By james art
Inicio AI, a female-led fintech start-up based in Coventry, has won £1m in the Birmingham Tech Week Tech Awards One To Win Competition.
Run by TechWM and supported by sponsors such as Rigby Group and the West Midlands Co-Investment Fund, the competition offers the largest single award for a pitch competition in the UK.
Just four months after launching at London Tech Week, Inicio AI, which created Budgie AI – a virtual agent that provides financial support – was chosen as the region’s most promising startup out of 140 applicants.
The competition highlights the potential of the West Midlands to become a national and global technology hub.
Other West Midlands start-ups in the race include ChangeMaker3D, a company focused on 3D printing concrete to reduce carbon emissions and costs, and Skyfarer, which is innovating the use of drones for medical purposes.
The three finalists pitched their ideas on 23 October to a panel of judges including Steve Rigby, CEO of Rigby Group, Yannis Maos MBE, CEO of TechWM and others.
Janis Maos MBE, Chief Executive of TechWM said: “The One to Win competition is testament to our ongoing efforts to nurture, support and promote the thriving technology ecosystem in the West Midlands. We firmly believe that our region is a hidden gem in the global technology landscape and we work tirelessly to showcase its enormous potential.
“Innovative initiatives like One to Win provide invaluable platforms for local start-ups to shine. Thanks to the generous support of our stakeholders, partners and sponsors, we are able to offer the winner a life-changing opportunity to receive the UK’s biggest performance award. This win is not only an important milestone for the winner, but also a testament to the region’s growing reputation as a hub for technological innovation.”