Following our recent announcement of the 29 businesses shortlisted for the Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrerpeneur of the Year Award 2009, we are pleased to reveal that the following 8 have been chosen by our panel of judges to go through to the UK final taking place in London on 27th October...

Daniel Woolman (Bini Products Ltd), London
Binifresh™ is a compact hygiene device designed to securely fit a wheelie bin and automatically spray every 4 hours to ensure that the wheelie bin stays fresh and hygienic. Binifresh is unique in its market in that it automatically neutralizes and eliminates odours from rubbish, as well as killing bacteria on the surface of the bin. It easily attaches to the wheelie bin and always stays fixed in place, not interfering with any of the waste collection machinery. The product was accepted for sale in Lakeland in the autumn of 2009, is also listed with John Lewis and ASDA / Walmart and will be launched nationwide in all ASDA stores in early October 2009.

Gregor Mackintosh (Mackintosh of Glendaveny), Peterhead, Aberdeenshire
Mackintosh of Glendaveny produces 'Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil' from home grown rapeseed. Basically a Scottish alternative to olive oil with fantastic cooking qualities and superior nutritional values, it's also believed to help reduce cholesterol and fight against the chances of developing cancer and without all the food miles of imported olive oil.

Jon Petrie (DS Music UK Ltd), Monmouth
DS Music ® is one of the most comprehensively stocked sheet music specialists in the UK, stocking over 8,550 different products; over 7,000 different sheet music books, and thousands of accessories, music gifts and musical instruments.

Michael Turner (TurnKey I.T. Solutions), Somerset
Turnkey I.T. Solutions provide business VoIP services, web development, IT Consultancy and managed IT Support services, to SME’s. They have developed a number of new applications including SMS Calendar - a web-based appointment scheduling, rota and diary system that enables staff to create appointments, book rooms/resources, as well as automatically remind their customers of appointments via text message, and Electronic Message Board - an In/Out board that enables staff to use their mobile phones to update staff on their location.

Robert Matthams (Shiply.com), London
Shiply.com has been likened to “eBay but for moving goods” by The Daily Telegraph, providing an online marketplace where everyday consumers and businesses list items they need to move and then receive bids in a reverse auction format from thousands of transport providers. These transport providers are all feedback rated (much like eBay) so the consumer gets a good idea of the level of service to be expected as well as a great price, saving users of our site over 3million since launch in June 2008. By making use of haulage firms spare capacity, Shiply.com helps the consumer save up to 75% on costs, the environment by keeping lorries full and reducing congestion and increases the efficiency and profits of haulier’s themselves especially important in these tough economic times and with high fuel prices.

Ross Fobian & Richard Hamnett (AdInsight Limited), Manchester
AdInsight allows businesses to track phone call conversions back to their original online or offline source. This allows businesses to identify exactly which advertisements are driving sales and which are simply not worth the marketing investment; helping them save money and increase profitability at the same time. AdInsight is the only call tracking solution in the UK that can track the entire journey of a customer from the initial source, to the sale, was the first UK company to integrate call tracking with Google Analytics and can now be integrated with any online analytics solution, as well as any other online platforms, like CRM’s, CMS and email systems.

Sam Rickett (Everlution Software Limited), London
Everlution Software specialises in complex software development projects, particularly large database-driven web applications. They design, develop, market and sell their own products, Vivomiles - a national school rewards system similar to Nectar points / AirMiles which replaces merit slips/gold stars with a modern web/mobile banking interface, and Street Consensus - a central database for Investor Relations information, replacing the inefficient practice of emailing spreadsheets.

Simon Darker & Harry Hunter (Think Pacific), Leeds
Think Pacific lead five-week and three-month guided expeditions to the outer islands of Fiji. Their expeditions involve teams of 18 ‘community tourists’ who assist with local building, youth and sports development projects, before sailing castaway islands, trekking jungle rainforests and rafting river canyons.

Congratulations to all 8 who will now be invited to an assessment day at Shell HQ, where a winner will be chosen and announced at our Shell LiveWIRE LIVE! event in London on 27th October 2009.

The overall winner will receive;

Thanks to everyone who applied this year, and don't forget you can still apply for our monthly £1,000 Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Awards at www.shell-livewire.org/awards