Meet our panel of expert Judges
Michael Birch
Bebo.com
Serial entrepreneur Michael Birch has no fewer than seven businesses under his belt. Best known for teen social networking sensation Bebo.com, which he sold to AOL in March 2008 for a reported $850m, he recently launched Jolitics, a politics social network for the man on the street. Birch is the posterboy for technological success here in Blighty, and can spot a smart start-up at 30 paces.
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Sarah Beeny
MySingleFriend.com & Tepilo
Sarah Beeny is no run-of-the-mill sleb. She started her first business at the age of 24, investing in and developing property. This led to a high-flying career presenting property show on the box - but she never lost the entrepreneurial bug. In 2007, she set up online dating site MySingleFriend.com, followed by Tepilo, a property website, in 2009.
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Sháá Wasmund
Smarta.com
Sháá Wasmund is a rolling stone. At 21, she became the first female – and youngest – promoter on the boxing circuit for Chris Eubank, she helped James Dyson launch his iconic vacuum cleaner and founded businesses with Bob Geldof and Ben Way to boot. Now, she is the boss of Smarta. Launched in the midst of one of the worst recessions this country has ever seen, Smarta has grown to become one of the leading small business resources in the UK.
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Will King
King of Shaves
Will King founded male grooming brand King of Shaves in 1993, taking on the might of US shaving giants Gillette and Wilkinson Sword. Since then, the brand's holding company, KMI, has acquired personal grooming brands including Ted Baker and Fish, and is expected to have a turnover topping £200m by 2012. The maverick is not resting on his laurels, though: he has just taken a stake in Wingman, a young toiletries business that rose to fame on Theo Paphitis’ TV show: Britain’s Next Big Thing.
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Lynne Franks
B.Hive
Lynne Franks first rose to fame with her eponymous PR agency back in the eighties. She represented some of the hottest designers and pop stars of the era, including Katharine Hamnett and Annie Lennox. She co-founded London Fashion Week in 1984, an event that has become a stalwart in the fashion calendar. Now the boss of networking space B.Hive, she is a true champion of women entrepreneurs. Her fast-growing venture now boasts locations in London, Manchester and Bristol.
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Simon Devonshire
O2
Simon Devonshire is the general manager of the Small & Medium Business division of O2 Telefonica UK Ltd, providing telecommunications to businesses across the UK. More than a third of UK business now depends on its communication services. In addition to this role, Simon is a true champion of small business. He is actively involved with a number of ventures, including as the co-founder of social enterprise One Water. To date, the One portfolio has generated and donated more than £6m.
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