Dorset-based start-up funding advisor, Focused For Business, announced its CEO Hatty Fawcett has been selected as a Finalist in the Service Industries category of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards for the South West.
Hatty Fawcett set up Focused For Business to simplify the equity fundraising process for startups and equalise opportunities. Hatty is passionate about seeing businesses grow, helping entrepreneurs get to their next stage and crucially making access to funding fairer for all.
Referred to as “The Grammys of Entrepreneurship” by entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den star Steven Bartlett, GBEA receives thousands of award entry applications, so to be shortlisted as a finalist, is already a major achievement.
Hatty Fawcett, CEO and Founder of Focused For Business said:
“I’m delighted to be a Finalist in the GBEA. It is humbling for me and my team to be recognised in this way but – more importantly – it recognises the importance of the change we are driving, making it faster and fairer for founders to raise their first (or second) funding round. The odds are stacked against female founders and ethnically diverse founders when it comes to raising equity investment – and even those whose businesses are based outside of London. Being shortlisted for this award, both recognises the work we are already doing to support underrepresented founders and will help us do more to champion them and deliver change.”
Founder of The Great British Entrepreneur Awards Francesca James says:
“Every year I am blown away with the quantity and quality of applications we receive, and this year is no exception. The Great British Entrepreneur Awards receives thousands of applications annually and the competition is tough. I am truly inspired by the remarkable accomplishments of this year’s finalists. Their collective achievements of generating over £2.7 billion in turnover and employing over 33,000 people demonstrate the exceptional impact they have made in their industries and communities. These entrepreneurs exemplify the spirit of innovation, resilience, and growth that drives the entrepreneurial landscape in the UK.”
Prior to setting up Focused For Business, Hatty spent fifteen successful years in marketing and earned a MBA from Imperial College, London. She worked in two start-ups before launching her own start-up, for which she raised a quarter of a million pounds. She then looked after some of the investments Kelly Hoppen made when she was a Dragon on the TV show “Dragons Den”. Hatty saw a gap in services for underrepresented founders and has since funded £11.3 million to 52 companies.
The winners will be announced at the annual GBEA Gala Final on Monday 20th November at the iconic Grosvenor Hotel in London which is usually attended by many of the UK’s leading entrepreneurs.
