These are the best start-up companies in Wales
These are the best start-up companies in Wales
Swansea best tech firm Dill has been crowned the overall winner of the Wales StartUp Awards 2025
All the winners of the Wales StartUp Awards 2025.
(Image: © 2018 Morgan James Media Limited )
Swansea-based AI venture Dill has been named the best start-up firm in Wales.
It took the overall title at the Wales StartUp Awards 2025. Founded by Swansea University graduate and Romanian-born Alex Coldea, the expanding global business 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.
UK Government says its new industrial strategy will create tens of thousands of new jobs in Wales
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Mr Coldea said: ' "Winning the 2025 Wales StartUp of the Year is a huge moment for our team, and it really reflects 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, Swansea Council, The Sushi Co, fine‑dining restaurants, supermarkets, and beyond.
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From food‑to‑go and traceability to stock rotation, we help businesses stay compliant — whether it's Natasha's Law, FDA standards, or regulations for any country, region, or state. So no matter where they operate, or what their labeling needs are, we've got them covered.
To date, our users have printed over 40 million labels — enough to stretch from New York to Washington, D.C. and back if you laid them end‑to‑end. Our recent launch in the United States, combined with growing deployments across the UK and Europe the Middle East and Africa with Brother, our hardware partner, marks the next chapter for Dill.
" We're building an AI‑driven infrastructure layer that makes labeling invisible — a seamless service that works across any site, any device, and any industry. 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 I'm excited to see where this journey takes us next.'
The 32 winners from Wales will now progress to the UK StartUp Awards final, taking place at Ideas Fest on September 11th, along with the winners from nine other nations and regions.
Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, creator of the UK StartUp Awards, with its nation and regions awards, 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 UK-wide 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 winners at the 2025 Wales StartUp Awards in full:
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 .
Consumer Products StartUp of the Year - Môr Consumer Services Start Up of the Year - Norah Rose.
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 - Michelle Foulia.
Young Entrepreneur of the Year - Hannah Worth of Bowla.
Cardiff StartUp of the Year - Pharma Footpath.
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North Wales StartUp of the Year - Ecodetect.
Judges Choice - Driverly, Grade Stream, AilArian.
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