Introducing The Investec Early-Stage Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

At OPUS, we see it every day.
The grit. The tenacity. The sacrifice without certainty.

Starting a company has never been harder or more necessary. Funding is tight, scrutiny is high, and traction doesn’t always capture the courage it takes to begin. Founders step into the unknown because they believe in a better way, but these early leaps rarely make headlines.

That’s why we launched The Investec Early-Stage Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, lovingly known as The Easies.

Celebrating the Leap

Most awards wait until you’ve made it. We’re recognising founders before the world catches on.

The Easies are the first global awards created specifically for early-stage founders, those building companies under four years old and pre-Series A. They’re for the ideas still scribbled on napkins, the prototypes still being tested, the quiet conviction that powers the earliest days.

“The Easies exist to honour something rare: the leap itself,” said Sam Tidswell-Norrish, Founder and Chair of OPUS. “We’re here to spotlight the people who dare to dream. These awards don’t just celebrate traction; they reward the audacity to begin.”

The awards honour first-time founders across every sector from climate to healthtech across four categories:

• Consumer ESEY – for the brand people believe in, not just buy—the ones already shaping culture far beyond their first audience.
• Female Founder ESEY – for the women rewriting the rules, defying bias, and building on their own terms.
• Impact ESEY – for the founder creating change that outlasts them, building with purpose even when it’s the harder path.
• Technology ESEY – for the visionary whose product is still under the radar, but whose tech the world won’t be able to live without.

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Built with Belief

The Easies are backed by partners, judges and dreamers worldwide including Investec, Endava, CNBC Africa and Boodles.

“Investec is rooted in entrepreneurship, within how we think, operate and in our commitment to our clients - many of whom are established entrepreneurs," said Joubert Hay, Chief Executive Officer of Investec Wealth & Investment International. "We believe in the value of being deeply invested in the next generation of entrepreneurs who are the lifeblood of economic health."

“At Endava, we’ve always believed technology should unlock possibility and empower the bold to build what’s next," said Alastair Lukies CBE, Chief Engagement Officer at Endava. "That’s why supporting the Easies feels like serendipity: their mission and ours are perfectly aligned. Together, we’re backing the visionaries whose ideas will shape the future.”

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Winners will be chosen by a world-class judging panel spanning entrepreneurship, investment, and innovation.
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“Backing early-stage founders is one of the most powerful economic and cultural investments we can make,” said Kristen McLeod, British Business Bank. “These awards are a public act of belief.”

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More than a Trophy

Winners across the four categories will be awarded:

• £10,000 in cash
• Access to the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos – a stage usually reserved for corporates and world leaders
• Bespoke growth support from OPUS and our global partners
  

This combination of capital, access, and support is designed to give early-stage founders a head start most never get.

Every applicant joins the broader OPUS ecosystem, introductions, visibility, and community that outlast awards night.

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Applications Open

Applications are now open to founder-led companies that are under founder years old and pre-Series A. The deadline to apply is 5th November 2025.

If you’re building the future, this is your moment.

Apply now