In July 2022, the London office hosted a business pitching session for five finalists competing in the 2022 Young Innovator Awards, run in partnership with the Centre for Entrepreneurs.
CVC’s Young Innovator Awards support young entrepreneurs with cash grants and mentoring to help them develop their businesses. The two winners of the London Awards, now in its eighth year, received cash grants, as well as ongoing advice from the CVC judging panel.
The winners
CareerEar
CareerEar is a platform for overlooked talent to help them make career choices and prepare for the future of work.
We're delighted to receive the Young Innovation Award and honoured to have been able to pitch in front of, and now receive mentorship from, some incredible business leaders. We've seen the impact that this award has on businesses and we're excited to take CareerEar to the next level with CVC's support
Claudine Adeyemi Founder and CEO of CareerEar
Yendy
Yendy is a skincare brand that combines Africa's most powerful superfoods with active ingredients to protect the skin barrier.
The brand was built to bridge the gap between small-scale female producers of raw ingredients in sub-Saharan Africa and the global natural beauty industry. Its entire supply chain is traceable and it sources from African cooperatives, investing in communities to give them a better quality of life.
About the CVC Young Innovator Awards
In 2015, we launched the Young Innovator Awards to support young entrepreneurs to create the businesses of the future. The award currently operates across nine CVC offices. Since 2015, we have awarded c.€1.5m of grants to 96 entrepreneurs.
Entrants to the Young Innovator Awards compete to win a package of cash grants, mentoring, and access to our global network. For businesses with a social or environmental impact, there is also the potential for follow-on investment from the CVC Foundation.
As part of our commitment to building better businesses, the Young Innovator Awards are a cornerstone initiative within our philanthropy programme, enabling us to both seek to tackle youth unemployment and contribute to the economic development of our local communities. For our employees, the event encourages team building, collaboration and allows our colleagues to share their expertise and career experience with aspiring entrepreneurs.