23-06-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
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 –
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
