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A start-up business that makes the world’s first safely-flushable and biodegradable sanitary products has been crowned as the winner of the MSDUK Innovation Challenge, sponsored by Cummins.

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Polipop received the accolade at a glittering awards ceremony in Birmingham on 26th September as part of a two-day conference celebrating supply chain diversity – MSDUK 2018.

Over 600 delegates, 200 entrepreneurs, 100 buyers, 60 exhibitors, 40 global brands and 50 supplier diversity leaders attended the event, whilst a select panel of investors and supply chain experts heard pitches from 12 exciting new businesses aiming impress them with their innovative ideas and win the MSDUK Innovation Challenge.

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This year’s prizes include scholarships worth $10,000 to the prestigious Ivy League Tuck School of Business in the USA sponsored by EY and Accenture, funding opportunities, a place on Accenture’s Development programme and mentoring pitch workshops with international motivational speaker David McQueen.

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Polipop have developed pads that break apart down any toilet within minutes. They are 100% biodegradable and body-safe, are plant-based and contain zero parabens or perfumes.

Olivia Ahn, Co-Founder at Polipop said;

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‘We are thrilled to have won and to now be able to go to Tuck Business School next year along with RAB Microfludics and Twipes. This prize is unique amongst innovation challenges, in that the business course based in New Hampshire will enable us to not only further the start-up but also to explore the American approach to entrepreneurship.

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‘’Being a London-based start-up, we have worked with many British and European mentors and advisers. We look forward to exploring the American market and audience whilst in America, and of course, putting into practice what we learn at Tuck Business School.

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‘’Working with the other finalists throughout the innovation challenge showed us the calibre, talent and passion in the teams behind the start-ups. It was inspiring to learn from each other and to be announced as the winner was an incredible honour.’’

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Mayank Shah, CEO of MSDUK said:

“Innovation through diversity is set to power the UK economy over the next decade and this was the mantra behind this year’s Conference and Awards. For over 10 years, MSDUK have been dedicated to improving diversity in entrepreneurship and driving inclusive procurement.

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‘’We believe that supplier diversity is an economic and moral imperative. Innovation comes from a diversity of perspectives, so when we limit who can contribute, we in turn limit what problems we can solve. The calibre of the finalists this year was incredibly high and I am sure we will be hearing about all of them in the very near future but for the judges this year, Polipop was the outstanding business, along with the runners up, RAB Microfludics and Twipes.’’

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This year’s finalists in full were:

• Polipop. The first safely-flushable and biodegradable sanitary products
• Twipes, which manufactures the world’s only truly flushable wipes
• RAB-Microfluidics, the company which downscales whole laboratory protocols onto a glass microchip
• ThingTtrax, which specialises in Internet of Things manufacturing machines and brings disconnected machines online
• Hello Daisy Life, which provides set top boxes and networks for the elderly
• The Cheeky Panda, which connects carbon neutral, ultra-sensitive healthy bamboo tissue products
• Medixus, a company which connects healthcare workers across Africa
• Zingr, which provides financial inclusion for the unbanked and underbanked in developing countries;
• Audiowings, the specialist in smart headphones for workouts
• Envirup, a company which provides insulated sidings systems for difficult-to-insulate homes
• Mother Nature’s making refreshing drinks that are inspired by flavours from a diverse range of cultures

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press release by: http://www.pressforattention.com/