Startup Awards National Series: Carrickfergus company celebrates NI title win

The awards, which highlight the dynamic startup scene across the country that skyrocketed during the pandemic, are supported by BT, Clearco, Moblox, Fearless Adventures and Moja Group.

Scanmatix helps companies improve their bottom line with business analytics. It has developed a complementary inventory management framework and barcode scanning tool to help identify stock issues, improve efficiencies, and drive production within retail, manufacturing and wholesale businesses.

The final was held at the Ulster Museum in Belfast and saw 14 different awards presented to new businesses in categories such as Global Startup of the Year, Creative Startup of the Year and Young Entrepreneur of the Year. 

George Armstrong, co-founder and CEO of Scanmatix, said: “The whole team are extremely proud to win such a prestigious award. The external validation from other business leaders is key to ensuring that the product and service we provide is not only commercially viable but can bring help to all local and national businesses as we navigate our way out of Covid and the implications of Brexit.”

The awards were judged by a panel that including Dave Linton, of Madlug, Dr Roisin Molloy of Trimedika and Audrey Osbourne of TechStart Ventures.

Commenting on Scanmatix, one of the judges said: “The business has shown good growth, and that’s just through word of mouth. The entrepreneurs have an excellent background in this industry and understand it well. Leveraging this knowledge will definitely benefit the speed of growth and inform strategies.

“They have a clear route on how to drive the business forward, and it’s great to see them set up a subsidiary to fund the business and get their solution to market whilst not being in direct competition with the market leader.

Joined Forces

Originally formed as the Wales StartUp Awards in 2016, the awards series has joined forces with the Great British Entrepreneur Awards to take the celebration of newly-formed businesses nationwide. Creator of the awards, Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, said the inaugural event had recognised the amazing entrepreneurial talent that exists across Northern Ireland.

“A huge congratulations to all the category winners and especially to the team at Scanmatix that, like many others, started and traded during the Covid pandemic and, through resilience, innovation, and sheer hard work, have succeeded and thrived during the most difficult economic circumstances. They, and many of the other winners, will have a major impact on their sector in years to come, and we look forward to seeing what’s next for these amazing entrepreneurs and their businesses.”