The StartUp Awards National Series debuted this year to highlight the dynamic startup scene across the country that skyrocketed during the pandemic, and has been rolled out in nine UK nations and regions, supported nationally by BT, Clearco, Moblox, Fearless Adventures and with regional support from Moja Group.

 

The SaaSy People partner with growing businesses that want to ensure they continue to provide a consistently high level of support for existing customers whilst they continue to attract new customers. Reece Couchman founded The SaaSy People in 2019 after leading the customer support organisation at NewVoiceMedia (NVM), a cloud contact centre solution, where he played a pivotal role in building the customer support function for this early-stage business through to the successful acquisition by Vonage. 

The final was held at the Secret Space in Digbeth, Birmingham and saw twenty different awards given out to new businesses in categories such as Innovative StartUp of the Year, Social Enterprise StartUp of the Year and Green StartUp of the Year.  

Reece Couchman, CEO & Founder of The SaaSy People said: “To be recognised as the leading startup in the Birmingham area is fantastic, and a true testament to the hard work and dedication of our teams. We’re helping businesses across the UK ensure their customer experience differentiates them from their competition and awards like this one help strengthen awareness of our unique offering!” 

Originally formed as the Wales StartUp Awards in 2016, the awards series has joined forces with the Great British Entrepreneur Awards to take the celebration of newly formed businesses nationwide.

Creator of the awards Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE said the inaugural event not only celebrated the best new firms in the Midlands, but recognised the amazing entrepreneurial talent across the nation: “We’re so proud of the amazing reception the first year of the StartUp Awards National Series has had across the country. 

“There are some exceptional stories of dedication and passion from founders of new firms across the Midlands and it was an honour to showcase these local entrepreneurial heroes in Birmingham last night. As this year’s competition has shown, there are some incredible businesses across all parts of the Midlands and, with the right support, there is huge potential for entrepreneurs to be the real engine of the regional economy over the next few years.

“A huge congratulations to everyone who won last night and especially to Simon and Nathan at Live Tech Games who were named StartUp of the Year. Given that they started their business in the same month that the economy was shutting down due to COVID-19, this is an incredible achievement that they should be very proud of. They and many of the businesses showcased last night are going to have a significant impact on their sector and I hope that many other entrepreneurs in the Midlands will follow in their footsteps over the next few years. 

Kyle Hughes, COO of The SaaSy People said: “Winning Startup Of The Year reinforces the tremendous growth we’ve seen as a business over the past 2 and a half years, powered by our passion for exceptional customer experiences and industry-leading knowledge of the entire customer service journey. We’re now working with over 50 businesses, operating 24 hours a day 7 days a week and have some exciting plans over the next few months!”

The awards were judged by a panel of prominent judges, including successful entrepreneurs such as Stefania Pellegrino of Purely, Tom Walker of Holy Moly Dips and serial entrepreneur Piers Linney.