It was my first time at an EASI final, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. The Skyline rooms look over the Tower of London, with a view of Tower Bridge as well. It was a stunning backdrop to the event.

After inspiring introductions by James Talbot, our Master Entrepreneur, Tony Matharu, past EASI champion, and finally Gregory Jones KC, Alderman and Sheriff, we moved on to the main event.

Judy Hadden, our past master, and EASI lead, took over, and introduced us to all the judges, and advised how the evening would run….it was clear how passionate Judy is and how well she knew all the finalists personally. She set the scene and we were good to go.

First up was Yasmine Abdu who although nervous, presented CarbonTrac, her AI platform transforming supermarket loyalty cards into tools for climate action. CarbonTrac helps shoppers make low impact climate choices, which educates and also hopefully improves their health as well.

Next was Freddy Sarathchandra, co founder and CEO of Enstic. Although there was a cacophony of police sirens, he fully engaged us with his innovative in-field acoustic sensing devices which simplify insect detection. These clearly have vast applications, aiding a sustainable coexistence between people, insects and the planet.

Eden Harrison, co founder and CEO of Carbon Cell impressed us all next, explaining his business that provides a sustainable alternative to traditional polymer based foams. This foam is made from biochar and is thermally insulating, strong and lightweight whilst remaining compostable. It is amazingly absorbed back into the ground within a month of disposing.

I think Tynkerbyte was up next and Damla Khan, co-founder, told us how she had created the worlds first entrepreneurial learning eco- system for teens. Tinkerbyte wants to democratise access to entrepreneurial education at a much earlier age. It was a business idea very close our hearts at the Entrepreneurs.

Finally Will Hicks, co founder and CEO of Air Aware Labs, presented his London based start up which has created an App AirTrack aimed at improving health outcomes through reducing exposure to air pollution. As an asthma sufferer, it was really interesting hearing how their App helps people find low pollution routes and optimal times for outdoor exercise.

After each presentation, the judges asked questions and then it was opened to the floor. That was very helpful in understanding more about each finalist. The judges went away to discuss their choices, and we the audience, used our phones to make our votes. It was all very exciting!

Whilst we were waiting on the results, we heard about the Needlemakers’ Award in Advanced Needle Technology (ANT). They have just awarded their annual prize to Dr Emily Mills, CEO and co founder of Cascade MedTech. She was fascinating in explaining how her innovative medical procedure would improve how stomach drains are fitted. She was inspirational and totally worthy of her award. It was great to see how this was going to aid her business development in providing funds to secure a patent for her design.

Finally it was time for the results. As an interior designer, I was very taken by Carbon Cell, as I think there is a huge need for modernisation of building materials. To my delight it appeared that the rest of the room agreed with me! Eden Harrison came up to thank EASI and was obviously thrilled to have won.

There was just time for drinks, delicious nibbles, a bit more networking, and another EASI event was over – I am sure 2026 will bring another group of innovative, exciting and interesting businesses to be inspired by!

Debbie Hatchwell

Xanadu Interiors