London, UK – The Enterprise Awards, held at Drapers’ Hall in the City of London, celebrated the achievements of exceptional entrepreneurs and founder-friendly funds on July 1st.
Now in its 14th year, the Enterprise Awards recognizes individuals and organizations that drive entrepreneurship, innovation, and business leadership in the UK. Since its establishment, the awards have honored nearly 120 entrepreneurs, whose businesses now generate over $3.1 billion in annual revenue and employ around 18,000 people worldwide.
The ceremony, 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, brought together entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders to celebrate the individuals and organizations shaping the future of the UK’s high-growth businesses.
Among the winners of the 2026 Enterprise Awards were Laura Earnshaw of myHappymind for Social Enterprise Entrepreneur, Helen Murphy of Opply for Applied AI Entrepreneur, Sean Williams of AutogenAI for Scale-Up Entrepreneur, Thomas Garnett and Vlad Galu of Refute for Emerging Entrepreneur, Stephanie Eltz of Doctify for Developing Entrepreneur, and Michelle He of Abound for Enterprise Entrepreneur.
This year, the Enterprise Awards also introduced the Founder Friendly Funds recognition, honoring 18 investment funds that have collectively made almost 400 investments, investing approximately $600 million into UK tech businesses in 2025.
The list of 2026 Founder Friendly Funds includes well-known names such as Amadeus Capital Partners, Octopus Ventures, and Mercia Ventures.
Tola Sargeant, in a statement, 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 a lasting impact.”
John O’Connell, founder of the Awards and Executive Chair of ScaleUp Group, also commented on the high-caliber of this year’s finalists and winners, saying, “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 recognized funds represent the people and organizations 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, 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.
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