The Hustle Awards shines a spotlight on startups once again

The event brought the entire tech startup community under one roof to celebrate the very best of the industry. Guests networked with some of the incredible people who were behind the technology products and solutions shortlisted for the awards.

Entries were judged by professionals who are at the very top of the industry and who understand why innovation in technology, standards and best practice is so important.

The awards were hosted by the hilarious Maisie Adam, up-and-coming stand-up comedian. Maisie’s anecdotal material and witty charm has won over audiences across the nation. With her friendly, sometimes self-deprecating style of storytelling, Maisie made for the perfect host for the networking event of the year.

The night was also soundtracked by Neon State, an incredible dual-fronted pop, rock, and soul band who are experts in filling dance floors with their fun-packed, engaging performances.

Paige West, Managing Editor, Startups Magazine, said: “It was a joy to gather so many together to celebrate this incredible industry's achievements and the entrepreneurial journey! It’s clear to see that this industry is thriving, and the energy we saw from the startups at the awards was nothing short of contagious.”

Here are the winners:

Early-Stage Innovation: Kalogon 

The Kalogon Orbiter Smart Cushion uses a combination of machine learning and patent-pending air cell technology to automatically adjust pressures applied on a wheelchair user’s buttocks and thighs. The cushion is designed to detect pressure points in real-time to redistribute pressure and aims to increase comfort and maintain blood flow through this adjusting process. Users and caregivers can use a companion app to personalise their experience to support pressure injury healing and pain relief. As they continue to expand the seating space and improve their technology, Kalogon strives to provide what will become the new standard of care.

Founder of the Year: Abigail Foster, Elent

Abigail Foster is a chartered accountant on a mission to eradicate the financial knowledge gap and the gender pay gap. Abi founded Elent, the financial education platform, and is the Head of Teaching. Abi teaches in schools, workplaces, and online, making finance fun and accessible to all. With big hair and a voice to match, Abi plans to inspire people for years to come to teach their passion, not to let a stigma or viewpoint hold them back, and help people understand that financial education is important and empowering for all

Inspirational Womxn of the Industry: Melissa Chambers, Sitehop

Throughout her life, Melissa has made a point of being outstanding, not simply because she’s so often been the only woman in the room but also because she’s the hardest working person in that room too. Melissa has earned her self-confidence through her continued success against difficult odds and sometimes devastating circumstances that barely seemed to phase her. Her current venture is predicted to be the most important yet, so with luck, her story will reach some bright young person who feels that the world is against them and, through it might find the will to push on.

Most Innovative Tech: Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing

Essentialise is an inclusive wellbeing agency, founded in 2020 by psychologist Lee Chambers. With offices in Preston and Bolton, they deliver consultancy to HR teams on building effective wellbeing strategies and offer training on areas of wellbeing and inclusion to leaders and their teams, including cutting-edge immersive VR experiences that engage emotions and facilitate learning. They have featured on this year’s Startups 100 Index, Small Business 100 and have acquired a significant client base nationally, including PwC, ACC Liverpool, and KPMG.

Most Successful Scaleup: Joyned

Started in 2017 by Israeli entrepreneur Jonathan Abraham and tech whizz Michael Levinson, Joyned came to fruition following a frustrating online shopping experience with friends for founder Abraham, who thought there must be an easier way to make group purchases online. Fast forward five years, with some heavyweight investors on board, the pandemic survived and a one-of-a-kind innovative group travel booking product launched, Joyned has gone from strength-to-strength. Launching its flagship product Joyned Booking in 2022, industry giants such as OYO Rooms were quick to become clients with revenue surging and travel sector giants Amadeus also backing the 15-strong team.

Social Impact Hero: The Joy Club

The Joy Club is on a mission to tackle ageism, by co-creating the go-to online community for people in later life and amplifying their important voices across society. The team works alongside members (average age 69) to deliver live online events, articles, recorded content and community interactions that truly resonate. Members of The Joy Club are content creators, as well as content consumers, making The Joy Club a place in which people in later life feel seen and heard. To date, The Joy Club and their thousands of members have reached over 45 million people with their important age-positive campaigns.

Sustainability Award: Futureplus

FuturePlus is revolutionising the path towards a sustainable future by making it truly accessible, affordable and achievable for all businesses. FuturePlus is a sustainability management and ESG reporting platform that allows companies of all sizes to understand, measure, evidence, improve and report their sustainability and social impact, both where they are now and where they want to be in the future. We take a comprehensive view of what makes a sustainable business and value sustainability across five themes: Climate, Environment, Social, Economic, and Diversity and Inclusion. We help companies understand sustainability, value their ambition, and grow in a sustainable way.

Rising Startup Award: The ETHOS Network

Alejandra de Brunner is a young entrepreneur who founded ETHOS as a student whilst at Oxford University. Passionate about the power of social media for good, Alejandra built ETHOS to satisfy the innate desire of a Gen Z audience to connect with the social causes they care about. Whilst still enrolled at UCL, Alejandra has raised £1.8m in seed investment, making her the youngest female in tech to raise such an amount in the UK. Not only has she garnered the support of notable investors, the app is now live on the App Store with a growing and enthusiastic community!

Top Performing Team: Yhangry

Yhangry is a female-founded platform that connects customers with top-rated professional chefs, providing a full-service private chef experience previously only accessible to HNWIs. The platform enables customers to speak with chefs and create personalised and unique menus based on their preferences and dietary requirements, and the chefs bring all the ingredients, cook, serve, and clean up afterward, leaving customers free to enjoy their meal and the company of their guests. At the same time, yhangry empowers local chefs to build their own businesses and succeed on their own terms, making it a win-win for both customers and chefs alike.

Workspace of the Year: The Trampery

Since 2009, The Trampery has been on a mission to make business a positive force in society which is reflected in the businesses and individuals across their spaces and learning initiatives. This year they’ve been working hard to shine a light on the amazing activity that happens each day across their spaces. From good business workshops at Republic to the food bank at Tottenham, the team go above and beyond to live their mission and connect with local businesses and the wider community to make an impact. Their vision is to create workspace for a better world.

Outstanding Startups Support: Plus X Innovation Hubs

Being named an Outstanding Startup Supporter fills Plus X team with pride. In their innovation hub in West London and Brighton and through their programmes, Plus X aims to create communities where bold thinkers can do their best work. By supporting ambitious entrepreneurs and hardware makers with hands-on product development facilities and access to experts, Plus X aims to give businesses the tools needed to meet the challenges of our time. Recognition from the Hustle Awards will be instrumental in connecting with innovative founders and creators in need of space and support to achieve their ambitious goals.

Reader's Choice Award: Allia

Allia’s entry is all about positive impact - how the charity supports startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses so that they can develop, grow, create jobs and achieve greater impact for people, place and planet. Through free business support for those starting out on their business journey, to those established founders needing strategic direction from experienced experts, Allia’s programmes strike the critical balance between impact and commercial scale. It introduces startups to its rich network of investors, funders and strategic partners as well as teaming founders with experienced mentors – and provides 1-1 support beyond the programme end. 

Many congratulations to all of the winners!