Overview

The #21toWatch Campaign and Awards

People, companies and the ‘things’ they create, across Cambridge and the East of England are setting the standards in innovation and entrepreneurship across the globe. #21toWatch is a dedicated campaign to showcase and highlight the maybe lesser known, recognising those exciting new entries across all market sectors, and celebrating the very best work going on today in the region. With such diversity and ingenuity amongst the #21toWatch cohort, the attributes each submission is assessed on are Innovation, Challenge, Influence, Viability and Memorability.

If you are looking for more information on the campaign, #21toWatch has also been featured in Forbes. Our sponsors and partners also view the cofinitive #21toWatch campaign as a key investment for them as they support new ventures and opportunities.

We collate a list of the people, the companies and the ‘things’ throughout the year – these are the key dates you need to know. The longlists are updated on a rolling basis, with a nomination window open until 12th January, the shortlist is announced at the start of February, with the annual#21toWatch Top21 unveiled in a unique event the first Thursday in March – Thursday 7th March.

Many on our list (not just the Top21!) have gone on to achieve great things, including enhanced promotions, additional investment, new clients and a variety of other opportunities. Our sponsors and partners also view the cofinitive #21toWatch campaign as a key investment for them as they support new ventures and opportunities.

The Top21.2024 have now been announced. The full event brochure can be viewed here.

The Lists

The 21toWatch lists

Each fortnight we will be highlighting one of the #21toWatch Top21.2023. Zoe Tolkien is head of research at Advanced Furnace Technology, an engineering and materials science company working on net zero challenges through the ramp-up of silicon carbide semiconductors and electric transport.

 

 

To view the complete 2018/2019 list, please follow this link.

To view the complete 2019/2020 list, please follow this link.

To view the complete 2020/2021 list, please follow this link.

To view the complete 2021/ 2022 list, please follow this link.

To view the complete 2022/ 2023 list, please follow this link.

Nominations

Be or nominate the #21toWatch

If you would like to submit a person, company or ‘thing’ to the #21toWatch list, please complete this form and we’ll be in touch to confirm receipt and next steps.

Everyone who successfully qualifies for the longlist, shortlist, and Top21 will all receive a promotional icon to use in their own communications.

You can also email us at 21toWatch@cofinitive.com, and don’t forget to join the discussion via @cofinitive #21toWatch

The Top21.2024 have now been announced. Submissions for 2025 will open 1st September 2024.

Sponsors & Partners

Thank you to our sponsors and partners

We are proud to be supported by a range of sponsors and partners who share our ambition of showcasing the #21toWatch and the longlists that identify them.

Interested in Sponsoring?

Fill in the form to download our sponsor brochure here.

Judges

All nominations to the annual longlist are then triaged down to a shortlist, assessed on five criteria – Innovation, Challenge, Influence, Viability and Memorability; as well as being financially assessed through the Companies House service and their investment status on Crunchbase.

A shortlist is then provided to an independent set of judges who will select the top seven from each of the three categories that will make up the #21toWatch Top21.2024

Each year the judges will rotate. Previous judges include: Priya Guha, Merian Ventures; Bill Thompson, Technology Writer; Bruno Cotta, Cambridge Judge Business School; Isabel Fox, Outsized Ventures; Tim Robinson, Tech East; Siddhi Trivedi, Beyond Identity; Yupar Myint, Impulse Programme at the Maxwell Centre; Simon Thorpe, Cambridge Angels; Thea Goodluck, Tech Nation; Jason Mellad, Start Codon; Emmi Nicholl, Cambridge Angels; Matthew Gooding, Tech Monitor; Ruchi Sharma, Stemnovate; James Parton, The Bradfield Centre; Maximilian Ge, Entrepreneurial Postdocs of Cambridge; Hanadi Jabado, Sana Capital; Tom Britton, SyndicateRoom; John Stenhouse, University of Essex.

Our 2024 judges are

  • Jon Bradford

    Managing Partner, Dynamo Ventures

  • Fiona Nielsen

    CEO, Neurolentech

  • Nitin Patel

    CEO/Founder, Impact Management Consultancy Ltd

Attend

Interested in attending as a guest?

If you would like to express interest in attending the #21toWatch 2024 event, please get in touch.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

#21toWatch News

Medical innovations, Sustainability, Agritech and AI dominate #21toWatch 2024 Awards

Gemma DorlingGemma Dorling / 07.03.24

The 6th annual #21toWatch innovation awards have been unveiled at an awards ceremony at The Bradfield Centre in Cambridge, the UK Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation The annual Awards...

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Twitter #21toWatch

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#21toWatch Videos

Next Generation of #21toWatch Winners Offer Game-Changing Solutions for the Challenges of Today

02.03.23