Wales’ first dedicated science park, based in Anglesey, will be sponsoring the green startup award category at the 2021 Wales Startup Awards.
Opened in 2018, M-SParc was established in order to support new and existing business and help diversify the North Wales economy, in particular those businesses in the low carbon, energy and environment, ICT and life science sectors.
According to Pryderi ap Rhisiart, director of the science park, supporting new businesses is important to increasing prosperity in the local economy and M-Sparc is dedicated to undertaking this vital role within the business community. He said:
“Start-ups are incredibly important to the region’s economy. Not only do they create new careers, but they bring innovation to life. There can be a preconception that you need to leave Wales in order to start a successful company, but we can’t see any evidence that it’s true. The more exciting businesses can start up in Wales, the better and we are here to support those businesses and ensure that they grow. It’s also important that start-ups can find the skills and support required, right here in Wales, in order for them to remain in Wales and become established companies as they develop and grow.
“Supporting businesses means providing business support and space for these companies to grow. More than this, we have also created a community within these sectors and cross-pollination of ideas and collaboration happens every day within the M-SParc ecosystem. We believe the success must be celebrated, and so we’re pleased to support the awards, and particularly the green startup of the year category.”
M-SParc currently offers support to start-ups in any sector and this ranges from advice on their business plan, links to other companies or university researchers who can collaborate, access to grant and funding support, and a whole ecosystem of likeminded people in the form of conferences and networking events.
It is also developing a new platform – MySparc – to strengthen working relationships between businesses and business support agents and streamline how support is delivered. Coming in summer 2021, the MySparc app will allow new businesses to create their business plan, register for events, access support, and pitch for funding. In addition, business support agencies can access their clients in one space, and investors can find opportunities on their doorstep.
Last year, the winner of the 2020 Green Start-up of the Year award was Project Blu, a new business based in the Vale of Glamorgan that is revolutionising the pet accessories market by transforming polluting materials into top quality pet products including dog beds, collars, leashes and toys. The business also won the overall Wales Start-up of the Year title last year.
The Wales Start-Up Awards are the only awards in the UK that focus on celebrating the achievements of new businesses in the economy. The 2021 awards will take place at the Depot in Cardiff in September with over 600 guests attending.
Full information on how to enter this year’s awards can be found at www.walesstartupawards.com
