Dill Wins at the 2025 Wales Startup Awards
Swansea-based AI firm Dill has been named the overall winner at the 2025 Wales StartUp Awards.
Dill is a smart labelling platform that enables businesses to instantly create and print compliant labels without the usual manual effort. Designed for use across multiple locations, it replaces time-consuming formatting tasks like barcodes, QR codes, ingredients, and expiry dates with automated label generation based on real-time data.
Its founder Alex Coldea was delighted to win the award and said it was the start of something special for the business.
Alex said:
'Winning the 2025 Wales StartUp of the Year is a huge moment for the team and a reflection of the impact Dill is already making across the food and retail industries. We started this business because we were frustrated by how slow and unnecessarily complicated labeling had become, a process so many people just accepted as 'normal' when we knew it could be done better. What began as a small, focused solution quickly revealed a much bigger opportunity, and that meant letting go of the original idea and starting from scratch.
'That pivot was tough, but it changed everything. We rebuilt Dill from the ground up to be simple, fast, and user‑centric. Today, our AI‑powered labeling platform is making labeling seamless for brands like BrewDog, Atis, Busaba, Nisa Local, The Secret Group and more, across hundreds of sites, from BP, Shell, Esso, and Jet service stations, to Saracens Stadium and Swansea Council. From food‑to‑go and traceability to stock rotation and barcodes, Dill handles it all.
'With our recent launch in the United States and growing deployments across the UK and EMEA with Brother, our hardware partner, we're building Dill into an AI‑driven infrastructure layer that makes labeling invisible, a seamless service that operates across any site or device. We started with food and beverage labeling, but the vision is much larger: to redefine how every industry approaches labeling. This is just the beginning, and we're excited for where this journey takes us next.'
Supported by a wide range of partners, including Airwallex, Big Ideas Wales, Bodlondeb, Business Wales, Cardiff Life, Coffi Lab, Join Talent, M-Sparc, Mentera, Town Square, and V-Rum, the UK StartUp Awards were established to highlight the success of start-ups across ten UK nations and regions and to celebrate the achievements of entrepreneurs in all sectors of the economy. Over 1,500 entries were received in 2025 and 200 judges from the UK entrepreneurial ecosystem took part in the judging process.
According to Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, creator of the UK StartUp Awards, this surge in start-up ambition reflects a new generation of entrepreneurs who are not only identifying opportunities but are also building innovative, resilient businesses that are shaping the future of the regional economy.
He said:
'The Wales Start-Up Awards have demonstrated, once again, that Welsh entrepreneurs are reshaping the economic landscape, turning bold ideas into thriving ventures and ambition into meaningful impact. That's why we created the StartUp Awards, to celebrate the individuals who are building something from nothing and making a real difference in their communities. Across the country, from rural towns to city centres, founders of new businesses are developing everything from cutting-edge digital solutions to sustainable food brands and green energy businesses that are all grounded in a deep sense of place, purpose, and national pride.'
The 32 regional winners from Wales will now progress to the UK StartUp Awards final, taking place at Ideas Fest on September 11th, dubbed the 'Glastonbury for Entrepreneurs', along with the winners from nine other nations and regions.
The winners at the 2025 Wales StartUp awards are: Wales StartUp of the Year – Dill
AI StartUp of the Year – Dill
Business to Business StartUp of the Year – Pilates Class UK
Business, Consulting & Management StartUp of the Year – Quest
Cleantech StartUp of the Year – Nellie Technologies
Construction & Building Services StartUp of the Year – Alyn Bowen Ltd
Consumer Products StartUp of the Year – Môr (Lucy McCarthy-Christofides)
Consumer Services Start Up of the Year – Norah Rose (Sian Howarth)
Creative StartUp of the Year – Creadigol Design
Digital StartUp of the Year – Tool Archive
Education & Training StartUp of the Year – Romodels
Equity-Backed StartUp of the Year – Darogan
Fashion & Beauty StartUp of the Year – Chair Freelance
Food & Drink StartUp of the Year – Kiwis Bowls
Global StartUp of the Year – Pelly
Green StartUp of the Year – The Full EV
Health & Wellbeing StartUp of the Year – Rise.Life
Hospitality, Tourism & Events StartUp of the Year – North Wales Days Out & Events
Innovative StartUp of the Year – ValArt
Marketing, Advertising & PR StartUp of the Year – The Cusp
Media & Entertainment StartUp of the Year – Copperhouse Films
Professional Services StartUp of the Year – Talent Tent
Retail & E-Commerce StartUp of the Year – The Little Blazer Company®
Rising Star Award – Baldilocks
Rural StartUp of the Year – LanoTech
Social Enterprise StartUp of the Year – NeuroBuds
StartUp For Good Award – Young Entrepreneur Start Ups (Michelle Foulia)
Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Bowla – A Bowl With A Roll
Cardiff StartUp of the Year – Pharma Footpath
North Wales StartUp of the Year – ecodetect
Judges Choice – Driverly, Grade Stream, AilArian
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
Topi Keskinen has Aberdeen transfer fate tackled by Dave Cormack with player trading model stance made crystal clear
The winger enjoyed a fine debut season in the Granite City and was recently tipped for a big move to Europe Dave Cormack has ruled out the prospect of Aberdeen selling Topi Keskinen this summer but admits the club will not hold him back if he wants to move onto bigger and better things down the line. The Dons shelled out nearly £1million to bring the Finland international to Pittodrie last summer from HJK, with the winger going onto register six goals and three assists in 45 appearances in all competitions and started in the shock Scottish Cup final victory over Celtic on penalties that handed the Reds the trophy at Hampden for the first time since 1990. Aberdeen have established a successful player trading in recent seasons that has seen them bank millions from the likes of Ylber Ramadani and Bojan Miovski, who were brought into the club from elsewhere then sold on for big profits. Keskinen caught the eye for Finland at the U21 European Championships earlier this month, so much so that pundits in his homeland reckon that clubs in Germany and the Netherlands will soon come knocking on Aberdeen's door. And while he insists Keskinen is a key man for Thelin and his team in the immediate future, chairman Cormack says the model in place could see the Dons cash in on the pacey wide man when the time is right. Speaking to Red TV, he said: "People want to come to Aberdeen now because they know they will get an opportunity to move onto a bigger club. We won't hold them back, within reason. "We demonstrated that with Bojan, Ross McCrorie, Lewis (Ferguson) and others. And Topi will be another one if he continues at this level. "But there is no way we are letting Topi go at this stage because he is a key player for us. Unless someone comes in and offers us £20million tomorrow!" Cormack, who along with fellow investors has just injected a further £8million into the club towards building a new indoor pitch at their Cormack Park training base, is also under no illusions that boss Thelin will attract interest from elsewhere if he can build on his successful debut season at Pittodrie. But the US-based business software tycoon is confident that the Swede is committed to the long-term plan in the Granite City. "He had the opportunity to go to the English Championship (before joining Aberdeen) and turned them down, where I am sure the wages and the rest of it would have been much, much higher. "He was looking for his first project overseas away from Sweden and he wanted it to be the right project. "He is here for the right reasons and is not a job-hopper. "As Jimmy continues with Aberdeen there is always going to be challenges keeping a successful manager. "But I don't think there will be any surprises with Jimmy. He is very team-orientated and inclusive. "It's about the team and not about him and his standards are exceptionally high."
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
iLivestock selected to represent Scotland in the search for the best UK tech trailblazer
iLivestock has fended off competition from dozens of local tech startups to be crowned Scotland Tech Innovator as part of KPMG's search for the UK's most exciting tech businesses. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Rosyth-based firm, which has created an all-in-one management platform for sheep and cattle farmers, was one of hundreds of applications to the UK competition and was shortlisted among the most exciting tech offerings in the region who were invited to pitch in the regional heat. The competition, which KPMG runs to spotlight and celebrate the world's most innovative technology, provides a platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses and collectively champion the future of tech. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ewen Wardman, CEO & Co-Founder of iLivestock, said: 'Winning the Scotland regional final of KPMG's Tech Innovator is a strong validation of the work we're doing at iLivestock. (Left) Amy Burnett Emerging Giants Lead at KPMG UK, (middle) Jamie Pugh Co-Founder & COO of iLivestock, (right) Vishal Chopra Scotland Senior Partner at KPMG UK. 'It's a great chance to show how our tech can make a real difference for livestock farms of all sizes. 'We're excited to represent Scotland in London, connect with investors, and take the next step in scaling our innovation.' Commenting on the heat, Amy Burnett, Emerging Giants Lead at KPMG UK, said: 'Scotland has a real momentum when it comes to innovation in agriculture and sustainability, and iLivestock is a fantastic example of that. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Their pitch stood out by clearly showing how their platform helps farmers tackle everyday challenges - making it faster and easier to track key data across cattle and sheep, all in one place. It's a smart, practical solution with real potential for growth. 'This accolade is a credit to the team's confident presentation and the strength of their product. They'll now be flying the flag for Scotland at the UK final in London and we'll be cheering them on from north of the border.' The competition, which has been running since 2013, has celebrated some of the UK's best pure technology and tech-enabled businesses including What3Words, VividQ and HiiROC who have all been crowned previous winners. 2022 winner HiiROC took it a step further by winning the global final at Web Summit. iLivestock will now progress to the national final to be held in London in July. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The overall UK champion will then advance to the global final later in the year, where an international panel of judges will select the KPMG Private Enterprise Global Tech Innovator. Nicole Lowe, Head of Emerging Giants at KPMG UK, said: 'The standard has been extremely high this year and it has been brilliant to see the variety of businesses the competition has unearthed across the country. 'Each year we are delighted to showcase the best the country has to offer and cannot wait to see who comes out on top in the final.' Previous KPMG UK Tech Innovator winners 2024 - Halocycle 2023 - Inovus Medical 2022 - HiiROC 2021 - FIDO Tech 2020 - VividQ 2019 - Humming Bird Technologies (acquired by Agreena) 2018 - Echo (acquired by McKesson UK) 2017 - Safe To Net 2016 - What 3 Words 2015 - RefMe (acquired by education company Chegg, Inc) 2014 - Babylon Health (acquired eMed Healthcare UK)
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Beetroot ketchup to avocado oil mayo: how sauces have gone gourmet
The choice used to be 'red or brown?' but fridge shelves and barbecue trestle tables are heaving under the weight of condiments this summer thanks to gourmet makeovers aimed at 'adventurous' taste buds. There is a 'real buzz around condiments right now', says Jeff Webster, the managing director of Hunter & Gather, which sells sriracha hot sauce and chipotle and lime '100% avocado oil' mayonnaise. He says people are looking for something that brings 'big flavour' to their plate. Today the horizons of ketchup lovers are no longer limited to tomatoes. There are beetroot, tamarind and even beer flavour ketchups after Brewdog's recent launch of a variety inspired by its Hazy Jane IPA. If it's mayo you love the choice is equally mind-boggling, as traditional Hellmann's competes with everything from wasabi and yuzu flavours to smoked jalapeno and gochujang – Korean fermented red chilli paste. And that's before you even contemplate the options for barbecue or chilli sauce. With Britons spending close to £1bn a year on sauces and condiments, companies are shaking things up to win sales as shoppers either trade down from household names into cheaper supermarket own-label sauces, or up – treating themselves to a dollop of something posh and artisanal on their plate. Indeed almost half (49%) of consumers polled by the online grocer Ocado said they were 'more adventurous with sauces than they used to be'. Among 25- to 34-year-olds this figure rose to 72%. 'Legacy sauces like brown sauce and traditional ketchup are losing relevance with younger consumers,' Rumble Romagnoli, the founder of the hot sauce startup Chilli No 5, recently told the industry magazine the Grocer: 'These categories are crying out for a refresh.' Hot sauces exploded in popularity during lockdown when people had time on their hands and started experimenting more in the kitchen. Since then the flavour wagon has moved on to 'swicy' – sweet and spicy – flavours, such as hot honey and even 'swalcy' – a combination of sweet, salty and spicy. 'We're seeing so many new products because food has become one of the quickest ways to connect with culture,' says Guy White, the chief executive of the consultancy Catalyx. 'Social media, travel, and global communities mean once-local flavours go global almost overnight. 'Flavours don't stand still. What was once considered niche, for example piri piri or sriracha, is now an everyday staple for many families.' The next wave of sauces will be rooted in regional pride, he predicts, reeling off a list that includes gochujang's fermented depth, chimichurri's herbal kick, West African spice mixes, miso-based umami and chipotle layered with honey. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion All these new products are eating up space in the fridge, according to Ocado. Three-quarters (74%) of people keep up to seven condiments in there while 16% are hoarding 10. Dave Fendley, the sauce enthusiast behind – the 'premier site for the red or brown sauce debate' – is all for a bigger choice in the condiment aisles as 'anything to attract fresh interest is a good thing'. However, he suggests that some of these flavours are bought for 'curiosity's sake and don't always get as many repeat uses as their more established traditional peers'. 'What they have in artisanal styling and unusual ingredients is sometimes negated by their versatility,' he says. 'That is an area the more established varieties have got cornered.'
