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The search is on to crown the best start-up businesses in Wales.

With overall sponsorship by NatWest and Entrepreneurial Spark powered by NatWest - the world’s largest free business accelerator for early stage and growing ventures – the Wales Start-Up Awards celebrate the best in businesses formed within the last three years.

Supporting the awards are Brighter Foods - winners of four awards last year and sponsors of the Food and Drink Start-up of the Year category this year.

They are joined by a range of other supporters from the Welsh business community including Welsh ICE, Abel+Imry, IQE, Hydro Industries, Kukd, Stockomendation, Wales Council for Voluntary Action and the Welsh Government.

The awards were launched in 2016 by Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, founder of the Wales Fast Growth 50, and Liz Brookes, managing director of Grapevine Event Management.

This year sees a range of awards up for grabs across the entire range of key industry sectors including construction, creative and digital to retail, social enterprise and technology.

All entrants will also be entered automatically for the four regional awards – North Wales, Cardiff Capital Region, Swansea Bay Region, and Rural Wales.

Prof Jones-Evans, said: “Wales is rapidly evolving into entrepreneurial economy, with nearly 60,000 new businesses created since 2010.

“As a result, Wales is performing better than many other regions in developing would-be entrepreneurs – people whose backgrounds range from so-called ‘millennials’ rejecting traditional corporate careers to baby-boomers taking a lifetime’s worth of industry experience and starting their own business later on in life.

“These awards provide a unique opportunity to recognise and celebrate the many achievements of these opportunistic individuals whose efforts are making a significant contribution to the wider Welsh economy.”

Ms Brookes said: “In keeping with the overall sentiment of the awards, The Depot in Cardiff will play host for the second year in succession – itself an entrepreneurial start-up business where street food and craft beer from Welsh enterprise will be served to those attending.”

The awards will be staged on September 17th. To enter click here.

Two of the biggest supporters of the Wales Start-Up Awards are Caroline Thompson, entrepreneur development manager at headline sponsor NatWest, and Gareth Jones, chief executive of Welsh Innovation Centre for Enterprise (ICE), based in Caerphilly.

Ms Thomson said: “NatWest has always had a great reputation for supporting start-up businesses across Wales and we are delighted to be involved in these exciting and successful awards for the second year.

“Our award winning partnership with Entrepreneurial Spark helps us play a vital role in powering entrepreneurs from the early stages of validation and starting up all the way through to high growth and scale.”

Mr Jones added: “The energy in the room at the awards last year was unlike any other awards evening that I had ever attended.

“We’ve already seen shortlisted companies at last year’s awards go on to raise millions of pounds worth of investment, expand their operations into new international markets, and show Wales to be a great place for entrepreneurs to thrive.

“I would highly recommend anyone considering applying to take a shot, it could payback big time.”

The categories:

Construction Start-up of the Year.

Creative and Digital Start-up of the Year.

Financial and Professional Services Start-up of the Year.

Food and Drink Start-up of the Year.

Global Start-up of the Year.

Green Start-up of the Year.

Innovative Start-up of the Year.

Life Sciences Start-up of the Year.

Manufacturing and Engineering Start-up of the Year.

Retail Start-up of the Year.

Services Start-up of the Year.

Social Enterprise start-up of the Year.

Technology Start-up of the Year.

Tourism & Leisure Start-up of the Year.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year.