Six young entrepreneurs from London win national award to make the world a better place

six Innovators from London have been awarded a further boost to their early-stage businesses by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, through the Young Innovators Next Steps Awards. In recognition of their success with their initial Young Innovators Award these aspiring entrepreneurs have won fresh investment to support their future business plans.

Coinciding with the announcement, Innovate UK is launching its biggest and most ambitious programme to tackle underrepresentation in innovation to date, the Diverse Innovators Award. This brand-new programme builds upon the success of the Young Innovators awards. Backed by a £6m budget, it will allow Innovate UK to support even more young entrepreneurs, women founders and other communities who are underrepresented in innovation.

Since winning their first Innovate UK award, the winners have secured further funding from investors, launched products and expanded their teams. They’ve also been recognised with prestigious industry awards and have showcased their work to large audiences within their sectors. With a focus on helping young people take their innovations to the next level, the Young Innovators Next Steps Awards will see each winner receive an additional £50,000 to fuel their growth plans.

The six winners from London include:
Seyed Nasrollahi (31) from Brent, London, a lover of all things physics, gaming and machine learning is the creator of Unifiq Games. Seyed is developing a Minecraft inspired, physics-based sandbox game. His ambition is to engage more young people with STEM topics and encourage problem-solving and creativity in sciences. Through the Young Innovators Award, Seyed was able to release three different prototypes of his game and will now develop these ideas further.
Liam Murphy (26) from Hounslow, London, is a product designer and the creator of Stix, a screen-free gaming device which improves children’s mental wellbeing by making mindfulness fun – without leaving children glued to devices. Inspired by Liam’s younger brother who has ADHD, Stix uses two hand held remotes that have built-in audio and provide players with sensory feedback in the form of lights and vibrations. Since winning his first award Liam has launched the device and now hopes to roll it out to more classrooms.
Amelia Seifalian (26) from Camden, London is a gynaecologist training in the NHS, and passionate advocate for women’s health. Amelia created Hastalex, a new artificial pelvic membrane which uses stem cell technology to safely treat pelvic organ prolapse, which affects about 40% of women worldwide. This condition was previously treated with a mesh made of polypropylene, which has since been banned for use due to severe safety concerns. Since winning the first Award, Amelia has developed a prototype which she now wants to bring to market.
Anthony Camu (26) from London is the creator of Theia Robotics, named after the Greek Goddess of Sight and Vision. Theia is a handheld orientation and mobility device to support the 340,000 people registered blind or partially sighted in the UK. Using similar technologies to autonomous cars, the device guides users’ hands, helping them closely follow paths – similar to a guide dog pulling on its leash. Since winning the Young Innovators Award, Anthony has successfully raised £700,000 for his business, secured new facilities, and is hiring the company’s first employees.
Graysha Audren (25) from Hackney, London is a textile designer passionate about zero-waste clothes manufacturing. Graysha founded Weffan to pioneer 3D weaving systems that integrate textile production and garment manufacturing into one seamless step, shortening the production process and reducing waste. Since winning the Young Innovators Award, Graysha has created a product development roadmap, partnered with leading researchers, hired her first employees and won the Fashion District’s prestigious Design Futures Award.
Jonny Cotton (29) from Hackney, London is the creator of Breakbottle – a sustainable drinkware brand. Their unique, insulated bottles can be dismantled for easy cleaning and quick drying – keeping bacteria and bad smells at bay. Since winning the Young Innovators Award, Breakbottle has raised over £35,000 and established a robust international supply chain, shipping to 29 countries in the process.

Commenting on her Award and project, Amelia said: “Winning Innovate UK’s Young Innovators Awards provided me with time and support, both financially and through mentorship, to accelerate my project. Pelvic organ prolapse effects nearly half of women worldwide and is considered an unmet clinical need. With the support of Innovate UK, I designed a surgical membrane using an emerging graphene-based nanocomposite material and stem cells technology, for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse. The additional support through the Young Innovators Next Steps Award will allow further development of my design and early execution of pre-clinical trials for a product set to improve women’s health on a global level.’’

The inspirational Next Steps award winners are motivated by a passion for making the world more sustainable and inclusive, while driving the UK’s economy with their innovative and ambitious business ideas.

Other winning ideas include a sustainable drinkware brand producing unique reusable bottles that can be dismantled for cleaning; an online platform that demystifies and streamlines the home buying process, and cutting-edge micro-turbines that allow the water industry to sustainably monitor pipelines.

Inspired by these winners?
One of the UK’s greatest assets is the incredible, diverse talent we have available for innovation. However, whilst talent is evenly distributed, opportunity is not.

Building on the success of the Young Innovators and Women in Innovation programmes, Innovate UK is launching the new Diverse Innovators programme. This £6 million programme aims to uncover hidden talent across the UK. If you have an innovative business idea or a business with big ambitions, you could win financial backing, one-to-one business support, and a package of training, networking and role-modelling opportunities.

Upcoming entrepreneurs can learn more and register their interest in the forthcoming Diverse Innovators Awards, which open on 10 July: https://bit.ly/DiverseInnovatorsNS

Science and Technology Secretary, Chloe Smith, said:

“To see so many young innovators fizzing with ground-breaking ideas – from reducing food and clothing waste to supporting the blind – is testament to the dynamic spirit of our country. I have no doubt they will inspire the rest of their generation and those that follow.

“This Government will always back enterprise and I’m delighted this funding can help the winners to reap the rewards of their creativity, while growing our economy and improving lives through innovation.”

Emily Nott, Head of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion at Innovate UK said:
“These young people have managed to turn their brilliant ideas for innovation into successful businesses. Our young innovators have worked tirelessly to realise their ambitions and Innovate UK is proud to have helped them on this journey. Their disruptive innovations will have significant social and economic impacts and I hope that their stories will help many more young people to see that a future career in innovation could be for them.”

Indro Mukerjee, CEO of Innovate UK said:
“Innovate UK is committed to inspiring and supporting the next generation of innovators, as they will play a critical role in the UK’s future economy. The team congratulates the Young Innovators Next Step award winners and looks forward to seeing their businesses develop further.”