Winners

Social Enterprise Entrepreneur:

Laura Earnshaw, myHappymind

Applied AI Entrepreneur:

Helen Murphy, Opply

Scale-Up Entrepreneur: Sean Williams, AutogenAI

Emerging Entrepreneur:

Thomas Garnett & Vlad Galu, Refute

Developing Entrepreneur:

Stephanie Eltz, Doctify

Enterprise Entrepreneur:

Michelle He, Abound

New for 2026, the Enterprise Awards introduced Founder Friendly Funds, recognising 18 investment funds that have collectively, made almost 400 investments, investing circa $600 million into UK tech businesses during 2025, covering Seed to Series B in investment size.

2026 Founder Friendly Funds

ACF Investors

Amadeus Capital Partners

Beringea

Bethnal Green Ventures

Calculus Capital

Foresight

Frog Capital

Kennet Partners

Maven Capital Partners

Mercia Ventures

Nauta Capital

Northern Gritstone

Octopus Ventures

Oxford Capital

Oxx

Smedvig Ventures

Symvan Capital

YFM Equity Partners

Tola Sargeant said, "The quality of entries this year was exceptional, making the judging process both inspiring and highly competitive. Our winners represent the very best of UK entrepreneurship, combining commercial success with innovation, leadership and a genuine commitment to creating lasting impact. It has been a privilege to recognise individuals who are shaping the future of their industries."

John O'Connell noted, "The calibre of this year's finalists and winners has been outstanding, reflecting the ambition, creativity and resilience driving innovation across the UK. We're also delighted to introduce our Founder Friendly Funds recognition, investors fuelling the growth of great UK businesses with exceptional founders, who also need such investors to back them for the long term. Together, this year's winners and recognised funds represent the people and organisations which are helping to shape the future of UK technology."

The Enterprise Awards is proud to be supported by its 2026 partners and sponsors, including Evelyn Partners, ScaleUp Group

and Silverpeak as Headline Sponsors; Farringford Legal as Drinks Sponsor; Archives of IT as Impact Partner; WCIT

as Charity Partner; with expert event management delivered by tx2events.

For more information about the Enterprise Awards and the 2026 winners, visit www.enterprise-awards.co.uk

or follow the Enterprise Awards on LinkedIn.

ENDS

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