The awards, held last week at Bloomsbury Big Top in London, celebrate and champion the outstanding entrepreneurial journeys of those who create, disrupt and innovate within the UK’s rapidly changing tech landscape.
Nowell created PitPat in 2014 following years working in a leading engineering consultancy within the wearables and smart home markets. He saw PitPat as the opportunity to combine his two biggest passions - dogs and technology - and PitPat is now the bestselling dog activity monitor in the UK.
Of his win, Nowell comments: “I’m honoured to have been recognised alongside so many inspirational entrepreneurs within the tech scene. When we launched our first prototype in 2016 we didn’t know what the future held for us, but since then our product has helped to keep thousands of dogs happy and healthy. Our PitPat Pack together have achieved a staggering 1 billion minutes of activity.”
While 50% of all start-ups are estimated to fail within the first two years of inception, the UK has continued to lead the way for funding activity in the European technology sector, according to figures revealed by Stripe, Tech.eu and Techstars last month.
Nowell continues: “We’re exceptionally proud to manufacture our product here in the UK and support local jobs. This award win and the success of PitPat as a product is proof that entrepreneurs can succeed in what is a very challenging market.”
Francesca James, founder of the BMW i UK Tech Founder Awards added: “As a first year Awards programme, we have been blown away by both the number and quality of applications from across a broad spectrum of niches. It is always an achievement in itself to be named a finalist in any Awards, perhaps more so within the thriving tech space. But special congratulations go to our winners.”
Winners were revealed in 13 other categories across the ceremony, hosted by The Gadget Show’s Georgie Barrat, from a range of tech industries, including AgTech, HealthTech and FinTech.
Image: Andrew Nowell (PitPat Founder), Georgie Barrat (The Gadget Show, hosted the awards), Michael Bateman (PitPat advisor) at Founder Awards
About Andrew Nowell MA MEng MIET
Andy studied Electrical and Information Engineering at Christ’s College Cambridge and has won numerous design awards for his inventions including The Duke of York Award for Electronics, The Alcatel Lucent Award for Innovation and The Siemens Medal.
He gained a deep understanding of the wearables and smart home markets whilst working at a leading engineering consultancy for four years, designing and managing new products for some of the worlds’ largest brands.
Andy always aspired to set up his own company and the perfect opportunity came along with PitPat, allowing him to combine two passions - dogs and technology.
After founding PitPat, Andrew starred on Dragon’s Den in 2016, where he turned down two offers of investment from Nick Jenkins and Deborah Meaden. Following the show, the company has raised over £2m of investment, including investments from FTSE 100 insurer RSA and a global food manufacturer.
About PitPat
PitPat is the must-have product to ensure your dog’s wellbeing. The bestselling dog activity monitor gives your dog a tailored exercise goal, shows you what they’ve been up to while you’ve been apart and the total distance they’ve covered - all through the easy-to-use app. The app’s latest update allows dog owners to keep a history of their dog’s weight, identify unexpected changes and work towards an ideal weight.