This week, the UK government announced the third annual GREAT Tech Awards, which will send six innovative tech companies to the UK for a customized business development tour. The competition is hosted by UK Trade & Investment and the British Consulates General in New York and Boston, and encourages high-growth tech companies to choose Great Britain as a place to grow their global business.
Tech companies headquartered in the northeastern United States (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine) are encouraged to apply for one of six sector categories: CleanTech, EdTech, FinTech, Health, Lifestyle, and Media. The winners from the six categories will be chosen by a panel of industry leaders and announced at a gala awards ceremony in October.
Applications will close on July 31, 2015 at 11:59pm EST. Confirmed sponsors of the competition include British Airways, Corinthia Hotel London, and Merck. Interested companies can apply here.
Winners will receive a customized business development package that includes real estate services from Knight Frank. Through its U.S. alliance with Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, the London-based firm has grown to a group of more than 12,000 property professionals in 55 countries.
Winner packages also include: a roundtrip flight to London provided by British Airways; five nights accommodation at Corinthia Hotel London; accountancy services from BDO; legal services from Fieldfisher; recruitment services from Propel Executive; business development services from sector specialists including Advice Cloud, Device Access UK, Durham Lane, Gateway Europe, International Management Answers, and MedTech Logistics; meetings with mentors and government officials; and attendance at the unBound Digital conference in London.
“We’re very excited to host The GREAT Tech Awards for the third year in a row,” said Danny Lopez, British Consul General New York. “This year’s competition will be the biggest yet as we expand eligibility to tech firms headquartered across the entire US northeast. The UK’s offer to American tech companies is second to none, and we’re excited to create the connections and opportunities they will need to expand internationally.”
The award winners will be selected by a panel of judges including: Pete Cashmore, CEO & Founder of Mashable; Glenda Bailey OBE, Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar and GREAT ambassador; Ignacio Isa Martin, Sales Director at British Airways North America; Michael Hayman, Co-founder of Seven Hills; Marco Mohwinckel, Global Head of Integrated Care Solutions at Janssen Healthcare Innovation; Gareth Jones, Co-founder and General Partner at FinTech Collective; Anant Agarwal, CEO of edX; and Thomas R. Burton III, Chair of the Energy Technology Practice at Mintz Levin.
Additionally, the Best of British and Best of USA awards will be given to recognize transatlantic technology companies that have successfully established a presence on both sides of the pond. The winners of these awards will enjoy promotion and complimentary services from UK Trade & Investment to grow their businesses in their respective foreign markets.
