Arbuthnot Latham is delighted to announce EMenuNow as the overall winner of the fifth annual Inspiring Innovator of the Year Award, following fierce entrepreneurial competition from three other home-grown finalists.

EMenuNow enables sit-in patrons to instantly access mobile-optimised menus on their phones to order and pay for meals without having to download an app. It can be installed in any venue within a day and works with existing hardware infrastructure. This enables venues to optimise profitability and attract patrons by demonstrating their COVID safety procedures, supporting the UK hospitality industry’s bounce back.

Each year, Arbuthnot Latham identifies four exciting new businesses from The Business School (formerly Cass Business School) and City, University of London, all with the key potential to disrupt their chosen market. The Inspiring Innovator of the Year Award creates a platform for these entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses to key industry figures across the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Mark Blundell, former F1 driver and Le Mans champion, opened the event by sharing details of his enviable career. After which, each of the four finalists delivered passionate and persuasive pitches. Audience members voted, and the 2019 winner, Noor Alrayes of Alien Security announced EMenuNow the winner and passed the virtual baton. Arbuthnot Latham is proud to offer EMenuNow a financial award and a bespoke mentoring package designed to help the business reach its potential.

Paul Beach, Director of Entrepreneurs at Arbuthnot Latham, said: “This is our fifth Inspiring Innovator of the Year award and the first to be held virtually. We are thrilled to congratulate EMenuNow on their success having clearly identified a real gap in the market.

“Independent restaurants are struggling more than ever and EMenuNow’s simple, COVID-19-safe ordering and payment solution will be transformational for many small businesses. It’s one of the reasons EMenuNow has already secured funding from Innovate UK.

“We thrive off innovation and creativity here at Arbuthnot Latham and it’s never been more needed than in 2020, a year where we have seen businesses all over the globe adapt their operations to deliver continued excellence remotely. We recognise the energy and commitment of early-stage SMEs and are delighted to continue to support them as they challenge their markets. The quality of pitches this year was extraordinary, and we wish EMenuNow and all our other finalists continued success.”

Joel Satchi, added: “It is a proud moment for EMenuNow to be named as the overall winner of Arbuthnot Latham’s Inspiring Innovator of the Year Awards. We are looking forward to the mentorship and investment-raising opportunities that Arbuthnot Latham are known for.

The prize money will go directly towards raising awareness of our innovation which we hope, in turn, will dramatically increase profitability for hospitality business across the UK. We hope to help thousands of independent restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars access our bespoke white-labelled integrated mobile ordering and payments services in the near future. Having secured funding from Innovate UK and now with access to some fantastic new contacts, we are more confident than ever that we can reach our ambitions and goals to help the sector bounce back and thrive in 2021.

I would like to thank Arbuthnot Latham for hosting such an incredible event”