The Apprentice Star Harpreet Kaur & Ex-Dragon's Den Piers Linney announced among expert judging panel for £25,000 Business Boost grant

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 12 July 2022

Simply Business, one of the UK’s largest providers of small business insurance, today announces the members of the judging panel for its Business Boost initiative, which will award a £25,000 cash prize to the winner.

The prize is designed to give UK small businesses a significant helping hand in the face of wider economic challenges including the rising cost of living.

Included on the panel is leading British businessman, investor and former star of TV’s Dragons’ Den, Piers Linney. Piers is joined by The Apprentice winner Harpreet Kaur, who is Lord Sugar's business partner and founder of Oh So Yum, a dessert parlour with locations in Huddersfield and Leeds, as well as an online service that delivers nationwide. 

Other members of the panel include Tony Robinson OBE - author and Micro Business Champion and Chair of Yorkshire in Business, Merlie Calvert - founder and CEO at Farillio, and Mo Kanjilal and Allegra Chapman - the winners of Business Boost 2021 and owner of Watch this Sp_ce. Alan Thomas, UK CEO of Simply Business, completes the panel.

As of today, 8,000 UK small and medium-sized businesses have applied for the 2022 Business Boost grant. The expert panel will decide which entrepreneur is most deserving of the £25,000 - whether they are just starting out or in need of a helping hand to bounce back from the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic and cost-of-living crisis. 

Harpreet Kaur, comments:

“I’m delighted to be a part of the Business Boost panel. As an entrepreneur, I sympathise greatly with the challenges small business owners endure with securing investment and funding. The past two years have also been incredibly tough on small businesses of all shapes and sizes. I’m thrilled to be a part of the initiative and give a fellow entrepreneur a much needed boost!”

Tony Robinson, OBE comments:

"It's both exciting and inspiring choosing a great new business to receive the whopping £25,000. It's a game-changer for the winner. We look for a great story, enterprising. ambitious aims, innovation a-plenty and we need to know how the Business Boost grant will make a difference.  You'll see from the amazing previous winners that a social purpose can be really important too.

 "I count myself very lucky to be a judge for the 3rd time. I've spent over 20 years as a national champion for micro-business owners and I've loved every minute of recognising and rewarding this new entrepreneurial talent"

Research from Simply Business, which provides insurance to over 850,000 small businesses and landlords, found that 70% of UK Small business owners highlight rising costs as their biggest challenge, which makes this grant even more valuable in the current economic landscape. 

Alan Thomas, UK CEO of Simply Business comments:

“It’s never been more important to support the self-employed. The impact of the pandemic and recent soaring costs make it a difficult environment for both new and existing owners. We want to make a genuine transformational impact to one owner’s life and the 25,000 applicants we received last year is testament to just how far the £25,000 grant can help them reach their big dreams. 

“My fellow judges and I can’t wait to see the entries submitted for this year. With almost 8,000over 6,000 applications already submitted, choosing the winner is going to be tougher than ever, but I can’t wait to help decide who will be granted this life-changing grant.”

Entries to the Business Boost grant are open until Wednesday 17th August, with the eventual winner expected to be announced on Friday 14th October.

The grant is the third iteration from Simply Business. Last year it gave away £25,000 to founders Mo Kanjilal, Allegra Chapman and Rachel Pearson of the diversity and inclusion consultancy business Watch This Sp_ce.

They beat almost 25,000 small businesses from across the UK to the grant, while the 2020 prize was picked up by Larissa Cooper of textiles business firm Rowan Bay, from Norfolk.

To learn more about the Simply Business Business Boost grant and enter the competition, visit: https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/business-boost/ 

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