Preston wellbeing business victorious at National tech startup awards

Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing, the Lancashire-based training company, has won the Most Innovative Tech category at the Hustle Awards.

Lee Chambers, Preston businessman and chief psychologist at Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing, received the Most Innovative Tech prize at this year’s Hustle Awards, the National tech awards hosted by Startups Magazine. They were selected for the honour due to their innovative virtual reality training, and were shortlisted against some significant companies in the tech space, including Vestd, Seergrills and Dexory.

Startups Magazine hosted its annual Hustle Awards at The Steel Yard, London. The evening was designed to recognise the outstanding achievements of individuals and companies and showcase the exciting innovations created by startups and entrepreneurs.

The event brought a large part of the tech startup community under one roof to celebrate the very best of the industry. Guests networked with some incredible people behind the technology products and solutions shortlisted for the awards. The awards were hosted by the hilarious Maisie Adam, an up-and-coming stand-up comedian.

The night was also soundtracked by Neon State, an incredible dual-fronted pop, rock, and soul band who are experts in filling dance floors with their fun-packed, engaging performances.

Paige West, managing editor, Startups Magazine, said: “It was a joy to gather so many together to celebrate this incredible industry’s achievements and the entrepreneurial journey! It’s clear to see that this industry is thriving, and the energy we saw from the startups at the awards was nothing short of contagious.”

Their expert panel of judges had their work cut out for them this year. The entries they received were of such high calibre, and the amount of talent and innovation was evident across all the entries, including those who didn’t make it to the finals.

Entries were judged by professionals who are at the very top of the industry and who understand why innovation in technology, standards and best practice is so important.

Judges included executives from companies such as Uber, Google and Cisco, and they selected Essentialise as the winner, saying: “They are a visionary company with an array of solutions across multiple sectors. We absolutely loved the innovative nature of their VR experiences, which are a creative and inclusive way to build empathetic, kind and supportive workplace cultures.”

On winning the award, Lee Chambers said: “This is a significant milestone on our journey, and the first National award we have won for our technology, which has been championed by Edge Hill University. Being up against companies who have been around for longer and who have received significant investment is always challenging, but I am delighted to bring this award out of the big tech hubs in the cities, and show just how innovative Lancashire is. We are not stopping here, and have big plans for 2024 and beyond.”

This award comes during a busy summer for Chambers and the Essentialise team, who are also finalists at the National Diversity Awards, the Black Talent Awards and the Bolton News Business Awards.