SEaB Energy scoops £22k prize money

UK AD & BIOGAS EXHIBITOR NEWS

SEaB Energy were crowned the winners for the first annual Global Pitch Competition, presented by Astia and The NextWomen at the We Own It Summit in London yesterday and secured a cash prize of £22k from sponsors Technology Strategy Board, Microsoft and Astia Angel.

The We Own It Summit also held a ceremony last night to announce the winners of The Tipping Point Awards, recognising European firms with the greatest number of investment in women-led companies according to Dow Jones VentureSource for 2012.

The winners of The Tipping Point Awards were:

• Venture Capital firm: High-Tech Gruenderfonds Management GmbH
• Corporate Venture: Telefonica Digital Capital Venture and Wayra, the accelerator of Telefonica

SEaB impressed the Pitch Competition judges, gathered from across the investment community, with its patented, automated micro anaerobic digestion systems, converting organic waste into energy on site. The technology has already been implemented here in the UK in a brewery, a hotel chain, a bakery and an equestrian facility.

Chief Executive of Astia, Sharon Vosmek commented:

We had 100 women-led start-ups submit entries to this first Global Pitch Competition, which is a fantastic milestone itself. However it’s not just the number of start-ups we had in the process but the sheer quality that shone through every step of the way, branching across energy, security, medical and internet sectors to name a few, culminating in five amazing finalists.

Vosmek continued:

SEaB Energy impressed the judges throughout the different criteria, from the concept, the implementation, the impact it could have on society and corporates and the amazing potential this business has over the coming years. We’re also extremely proud to have recognised the work High-Tech Gruenderfond Management GmbH and Telefonica Digital has done with Wayra, investing in women-led start-ups over the last year.

Sandra Sassow, Chief Executive, SEaB Energy commented:

We are thrilled to be part of this amazing group of women, driving entrepreneurship in hight-growth industries. The bar was set extremely high and so we’re humbled to have won. Naturally we’d like to thank the Astia Angel network as well as Technology Strategy Board, Microsoft and Duet Partners for providing the prizes Winning this prestigious competition will certainly help us spread the word and enable us to elevate our market awareness.

SEaB were one of the companies that went on the Clean and Cool Mission to San Francisco in 2012. The Mission, organised by the Technology Strategy Board and UKTI, took a number of the UK’s most innovative, young companies to the USA to make new connections and meet potential collaborators and customers.

The number of women starting new companies is growing and yet less than 5% of VC funding is invested in women-led companies. Women’s participation in business and MBA programs has grown more than five-fold since the 1970’s and yet women account for only 6 percent of high income earners in the Fortune 500 and only 16.6% of their boards.

Simone Brummelhuis, Founder at The NextWomen:

Female entrepreneurs need access to capital and the appropriate networks to achieve their high growth aspirations. With the Global Pitch Competition, we have been able to increase the visibility of five exceptional women founders towards the investor eco-system, which – we know- increases their possibility of successful funding rounds.

Now in its fourth year and in London for the second time, the We Own It Summit took place on 27-28 June convened visionaries, thought-leaders, idea generators, game-changers and disrupters to identify paths of success for women high-growth entrepreneurs.

The We Own It Summit is hosted by convening organization Astia and sponsored by Platinum Sponsor Thomson Reuter, Silver Sponsor Dentons; and Bronze Sponsor Bloomberg. The WeOwn It Summit Global Pitch Competition is presented by Astia and The NextWomen and sponsored by Gold Sponsor Technology Strategy Board and Microsoft, along with Astia Angel and Partner Sponsors Gust, Startup Weekend and Startup America. Media Partners of the We Own It Summit are The NextWomen and FieldHouse Associates and the Hotel Partner is Grange St. Paul’s Hotel.