We had a great time helping to judge GP Bullhound’s Allstar Awards. It was fantastic to catch up in person with colleagues from the European tech and investment community and celebrate the achievements of the last year.
“It’s astonishing to see how the European tech sector has fast forwarded five years during the pandemic. It took 20 years from 2000-2020 for Europe’s cohort of its most successful tech companies to achieve a combined value of $400bn. In the past year alone $382bn was added”, reflected Manish Madhvani, Co-founder of GP Bullhound.
In ‘Europe’s Allstar Challenge’, nine brave companies pitched to a room of 150 investors. Previous winners include unicorns Darktrace and Revolut and this year the prize went to JobandTalent, the world’s leading digital temp staffing agency.
Fuse also judged the ‘Tech4Good’ pitch competition that recognises startups leveraging technology to deliver a powerful ESG impact. The winner, Notpla, has developed an organic, greaseproof coating that can replace harmful product packaging.
Other awards on the night included ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’, which went to the founder and CEO of Cazoo, Alex Chesterman, and ‘CEO of the Year’, Maria Raga of Depop, who provided candid insights into building Depop and her team’s resilience through the pandemic. The evening also raised over £50,000 to support Working Options – a life skills charity helping young people in the UK fulfil their potential.
The quality of attendees and scale of the event was a timely reminder of the strength of the European tech ecosystem. This was encapsulated in a speech delivered by none other than six-time Olympian, Sir Chris Hoy, who inspired the audience by highlighting the power of staying focused and resilient when tasked with the seemingly impossible!
A huge thank you to Jade Williams and the GP Bullhound team for an evening to remember. We very much look forward to next year’s 20th anniversary edition!
