It was a sunny, Sunday afternoon at Spitalfields market in East London, when Alex Griffin realised how difficult it was to buy custom-made and unique products - be it art, fashion or furniture.

While high-street retailers churned-out bland, mass-produced and cheaply-made products with no room for personalisation, a world of innovative designer-makers and niche brands remained hidden. We were sure that people would rather buy lovingly-made, individual products than the high-street alternative, if only they could find them.

12 months of research, development and elbow-grease later, and we’ve come up with a web 2.0 solution. Described as a Superboutique, Bouf.com is the online venue to buy and sell limited edition, custom-made and highly unique products, from fashion, food and furniture to gadgets, footwear and gifts. All products are curated and often made in small quantities, so the range is always changing. Bouf.com is a fantastic source of unique products for all budgets, for those that prefer to stand out from the crowd.

Fluvial Innovations Ltd provides functional and economical solutions against the risk of flooding, allowing individuals and organisations to mitigate and prevent the emotional and financial cost of flood damage. The company also provides rapidly deployable reservoir systems.

The company was initially formed to carry out a 9-month feasibility study into the patented modular flood barrier, FLOODSTOP. The study was part-funded by the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTi).

FLOODSTOP was designed by Simon Phelps during his final year at university whilst studying BSc (Hons) Computer Aided Product Design. He became aware of the necessity of a rapidly deployable flood barrier during the Lewes and Uckfield floods of 2000. It astonished him when a large number of properties were devastated, all because a sandbag barrier couldn’t be erected in time. Since graduating in July 2005, Simon has been working alongside BU Innovations Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bournemouth University, in order to commercialise the product.

The ideas for ISAMS when Alistair was studying A Levels at school and heard teachers complaining about a newly purchased school management information system. After some research he saw there was a considerable lack of investment and generation of new, innovative ideas in the marketplace.

After A-Levels he began working as a gap year student for a local school. These gave him time to research further and start the development of this new product, whilst learning about the independent school market first hand. It has taken over 3 years to bring it to an acceptable quality for use in the market.

iSAMS provides the usual administrative tasks of pupil and staff records, timetabling, set management, school reports and examinations. In addition, the school can purchase further modules including pupil tracking, virtual learning environments, parent portals and other enhancements, taking the product beyond its competitors.

Alistair entered the awards because “I strongly believe that the range of iSAMS services now offered aid the productivity of a school massively benefiting everyone from teachers, students and staff alike.”

Hannah Marshall is a luxury British brand all about sophisticated minimalism characterised by subtle tactile detail.

The debut collection ‘Quiet Noise’ is a focused capsule collection of 12 minimalist yet darkly sophisticated dresses designed for Autumn/Winter 07-08. Fast becoming known for her innovative and tactile Braille coded designs, Hannah Marshall’s signature detail is cleverly applied with hidden Braille messages. Laser cutting, etching and embossing are key details to this aesthetically beautiful brand.

A directional and body conscious collection of refined dresses, indulgent in luxury British fabrics such as butter soft leather, blackest black long pile velvet, pure silk chiffon and fine stretch wool. The purposeful use of a colour palette exclusively in obligatory blackest black, graphite, dove and nude tones currently has international buyers clamouring for her inimitable pieces.

At the young age of 20, feeling held back by both age and gender whilst working in car sales, Nicky was inspired by visiting soft play areas with her nephew and began her venture to create a business with a difference. Nicky’s vision was a transformation of a run down building into a friendly soft play area and cafe for the local community.

This vision became a reality when she opened Kiki’s Kabin and provided the community with what they were missing: a soft play not just for children to enjoy, but adults too. A whole range of activities are on offer, from the toddler area to the play frame, the bouncy castle and car track area to the exclusive ‘lazy lounge’ with Sky tv, pool table and wireless internet facilities.

After winning North Tyneside’s Young Entrepreneur award, Nicky felt privileged to be invited to enter the Shell Livewire Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards. She sees entering this competition as her next business opportunity and her chance to give something back to the community: if she is successful and wins any prize money, she plans to use it to expand the business and build a sensory room for disabled children.

Nicky says: ‘It was my dream to open a business but I never dreamt that in reality I would be a young entrepreneur’.

The League of Adventurists International Ltd - Adventure Re-invented.

The League of Adventurists organises hardcore adventure events raising large amounts of cash for charities. Their first event, the Mongol Rally, was a 10,000 mile marathon to Mongolia in cars most would consider too small for the weekly shop. The second saw teams from all over the world drive 145cc auto rickshaws (tuk-tuks) 2,000 miles across India.

The Mongol Rally was started as a hobby by Tom Morgan who was frustrated by the lack of adventure left in the world. Guide books and maps cover everywhere on earth leaving nothing to discover, no edge of the map to walk off. The Rally grew so quickly that Tom was working full time and started the business to cope with the demand. Now the company is developing a wide range of new events, an online TV channel and magazine, and building media partnerships to create new adventure-based entertainment.

We’re delighted to have been chosen for the regional final of the Shell Livewire Awards, funny to think it was just me in a cupboard a few months ago. It’s nice to stand back and think ‘blimey, we’ve come quite a long way!’”

Waterbuoy is a small unit, about the size of a small disposable cigarette lighter that automatically activates when submerged in water. Waterbuoy is a unique product. It will lift up to 1kg back to the surface, saving items such as keys, GPS units and fishing tackle. Waterbouy will stay afloat for at least 24 hours it has an emergency flashing light that makes it visible from over 250 metres away in the dark, the world’s first to do so.

The product and technology is completely innovative and fully patented. This is the only device in the world with these capabilities. The product and technology has a huge market appeal. Since product launch (trade only, 16/04/2007) Waterbouy has received huge global interest from press, boaters, fisherman, and large multinational distributors and retailers. Seatriever International Ltd is now currently arranging international wholesale trade partnerships.

Waterbuoy plans to be on the global market by end of summer 2007

Wares Ltd is a product design and development company based in Sheffield, creating and developing new products within the commercial market.

The focus of the business is the development of innovative consumer products from project briefs developed in-house, generating revenue through the commercialisation of intellectual property. The goal of these ‘self-led’ products is to create a continuous cycle of product development and release, which will be taken to market through licensing to leading manufacturers and a variety of other means.

The directors are both serial inventors and entrepreneurs and their diverse range of skills and services are used to attract both manufacturers and service-seeking clients through the experience and capability to develop products from idea, right through to design-readiness-for-manufacture.

The directors wanted to enter the Shell Livewire Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards to publicise Wares and benefit from the media coverage and PR that is generated by this prestigious competition. This award is ideally placed at the time of Wares’ latest product launch and the directors hope to gain contacts and publicity in order to give our product a flying start into the market.

Advanced Electronic Solutions supplies and installs electronic security products.

It also manufactures two products which are of its own unique design:

RapidCam.com, a rapid deployment CCTV product family which is a pole mountable solar and/or wind powered camera with digital recording used for combating antisocial behaviour, remote site security, and building site protection; and FarmCameras.co.uk, a long range wireless CCTV product for assisting farmers with calving, lambing and foaling.

Mazuma is an accountancy practice, but with a difference. At Mazuma they break the mould of stereotypical accountants; They are a young, dynamic and friendly practice serving SMEs, partnerships, sole traders and the self employed. Mazuma offers accountancy, bookkeeping and payroll services, as well as both business and personal tax advice.

Lucy and Sophie started Mazuma as they felt they wanted to offer an honest and decent service to those requiring an Accountant. Mazuma has a fair, structured price plan based on the work required, rather than company's turnover, and clients can pick and choose what they want Mazuma to do for them. No-one is too small to have an Accountant, and with services starting at just £15 per month, Mazuma is affordable.

Mazuma entered the Shell Livewire Awards as both Directors are: passionate about their company; running a successful business; and most of all offering a great Accountancy service with personality to their clients. Both are entrepreneurs at heart, and Lucy and Sophie see Mazuma as just the start of many goals for their future business achievements!

Seven thousand years ago, a mystical and enchanting beverage was discovered. It was a nourishing foodstuff that played a pivotal role in many great ancient civilisations.

Today, in the hectic, monopolised, grey world we live in there is no longer magic to be found in this bland, mass produced, cheaply sourced and watered down concoction.

At BrewDog we believe that the magic is still there to be extracted from this drink. All that is needed is the reintroduction of the passion, love, care, and the highest quality ingredients.

Everyone who shares in BrewDog’s vision will be able to escape from the monotony of modern day life and rediscover the zest, sparkle and spectrum of joys provided by nature and her wares that make life worth living.

Come and join us on a journey….