West Dorset-based startup Modern Art Distillery has been named a finalist in the South West final of the StartUp Awards.
The UK StartUp Awards were launched to recognise the booming startup scene across the UK which has accelerated over the last few years with over 900,000 new businesses founded in the UK in 2023, a 12% increase from the year before. Over 900 businesses have been shortlisted for this year’s UK StartUp Awards and the contribution of these firms – all of which were started in the last three years – is significant, having created nearly 6,000 new jobs since they were established and generating annual sales of £480 million.
Modern Art Distillery is a spirits brand founded by Caroline Harrison and Catharine Russell in 2023. The business has been nominated for the Food & Drink and Rural categories in the StartUp of the Year Award in the South West.
Said Catharine: “We’re thrilled to have been shortlisted for these awards – there is a lot of blood, sweat and tears involved in starting up a new company and these nominations help make the last year worthwhile! We feel the awards recognise the originality of our idea to commission emerging artists to design the artwork for our spirits bottle labels, and reaching the finals is a real accolade for us.”
She continues: “We have ambitious plans for the future growth of the company and being based in West Dorset – with its thriving food and drink industry and a vibrant arts sector – is ideal for us, and we hope as our business develops we will make our mark on the local economy.”
Supported nationally by ScoreApp, GS1 UK, Starling Bank, OVHcloud, GiftRound and Airwallex, the programme will celebrate the achievements of the amazing individuals who have turned an idea into an opportunity and taken the risk to launch a new product or service. The cohort of finalists will be considered for the regional prizes by a panel of seasoned judges with experience founding or supporting entrepreneurial ventures. The winners from each region will then be invited to the first UK final taking place at Ideas Fest, the Glastonbury for Business festival in Tring, Hertfordshire on 12th September 2024.
Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, the creator of the UK StartUp Awards, said: “Start-up businesses are the lifeblood of any economy, being responsible for new jobs, innovation and wealth creation across the UK. All the finalists this year represent the best of those entrepreneurs who have spotted an opportunity and through their sheer hard work, talent and perseverance, have created amazing new businesses that are creating real impact in their sectors. Building on the success of previous years, we are now looking to identify the ‘best of the best’ with all the finalists who win their category in their region going on to represent their region at the first ever UK National StartUp Awards final later this year.”
The UK StartUp Awards were created in collaboration with the team behind the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, one of the most successful awards programmes in the UK. The UK StartUp Awards are running for the third year after launching in 2022. This year’s regional UK StartUp Awards finalists can be found online.
