Three companies mentored by the Essex Innovation Programme are finalists in a business competition. The three companies, Margie & Doll, Morgan Collins and uPgrow, were in a group of only eight finalists.
The One Competition aims to attract the top businesses from Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The overall winner of the competition was The Lampshade Company of Colchester who make handmade lampshades to order. They received a package of business support worth over £35,000.
Encouraging companies across the county
The Essex Innovation Programme (EIP) works with established companies and small businesses to help them to develop, and take to market, innovative products and services.
EIP has provided mentoring to Margie & Doll, Morgan Collins and uPgrow to help expand their businesses…
- Margie & Doll provide a luxury pop up clothing and accessories boutique experience
- Morgan Collins created ‘Gecko Magic Sleepwear’, a washable range of pyjamas with an absorbent lining, to protect against bed wetting and remove the stigma associated with incontinence
- uPgrow a fence panel company focusing on an eco-design product
“We are at the start of a great journey, and becoming a finalist of The One Competition has given us the possibility of a flying start into business.”
John Bernades, Founder, uPgrow
"The help, expertise and local knowledge received through the Essex Innovation Programme has had a huge impact on my business and definitely opened doors that alone I would not have been able to achieve, certainly not within the first year of trading. Already I am looking to take on other agents and possibly a retail premises."
Nikki Da Costa-Smith, Founder, Margie & Doll
About the One Competition
After answering qualifying questions companies wishing to enter the competition were required to:
- Give a description of their business, product or idea
- Provide an outline of their ambitions and key achievements
- Describe what they hoped to achieve from winning the prize
Last year’s winner
Last year’s winner of the One Competition was The Foraging Fox a business start-up who produce The Foraging Fox Beetroot Ketchup. The company launched their ketchup at The Speciality and Fine Food Fair in 2014 and, after the fair, had to double production to meet demand with…
- Over 66% of retailers reordering within a month
- The average re-order had an almost 200% increase on the original
“Winning The One competition at this stage in our growth was simply invaluable to us. Having the opportunity to build such an important network of professionals around us was crucial and we were hugely thankful to the panel for their belief in us.”
Frankie Fox, Co-Founder, The Foraging Fox
See here for more information on the Essex Innovation Programme.
