Partner Article

Cisco BIG Awards enters final stages

Twenty businesses from across the UK have been shortlisted for the Cisco BIG Awards, in the first stage of the competition.

In collaboration with JP Morgan Chase, Bird & Bird, DNX and Octopus Communications, the awards will take place annually throughout Cisco’s British Innovation Gateway (BIG) initiative.

This is a five-year investment of cash, technology and human resources, and aims to develop Britain’s innovation eco-system and create an environment in which start-up digital businesses and their ideas can flourish.

Categories include BIG Data, Collaboration, Future Cities, Internet of Things and Mobility, and represent some main technology challenges and trends facing business today.

A judging panel from Cisco have assessed 300 entries, eventually shortlisting 20 semi-finalists.

The overall winner will receive a total prize package of approximately $200,000, made up of £100,000 cash, 12 months of mentoring from Cisco and a support package covering PR, marketing and legal services.

Phil Smith, CEO Cisco UK and Ireland, said: “We are very proud to announce the Cisco BIG Awards semi-finalists.

“Each is a testament to the fact that the UK is full of thriving and innovative entrepreneurs and SMEs with diverse and leading edge businesses.

“The quality of the entries has been outstanding and it’s great to see that the UK tech scene can rise to individual challenges and also flourish in the wider context of a truly testing marketplace. We are delighted to extend our congratulations to them all!”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .