Dubs Universe Named Manufacturing & Engineering Start-Up of the Year at the 2024 South East Startup Awards
Orpington-based startup Dubs Universe, BFA Member, has been named as the Manufacturing & Engineering Start-Up of the Year at the 2024 South East StartUp Awards.
Dubs Universe is a sustainable footwear brand making super cool, ultra comfortable kids trainers from planet-friendly materials. Unlike many fast fashion brands that simply shrink down adult sizes, Dubs has invested time and resources into meticulously designing their shoes from the ground up. It is this dedication to crafting shoes that fit perfectly, with plenty of wiggle room for growing feet, that makes Dubs different from many of their competitors.
Sustainability is also very important to Dubs and this extends beyond production. They promote a circular economy by giving their customers a unique option to resell outgrown shoes and also have teamed up with Sal’s Shoes, a charity that redistributes pre-loved shoes to kids in need. This helps to prolong the lifespan of the trainers and ultimately keeps them out of landfill.
Dubs is determined to continue to make a positive impact in the world of children’s footwear and if you’d like to find out more about what they do and their plans for the future please visit the website.
“This achievement is a testament to the hard work, dedication and innovation of our incredible team. Winning this prestigious award wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our amazing customers, partners and supporters. We’re incredibly excited about what the future holds for Dubs and we will continue pushing the boundaries of innovation and sustainability in the manufacturing and engineering sector.”
Stuart Davis, Co-founder of Dubs Universe
The UK StartUp Awards were established to highlight the success of startups across ten UK nations and regions, and to celebrate the achievements of entrepreneurs in all sectors of the economy. Supported nationally by Starling Bank, Airwallex, Chime Agency, Development Bank of Wales, EvaBuild, ForrestBrown, GiftRound, GS1 UK, Join Talent, OVHcloud, Project Simply, ScoreApp, SFC Capital and Welsh Government, Harriet Rees, CIO at Starling Bank says:
Turning an idea into a successful business takes a lot of courage and dedication. Congratulations to Dubs Universe on winning their category in the South East and making it to this year’s UK national final. Start-ups need certainty to plan ahead. It’s great to see so many thrive, especially in these challenging economic times.
Harriet Rees, CIO at Starling Bank
Nearly 90,000 new businesses were created in the South East in 2023 and according to Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, creator of the awards, this demonstrates the growing importance of entrepreneurs to the regional economy. He is also excited that the awards are, yet again, recognising the best new firms from Oxford to Southampton to Kent and celebrating the amazing entrepreneurial talent from every corner of the region.
Start-ups are the life of any economy and that is especially true in the South East where new businesses are contributing to job creation, innovation, and prosperity across the whole of this entrepreneurial region. It’s been an honour and a pleasure to read the stories of those founders who have spotted the opportunity and taken the risk to launch their own venture. All of the winners in the South East have demonstrated that they deserve to win their categories and I’m looking forward to having the ‘best of the best’ from the region competing at the UK final later this year.
Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE
As a regional winner in their category, Dubs Universe will now progress to the UK Startup Awards final being held at Ideas Fest on September 12th, dubbed ‘the Glastonbury for Entrepreneurs’