Sandra Sassow, CEO and Co-Founder of Southampton-based SEaB Energy celebrated being announced as a top 50 entrepreneur of global number one university business incubator, SETsquared at the House of Commons.
Sandra was on an exclusive list selected from over 1,000 entrepreneurs who have been supported by SETsquared during the last 15 years.
SETsquared supports high growth tech companies that have significant economic impact, having collectively raised over £1bn of investment and created over 9,000 jobs.
The announcement took place on 29 March – the historic day that Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50 to leave the EU – serving as a reminder of the UK’s strength in innovation and entrepreneurship in the global market.
The companies honoured have reached milestone achievements, including raising significant investment, exporting products globally, creating thousands of jobs or achieving a world first.
Sandra’s SEaB Energy has developed the patented and award-winning FLEXIBUSTER™ and MUCKBUSTER™, groundbreaking technology which creates renewable energy, water and fertiliser from onsite organic waste. Among the most recent achievements, SEaB Energy entered the Indian market by signing a distribution contract with a large Indian corporate group for 1140 Million USD (900 Million GBP) for the next 5 years. Also, SEaB Energy has just been awarded a contract to supply the State of California Energy Commission with one of its systems, as part of a five-year research programme into sustainable energy generation from food waste.
Speaking of this achievement, Sandra said: “This is a prestigious win for SEaB Energy and gives us coast-to-coast visibility in the US where we already have a burgeoning pipeline of contracts to fulfil this year. British engineering and manufacturing has an important place in the UK economy and we’re very proud to be creating jobs and exporting worldwide.”
SETsquared worked with an expert panel of investors and innovation corporate leaders to select the Top 50 Entrepreneur which includes companies from across various industries such as health, green technology and 5G and wireless communication.
Michael Queen, an investor on the panel, said: “Creating a successful business requires talented entrepreneurs and a great idea but this isn’t enough. SETsquared acts as a catalyst providing support, logistics, training and mentoring to turn dreams into reality.
“Over the last 15 years, SETsquared has made a major contribution to building a dynamic technology based business sector in the UK.”
The reception at the House of Commons was an opportunity for the entrepreneurs to celebrate their achievements along with MPs and special guests, as well as sharing stories on how they have successfully raised investment, exported products globally or had a major impact on their industry.
Simon Bond, Innovation Director at SETsquared, said: “When I look back on the last 15 years, I am overwhelmed by the talent and achievements of the entrepreneurs that SETsquared has supported.
“They have brought world-leading innovations to market and these have been exported across the globe. SETsquared has provided support and a network for these entrepreneurs including access to mentors, experts, international markets and investors, and they are now out there doing SETsquared and the UK proud.”
To see the full top 50 list, visit: setsquared.co.uk/top50