VR, drinks and AI materials brands among winners at KPMG Black Entrepreneurship Awards
KPMG’s Black Entrepreneurship Awards returned for its fifth year to celebrate a large pool of entrepreneurial candidates contributing to economic growth, innovation and change.
Four winners out of 12 shortlisted applicants — with over 150 entrepreneur applications total — were chosen during KPMG’s Black Entrepreneurs’ Awards 2023 on Thursday.
The four winners include Dami Hastrup of virtual reality training platform ; Grace Ubawuchi of British alcohol brand Xin and Voltaire Limited; Jonathan Bean of AI sustainable materials company Materials Nexus; and George Imafidon MBE of STEM employment platform Motivez (Motivezcic C.I.C).
Each winner recieved £25,000 as an investment into their business or as a charitable donation to a place of their choice, as well as an entry to a 12-month programme designed to support black heritage entrepreneurs.
Karl Edge, partner and head of KPMG Private Enterprise in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and
Africa said support for entrepreneurs is “vital” for innovation and change.
He added: “The KPMG Black Entrepreneurs’ Awards is key for our impact in the UK entrepreneurial
market, where a disproportionately low amount of venture capital investment goes to Black Heritage
entrepreneurs.
“Encouraging and supporting businesses that represent all parts of our society is fundamental to the growth of the UK economy.”
In total, the awards have supported 36 black heritage founders since 2018, contributing over £500,000 worth of programme investment.