Our Midlands regional final took place on Zoom — a blast from the regional past, you might say — but was no less enjoyable and stimulating for that, all four regional entrants giving an excellent account of themselves. 

They were Blutick, which is taking maths teaching online to a new level; Petalite, which offers powerful solutions for electric vehicle recharging; Regionally, which connects private investors to high-growth companies seeking capital across the UK regions; and Zipbout, an app to make travelling across transport networks easier and more efficient. 

We were delighted to be joined as guest judges by Deloitte partner Claire Evans, Charles Stanley Wealth Managers’ HR Director Kate Griffiths-Lambert and an old friend of the Awards, Clive Bawden, COO of former winner Warwick Music.