Raspberry Pi leads new cohort of Awards candidates
Raspberry Pi is among a fresh cohort of iconic companies to have entered the Business Weekly Awards. PragmatIC Semiconductor and F-star Therapeutics have also joined the throng.
Raspberry Pi has nominally entered the Disruptive Technology and Sir Michael Marshall Engineering Excellence categories but ALL entrants that make the shortlist will also be considered for the coveted Business of the Year title.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a UK charity and company founded in 2009 to promote the study of basic computer science in schools and is responsible for developing the Raspberry Pi single-board computers.
The Foundation works to put the power of computing and digital making into the hands of people all over the world. It engages millions of young people in learning computing and digital making skills through a thriving network of clubs and events, and through partnerships with youth organisations.
It enables any school to offer students the opportunity to study computing and computer science through providing the best possible curriculum, resources, and training for teachers.
As we reported last September, two freshly engineered Raspberry Pi Computers headed to the International Space Station (ISS) as the Foundation united with the European Space Agency for a new programme.
The European Astro Pi Challenge gives young people the chance to run their computer programs in space.
The first Astro Pi units were taken up to the ISS by British ESA astronaut Tim Peake in December 2015 as part of his mission Principia. Since then 54,000 young people from 26 countries have written code that has run on these specially augmented Raspberry Pi computers.
Nasdaq-quoted F-star Therapeutics is anchored in both Cambridge UK and its Massachusetts namesake in the US as it develops nextgen immunotherapies to transform the lives of patients with cancer. F-star is pioneering the use of tetravalent (2+2) bispecific antibodies to create a paradigm shift in cancer therapy. F-star has entered the Disruptive Technology category as well as Life Science Scale-up: and Life Science Innovation company of the Year.
Cambridge flextronics powerhouse PragmatIC Semiconductor, also a contender across multiple categories, has been been praised by the Government for opening a second fabrication line in the UK and choosing Durham as the base. The news followed PragmatIC’s announcement of an $80 million Series C growth capital round.
PragmatiC Park, as the Durham base is to be known, will provide space for at least four additional FlexLogIC fabs, meeting surging demand for ultra-low-cost flexible integrated circuits (FlexICs), which can be integrated into everyday objects.
Lead forensic sponsor Mills & Reeve is conducting interviews to prepare confidential reports for the judging process. Entries close in July with a presentation banquet dinner scheduled at Queens’ College, Cambridge in September. There is still time to enter the Awards. Enter online or email Tony Quested, chair of judging: tquested@businessweekly.co.uk
This year’s categories are:
Young Company of the Year: For the most exciting startup enterprise in any sector that has made significant progress in the last 12 months.
Graduate Business of the Year: For a Cambridge-based company that has shown outstanding commercial potential or success over the last 12 months, either founded by a Cambridge University alumnus or which has significantly contributed to the employment and retention locally of Cambridge graduate talent.
The Michael Marshall Engineering Excellence Award: For a company or individual who in the last 12 months has added game-changing engineering to any product in any business & industry.
Disruptive Technology: For the company in any sector whose science or technology is deemed to be genuinely game-changing.
Technology Scale-up: For the hi-tech company that in the previous 12 months has broadened its market reach globally, scaled headcount in a major way, secured significantly increased investment or added noticeable power to its core technology proposition.
Life Science Scale-up: For the Life Science business that has shown most progress in the preceding 12 months in terms of scaling headcount, broadening vertical markets or increasing the potency of its pipeline.
International Trade Champion: For a company in any industry that has significantly broadened its export sales or access to global markets.
Lifetime Achievement Award: To recognise an extraordinary career devoted to innovation and commercial success for the benefit of society and the UK economy.
Life Science Innovation: For the organisation or individual who has done the most to further the cause of life science discovery for the benefit of human healthcare.
Cambridge Judge Business School Woman Entrepreneur of the Year: For a woman entrepreneur who can demonstrate outstanding achievements in the last 12 months and who inspires and nurtures other women to excel.
Sustainability Champion: For the company whose science or technology is deemed to hold most potential to dramatically reduce or eliminate the carbon footprint of businesses and industries.
Academic Entrepreneur of the Year: For outstanding work by an academic as an innovator, founder or consultant in the past 12 months.
AI Innovation: Two prizes here – for the most successful deployment of Artificial Intelligence in hi-tech and in the life sciences.
Quoted Company of The Year: For an East of England business listed on any public market that has delivered best value for shareholders in the last 12 months.
Investment of the Year: For a deal that is deemed to be a game-changer in terms of amount invested or potential impact following investment, regardless of the amount of money raised.
From these a Business of the Year will be selected to join a Hall of Fame that includes Abcam, ARM, Autonomy, AVEVA, British Sugar, Cambridge Quantum, CSR, Darktrace, Domino, Frontier Developments, Horizon Discovery, Ieso Digital Health, Perkins Engines, Pi Group, Ryanair, TTP and Treatt.
• PHOTOGRAPH: ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on the ISS. Photograph credit: ESA
