Overview

The #21toWatch Campaign and Awards

People, companies and the ‘things’ they create, across Cambridge and the East of England are setting the standards in innovation and entrepreneurship across the globe. #21toWatch is a dedicated campaign to showcase and highlight the maybe lesser known, recognising those exciting new entries across all market sectors, and celebrating the very best work going on today in the region.

Founded by Faye Holland in 2018, the annual #21toWatch awards have become one of the most recognised entrepreneurship awards in Cambridge (UK) and the East of England, featuring in many publications including Forbes, and many investor and startup magazines.

The programme is run by us, here at cofinitive, who collate lists of the people, the companies and the ‘things’ throughout the year and assesses each submission based on Innovation, Challenge, Influence, Viability and Memorability. Each new cohort opens on the 1st of September each year and the longlists are updated on a rolling basis, with a nomination window open until noon Friday 10th January (2025). The shortlist is announced on Wednesday 5th February (2025), with the annual#21toWatch Top21 unveiled in an exclusive event the first Thursday in March – Thursday 6th March (2025).

Many on our list (not just the Top21!) have gone on to achieve great things, including enhanced promotions, additional investment, new clients and a variety of other opportunities. Our sponsors and partners also view the cofinitive #21toWatch campaign as a key investment for them as they support new ventures and opportunities.

Will you follow in the footsteps of the #21toWatch alumni who have already raised over one billion in funding?

Head over to the dedicated website to find out more.

The Lists

The 21toWatch lists

Each fortnight we will be highlighting one of the #21toWatch Top21.2024. Bakul is Co-founder and CEO of Deliver Biosciences, developing nanoparticle delivery vectors for targeted and specific delivery of payloads to re-programme cells in vivo, curing fatal diseases in a fraction of the time and cost compared to existing curative therapies.

 

 

To view the complete 2022/ 2023 list, please follow this link.

To view the complete 2021/ 2022 list, please follow this link.

To view the complete 2020/2021 list, please follow this link.

To view the complete 2019/2020 list, please follow this link.

To view the complete 2018/2019 list, please follow this link.

Nominations

Be or nominate the #21toWatch

If you would like to submit a person, company or ‘thing’ to the #21toWatch list, please complete this form and we’ll be in touch to confirm receipt and next steps.

Everyone who successfully qualifies for the longlist, shortlist, and Top21 will all receive a promotional icon to use in their own communications.

You can also email us at [email protected], and don’t forget to join the discussion via @cofinitive #21toWatch

The Top21.2024 have now been announced. Submissions for 2025 will open 1st September 2024.

Sponsors & Partners

Thank you to our sponsors and partners

We are proud to be supported by a range of sponsors and partners who share our ambition of showcasing the #21toWatch and the longlists that identify them.

Interested in Sponsoring?

Fill in the form to download our sponsor brochure here.

Judges

All nominations to the annual longlist are then triaged down to a shortlist, assessed on five criteria – Innovation, Challenge, Influence, Viability and Memorability; as well as being financially assessed through the Companies House service and their investment status on Crunchbase.

A shortlist is then provided to an independent set of judges who will select the top seven from each of the three categories that will make up the #21toWatch Top21.2024

Each year the judges will rotate. Previous judges include: Priya Guha, Merian Ventures; Bill Thompson, Technology Writer; Bruno Cotta, Cambridge Judge Business School; Isabel Fox, Outsized Ventures; Tim Robinson, Tech East; Siddhi Trivedi, Beyond Identity; Yupar Myint, Impulse Programme at the Maxwell Centre; Simon Thorpe, Cambridge Angels; Thea Goodluck, Tech Nation; Jason Mellad, Start Codon; Emmi Nicholl, Cambridge Angels; Matthew Gooding, Tech Monitor; Ruchi Sharma, Stemnovate; James Parton, The Bradfield Centre; Maximilian Ge, Entrepreneurial Postdocs of Cambridge; Hanadi Jabado, Sana Capital; Tom Britton, SyndicateRoom; John Stenhouse, University of Essex.

Our 2024 judges are

  • Jon Bradford

    Managing Partner, Dynamo Ventures

  • Fiona Nielsen

    CEO, Neurolentech

  • Nitin Patel

    CEO/Founder, Impact Management Consultancy Ltd

Attend

Interested in attending as a guest?

If you would like to express interest in attending the #21toWatch 2024 event, please get in touch.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

#21toWatch News

#21toWatch Alumni praise Awards for providing “pivotal kickstart” as nomination window opens for 2025

Karl SalterKarl Salter / 03.09.24

As the nomination window opens for #21toWatch 2025, former winners have applauded the Innovation Awards for the invaluable kickstart it provides to our entrepreneurs and startups One of the first...

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Twitter #21toWatch

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#21toWatch Videos

Medical innovations, Sustainability, Agritech and AI dominate #21toWatch 2024 Awards

07.03.24