Three innovative women from the North East have won a national award and a £75,000 grant each for their groundbreaking projects in sustainability and care.
Newcastle: Three amazing women from the North East have just won big! They received the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award.
Sri Hollema from Hexham, Tallie Bush from Newcastle, and Victoria Smith from Sunderland each got a £75,000 grant. They’ll also enjoy personalized business coaching and networking opportunities.
Sri founded Mat Zero, which offers sustainable heating solutions for vulnerable communities. She created a solar-heated mat to help families who rely on unsafe heating methods.
Tallie started Circadacare, which improves elderly care with a device called Heleos. This device uses special lighting to help with sleep and provides insights for caregivers.
Victoria launched Ghostwriter to help independent live event venues. Her platform makes processes easier and helps these venues thrive as community hubs.
The Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards aim to support female entrepreneurs facing challenges like funding and networking. They help women scale their businesses and impact society positively.
Since 2016, these awards have invested over £11 million in women innovators. They’ve built a community of over 10,500 women leaders, with many winners from diverse backgrounds.
Sri, Tallie, and Victoria were among 50 winners nationwide. Sri expressed her excitement, saying warmth is a basic human right, and her mat addresses energy poverty.
She added that winning the award is a testament to their hard work and dedication. It’s empowering to be recognized alongside other talented women.
This year, the awards received 1,452 applications, a 52% increase from last year. This shows the growing demand for support for women-led businesses in the UK.
Emily Nott from Innovate UK praised the winners for their leadership and creativity. She believes their success will inspire more women to innovate.
Dr. Stella Peace also highlighted the program’s role in creating role models and networks for future women innovators.
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