British Foreign Secretary Announces Finalists For GREAT Tech Awards Competition

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Twenty-one tech companies will be announced today as finalists for the UK government's second annual GREAT Tech Awards. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond will announce the names at a reception at the British Residence in New York City. 

Representing the states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, these finalists are innovative companies in the US tech scene that aim to build an international presence, and are in the running to win a business development trip to the UK. The overall winners will be announced at the GREAT Tech Awards Gala on Thursday, 9 October 2014, in New York, and will fly to the UK during the week of 2 November 2014.

This summer, technology companies headquartered in the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut applied for one of six award categories. The category finalists are: for education, Admittedly, Noodle and Schell Games; for finance, EquiMetrics, InvestCloud, and SeedInvest; for health, Cytosorbents, Kinsa, and Menssana Research; for Internet of Things, Critical Mention, Electric Objects, and Research Frontiers; for lifestyle, Cater2.me, SmartLine, and TodayTix; and for media, Contently, SeamlessDocs, and TouchCast. A seventh category, Best of British, also has three finalists: Conversocial, Equivital, and ustwo. 

"The GREAT Tech Awards reflect the British government's commitment to helping the best and brightest American tech companies to expand across the Atlantic," said Foreign Secretary Hammond. "The UK's world-class business environment is an ideal springboard for international growth, and today's 21 finalists were selected from a field of 120 ambitious and dynamic firms poised for global success. I look forward to seeing these companies, this competition and the US and UK's technology sector links grow and prosper in the months and years to come."

An advisory board of industry influencers has chosen the finalists based on their potential for overseas growth and the innovation of their product or service. A separate judging panel will select the winners. Additionally, a Best of British Award will recognize the transatlantic growth of a British technology company that has successfully established an office in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Connecticut.

The US winners will receive a customized package that includes: a round-trip World Traveller Plus flight to London courtesy of British Airways; five nights' accommodation, plus breakfast, at the five-star Corinthia Hotel London; accountancy services by Blick Rothenberg; legal services by Taylor Wessing; recruitment services by Propel; three months' free office space in East London for two employees, provided by Second Home; meetings with investors, property agents, mentors, and government officials; and attendance at the Innovate Conference in London.

The panel of prestigious judges includes: David Karp, CEO/Founder of Tumblr; Pete Cashmore, CEO/Founder of Mashable; Lily Cole, Founder of Impossible.com; Douglas Atkin, FinTech Fund Portfolio Manager, Guggenheim Partners; Marco Mohwinckel, Global Head Integrated Care Solutions, Janssen Healthcare Innovation; Margaret Molloy, Global Chief Marketing Officer & Head of Business Development for Siegel+Gale; and Yinka Adegoke, Deputy Editor, Billboard.

The Advisory Board includes: Nima Behkami, PhD, Director of Strategic Alliance, Merck & Co; Paul Murphy, Partner, Betaworks; Ziv Navoth, CEO/Co-Founder, Paragraph; Tarek Pertew, Co-Founder, Wakefield; and Bob Schukai, Head of Advanced Product Innovation at Thomson Reuters. To learn more about the GREAT Tech Awards, visit http://www.gov.uk/great-tech-awards.

Editor's Notes:

• The GREAT Britain campaign showcases the very best of what Britain has to offer and welcomes the world to visit, study and do business with the UK. The UK's dynamic economy and business-friendly environment make it a great place to locate and expand your business. www.gov.uk/ukti 
• For more updates on The GREAT Tech Awards, follow us on Twitter @UKTIUSA and #GREATtech, and on Tumblr. 
• Blick Rothenberg provide tax and accounting services to over 450 US companies doing business in the UK and wider markets and are, once again, delighted to be sponsors of the 2014 GREAT Tech Awards. 
• British Airways, part of International Airlines Group, is one of the world's leading global premium airlines and the largest international carrier in the UK. The carrier has its home base at London Heathrow, the world's busiest international airport, and flies to more than 70 different countries.  British Airways carries almost 40 million customers a year and has a fleet of more than 280 aircraft.  British Airways is investing more than £5bn in new aircraft, smarter cabins, elegant lounges, and new technologies to make life more comfortable in the air and on the ground.
• As London's 21st Century Grand Hotel, Corinthia Hotel London combines contemporary flair with traditional grandeur and is situated in the cultural heart of the capital. 
• Today's Merck is a global healthcare leader working to help the world be well. Merck is known as MSD outside the United States and Canada. Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and consumer care and animal health products, we work with customers and operate in more than 140 countries to deliver innovative health solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to healthcare through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.     
• Propel are the preeminent provider of recruitment services to US technology companies expanding into the UK and Europe. 
• Taylor Wessing is a leading international, forward thinking law firm, with over 1,000 lawyers in 23 offices, advising clients across the world's most dynamic industries. 
• Launching in October 2014 in Shoreditch, the heart of London's creative and technology cluster, Second Home will provide access to a global network of entrepreneurs, innovators and creative leaders. It will offer both private and social workspaces in a stimulating environment that supports new forms of collaboration and creativity.

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SOURCE British Consulate General New York