A WORCESTER startup business has been named a West Midlands finalist.

AccuraData is up for the regional Marketing, Advertising & PR StartUp of the Year accolade in the UK StartUp Awards.

The Farrier Street-based marketing agency, founded by Kieran Evans and Harry George in 2020, specialises in providing contact data and market intelligence to businesses UK-wide.

Harry, the managing director, said: “It’s an honour to be shortlisted for this prestigious award.

“It highlights the hard work and dedication we’ve taken to ensure that AccuraData becomes a success.

“It’s humbling to see that starting to come to fruition.

“It also highlights the fact that Worcester has significant business talent and can compete with larger cities around the UK.”

The awards recognise the booming startup scene across the UK which has accelerated over the last few years with over 900,000 new businesses founded in the UK in 2023 — a 12 per cent increase from the year before.

More than 900 have been shortlisted this year and the contribution of these firms, all of which were started in the last three years, is significant, having created nearly 6,000 new jobs since being established and generating annual sales of £480 million.

Supported nationally by ScoreApp, GS1 UK, Starling Bank, OVHcloud, GiftRound and Airwallex, the programme will celebrate the achievements of individuals who have turned an idea into an opportunity and taken the risk to launch a new product or service.

The cohort of finalists will be considered for the regional prizes by a panel of seasoned judges with experience founding or supporting entrepreneurial ventures on Wednesday, May 8.

The winners from each region will then be invited to the first UK final at Ideas Fest, the Glastonbury for business festivals in Tring, Hertfordshire, on September 12.

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, the creator of the awards, said: “Start-up businesses are the lifeblood of any economy, being responsible for new jobs, innovation and wealth creation across the UK.

“All the finalists this year represent the best of those entrepreneurs who have spotted an opportunity and, through their sheer hard work, talent and perseverance, have created amazing new businesses that are creating real impact in their sectors.

“Building on the success of previous years, we are now looking to identify the ‘best of the best’ with all the finalists who win their category in their region going on to represent their region at the first ever UK National StartUp Awards final later this year.”

The awards, which launched in 2022, were created in collaboration with the team behind the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, one of the most successful programmes in the UK.

The finalists can be found online at startupawards.uk