Business excellence shines at annual county awards, including Enterprise Oxfordshire-backed new business category

Some of Oxfordshire’s best businesses received top accolades last Thursday (12 June) at the 2025 Oxfordshire Business Awards, held at the spectacular John Henry Brookes Building at Oxford Brookes University in Headington.

Several hundred businesspeople came together at the special annual event with winners revealed across a total of 12 categories, including awards for innovation, emerging technology as well as a charity and community accolade.

Enterprise Oxfordshire once again supported this year’s New Business category which was open to any Oxfordshire-based business that started trading after 1 January 2023, with this year’s finalists being Ascension Earth Resources, TerraChange Solar and NEWROAD 30.

NEWROAD 30 were announced as category winners (pictured above at the awards)  – an initiative that sees a whole-food supplement designed to support gut health through plant diversity, supported by leading scientists, including those at Oxford University.

More on the New Business Award winners, NEWROAD 30.

All entrants for the category were judged against a pre-determined set of criteria including how the start-up was achieved, how it succeeded in securing investment or wider external support to develop and launch the business, as well as the strength and stability of the business.

Since the Oxfordshire Business Awards began in 1994, they have recognised the achievements of hundreds of Oxfordshire businesses.

This year’s dinner was hosted by comedian and Oxfordshire resident, Matt Richardson.

Nigel Tipple – Chief Executive of Enterprise Oxfordshire – said: “Recognising new business efforts and achievements in Oxfordshire is so important. We were therefore delighted to once again support this year’s Oxfordshire Business Awards new business category and pay tribute to all three finalists – and indeed all new businesses in the county – and commend their collective desire and determination.”

Enterprise Oxfordshire became the new trading name of the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) on 1 April this year.

The change marked the completion of a two-year process that saw the economic development functions – previously led by Local Enterprise Partnerships – altered so that they were to be overseen via a mechanism agreed by respective upper-tier local authorities, in this instance, Oxfordshire County Council.

Oxfordshire County Council now act as Enterprise Oxfordshire’s 100% shareholder, known as a Teckal company arrangement.

Building on its significant legacy as OxLEP, Enterprise Oxfordshire oversees the delivery of a comprehensive set of business, skills, investment and trade support services, as well as supporting a variety of strategies backing Oxfordshire’s economic potential to be delivered in a sustainable and inclusive manner.

Find out more on this year’s event and winners.

Image courtesy of Rob Lacey Photography.