Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards

One of the highlights to end 2025 was being recognised as one of the Investors of the Year in the Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Now celebrating its 13th year, the Awards, often described by the likes of Steven Bartlett as “The Grammys for Entrepreneurship,” shine a spotlight on the individuals and businesses driving innovation, creating jobs, and shaping the future of the UK economy. The awards, sponsored by Allica Bank, honour remarkable stories of entrepreneurial success, perseverance, and vision. 

Our very own Investment Committee Member Abbas Kazmi represented us at the awards ceremony at Grosvenor House and was a finalist in two other awards, winning one. Abbas commented, “We were honoured to be recognised in this way alongside some top investors, including several of whom we have co-invested with. It was incredibly exciting to be in a room full of the most impactful and innovative startups and scaleups in the UK alongside other key industry leaders, changemakers and ecosystem champions. It was a wonderful celebration of the achievements of entrepreneurs looking to change the status quo and make their mark and we congratulate the finalists and winners, all of whom deserve to be spotlighted in this way. This recognition is testament not only to the hard work put in by our team but the most thanks must go to the founders we back and our investors who believe in our vision. We do not take our responsibility lightly and look forward to continuing our commitment towards backing the most pioneering innovators.” 

Being a finalist in the Investor of the Year category is a strong signal that our founder friendly, high-conviction approach is resonating, especially in the UK market which we have consistently backed. BlackWood is proud to be in such exciting company and congratulates Kealan Doyle and Nicholas Nicolaides and the Symvan Capital team! Many thanks to the Great British Entrepreneur Awards Team, Allica Bank and all involved for organising the best edition of the GBEA yet!

Francesca James, founder of the Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards, commented, “Our winners embody the very best of British enterprise, ambitious, resilient and relentlessly innovative. The Great British Entrepreneur Awards, often described as the ‘Grammys of entrepreneurship’, exists to champion founders who create jobs, scale ideas and strengthen communities. This year’s overall winners, Simmy and Jhai Dhillon of Simmer Eats, have been celebrated through our awards before, and it’s a pleasure to see them take the top honour as Great British Entrepreneurs of the Year, turning a £10 idea into a nationwide success without outside investment.”

Conrad Ford, Chief Product Officer at Allica Bank, commented, “What stands out this year is the optimism and ambition that continue to define the UK’s established business community. Having run my own business, I know the resilience, creativity and sheer determination it takes to build something that lasts, especially in challenging times. Established businesses are the real economy, making up a third of the UK’s GDP and employment, and represented in every town across the country. At Allica, we’re proud to support and celebrate their contribution through the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, and I wish to congratulate the winners and all the great businesses recognised on the night.”

The awards ceremony, held on 17th November 2025 at London’s iconic Grosvenor House, brought together industry leaders, innovators, and changemakers to celebrate the exceptional achievements of this year’s winners.

It is with thanks to national and regional sponsors Allica Bank, UBS Wealth Management, ADHD 360, Airwallex, Caudwell Children, Client Funnels, Curve Club, de Novo Solutions, EliteBusinessLive, FundOnion, Go Live Data, Great Influence, Ideas Fest, Join Talent, Mettryx, Quidos, Randal Charitable Foundation, Sam Teale Productions, ScoreApp, Sherbet The Electric Taxi Co and Taxi Media and Vestd that the Great British Entrepreneur Awards has been able to celebrate the very best of Great British entrepreneurs for 13 years.

About the Great British Entrepreneur Awards

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards, now in its 13th year, celebrate the achievements of the UK’s most inspiring and innovative entrepreneurs. These awards recognise the vital contributions entrepreneurs make to the economy and society, celebrating the resilience, creativity, and impact of individuals across the nation. For more information about the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, please visit www.greatbritishentrepreneurawards.com.

About Allica Bank

Allica is a no-nonsense business bank, built especially for established businesses with between 5 and 250 employees.

These businesses make up a third of UK employment and turnover, yet the service they get from the big banks is increasingly impersonal, inconvenient, and poor value. Allica Bank is on a mission to give established businesses the no-nonsense banking they deserve. That means a current account with no monthly fees, a relationship manager whose name and number they actually know, and technology that makes life easier, not harder.

It’s how business banking used to be, just better.

Allica was recently named as Britain's fastest-growing private company in 2024’s The Sunday Times 100, and is also the fastest-growing fintech company in the 26-year history of Deloitte’s UK Technology Fast 50 awards. It was recognised as Europe’s fastest growing start-up by Sifted. It also revealed in 2023 that it achieved its first full year of profitability and had lent over £2 billion to established UK businesses.

Allica’s ambition is to gain 10% market share in the next five years in order to help change the SME market for the better.

Allica is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Financial Services Register Number: 821851.

Read more at: www.allica.bank/