19 Nov London businesses win £45,000 Xero Beautiful Business Fund
Xero,
the global small business platform, today announced the 28 small businesses and non-profits who have won a share of the £360,000 global prize pool as
part of the inaugural Xero
Beautiful Business Fund.
Launched earlier this year, the Xero Beautiful Business Fund seeks to help Xero’s small business customers boost their growth plans and drive future success. More
than 5,500 applications were received from Xero customers across the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States.
Alex von Schirmeister, UK Managing Director at Xero said: “We were blown away by the calibre of UK entries. These winners are some of the most inspirational small
businesses out there; the ambition, the personal stories, and many of them doing amazing things to support their local communities and make the world a better place too.”
There were 28 winners overall, including four winners in the UK who were recognised for best demonstrating, in a 90 second video, how they would use the funding to support their future business goals in one of four categories – Innovating for sustainability, Strengthening community connection, Trailblazing with technology and Upskilling for the future.
The four UK winners will receive £10,000 in funding each. One of the UK winners, The Seam – winner of the Upskilling category – also won a global prize of an additional £25,000, for a total of £35,000. The UK winners are:
Upskilling for the future: The Seam
The Seam
is a community of highly skilled makers offering specialist wardrobe alteration and repair services so clothes fit well and last a lifetime. The Xero funding will go towards training more than 100 under-skilled and next-generation workers to help meet the
huge increase in demand and support a more sustainable future in fashion.
Layla Sargent, Founder & CEO of The Seam, said: “We’re thrilled to win the UK and global funding. This is going to help us boost traditional skills amongst our makers and expand our workforce so we can give new life to more pre-loved items, ultimately reducing fashion waste and reigniting creativity in the UK.”
Innovating for sustainability: Oat Float
Bristol-based small business
Oat
Float helps households reduce their plastic footprint by bringing packaging-free groceries to their street. They plan to expand their reach
by upgrading the battery on the float to deliver to more customers and by investing in technology to offer a delivery subscription.
Strengthening community connection: The Together Project
National, intergenerational charity The Together Project brings communities together to reduce loneliness and tackle disadvantage. The funding from Xero will help bring the Songs & Smiles programme back after Covid to 450 children, parents, and older people in care homes.
Trailblazing with technology: Let’s Go Physio
The team of neurological physiotherapists at
Let’s
Go Physio work to rehabilitate children and adults who’ve been diagnosed with neurological conditions and other diagnoses. With Xero’s help,
they plan to purchase video vector gait analysis and 3D scanning equipment that will help assess patients’ walking patterns, resulting in better fitting splints, and footwear leading to more effective, faster rehabilitation.
“We’re extremely honoured to support these small businesses on the next step of their journey. I can’t wait to see what they do next and the positive impact they’ll
continue to have,” adds von Schirmeister.
The Xero Beautiful Business Fund was first announced during Xero Day, Xero’s founding day celebrations, on 6 July this year. Applications opened on 23 August and ran for six weeks, closing 6 October. To enter, applicants needed to submit a 90-second pitch video sharing details of their business, the category they were applying in and their plans to use the funding. Regional winners were chosen by a regional judging panel composed of local business and industry leaders, Xero accounting and bookkeeping partners and Xero employees, for a total of 28 winners. A global judging panel made up of global business and industry leaders, technology experts and Xero executives, then selected one global winner in each category from the 28 regional winners.
For more information and to learn about the winners, visit xero.com/beautiful-business-fund.
