A new global award scheme has been launched to recognise the world’s most promising early-stage entrepreneurs.

The Investec Early-Stage Entrepreneur of the Year Awards (The Investec Easies), powered by OPUS, is the first awards scheme designed to spotlight founders at the very beginning of their journey.

The Investec Easies will give African founders a stage to celebrate their critical work, alongside applicants from other continents. Currently, The Investec Easies is inviting founders who are leading companies that are under four years old and pre-Series A.

Available data indicate that a few out of an estimated 305 million businesses formed each year are able to break through. The Investec Easies are designed to uncover the boldest ideas before they manage to scale up or exit the market. 

In partnership with Investec Wealth & Investment International, and Endava, the publicly listed technology services giant, the launch of The Investec Easies signifies the weight of these great institutions that shape both capital and innovation worldwide. The awards will feature categories such as Impact, Consumer, Technology, and Female Founder with winners receiving a £10,000 cash prize, global media visibility, a seat at Davos with the OPUS delegation, and membership in the OPUS founder ecosystem.

The Investec Easies winners will be decided through a combination of public votes and an international panel spanning capital, culture and entrepreneurship. The judges will include Imtiaz Patel, former Chief Executive Officer of MultiChoice Group, and Maxine Gray, Head of Strategy and Implementation, Investec Wealth & Investment International.

Others are Lyndon Subroyen, Group Chief Digital & Technology Officer, Investec, Alastair Lukies CBE, Chief Engagement Officer at Endava, Kristen McLeod CBE, Chief Strategy Officer of British Business Bank, Erin Platts, Chief Executive Officer of Octopus Ventures, and iconic innovator Marc Porat, Founder of General Magic. 

For the first time, winners will join the OPUS Delegation to Davos, breaking open the gates of a forum where decisions about the future of technology, climate and society are made, access to The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, a stage usually reserved for corporates, unicorn founders, world leaders, and bespoke growth support from OPUS and partners. This combination of capital, access and visibility will give founders tools that are rarely available at such an early stage, positioning them to scale their impact globally. 

According to Sam Tidswell-Norrish, Founder & Chair of OPUS, “founders at this stage often work in the shadows. Across an uneven playing field, it is conviction without the spotlight that drives them. The Investec Easies reward the audacity to begin, not just the ability to scale. Everyone talks about unicorns and billion-dollar rounds, but every story starts with a leap of courage: the idea scribbled on a napkin, the risky quit from a stable job, the first late-night coding session. Those leaps are rarely recognised, yet they are the beating heart of entrepreneurship. With The Investec Easies, we want to celebrate those sparks of possibility, because they are where the future is born.” 

Applications are open now at https://www.theeasies.com and founders leading companies under four years old and pre-Series A are invited to put themselves forward before the deadline for entries, 5^th November 2025. The process takes just a few minutes and it is designed to be accessible to anyone at the beginning of his or her journey.