Innovation and reinvention take the top prizes at the 2026 AXA Startup Angel awards

Joanne Davidson Liz Darke 1 minute ago Each year, the AXA Startup Angel competition, in partnership with The Standard, sets out to discover some of the UK’s most promising new businesses. This year was no different, and our 2026 winners combine ambition with practicality, while staying true to a clear sense of purpose — creating companies that tackle real-world challenges and build lasting commercial success.

Their prize is not just a cash injection, but momentum and guidance. Our two winners receive £25,000 each, mentoring from the AXA Startup Angels — Raphael Sofoluke, Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, and Izzy Obeng, pictured above with 2026 winners David Boadu and Megan Oliver — and a year of business insurance thanks to AXA. The four runners-up get a money-can't-buy package of media support and mentoring.

The winners were announced at the AXA Startup Angel 2026 awards night on Thursday 10 September in central London. Having just found out they’ve won, they spoke to us about how the competition will help propel their business and what they hope to achieve in the near future.

Megan Oliver, founder of SOAKED Umbrellas Joanne Davidson "This feels amazing. I'm literally buzzing," says Megan Oliver, founder of SOAKED Umbrellas , one the two main prize winners at this year's awards. "We've been going for 18 months and have had amazing progress, but it's been really slow and considered. This win will give us the confidence to take a couple more risks. We can now say, let's try it!”

Hailing from Manchester, one of the UK's rainiest cites, SOAKED is on a mission to reduce the amount of umbrellas that break and get thrown away each year by making those that are durable and produced from recycled materials.

"Our umbrellas are designed for wind, rain, sun and everything in between. They're also designed to get people to think: ‘How many umbrellas have I bought this year and where have they ended up?’ We want people to think about the amount of waste they're creating," says Oliver.

With the boost SOAKED will receive from winning the AXA Startup Angel 2026 competition, Oliver says she'd love to get people thinking about the impact umbrellas have on the planet. "If we can have a little role in that, I'd be so proud".

David Boadu, founder of Vistella Cycling Joanne Davidson "I'm actually blown away, as this is such a big accomplishment," says David Boadu, founder of Vistella Cycling , a cycling safety brand whose aim is to make visibility effortless for everyday riders.

"This is going to boost Vistella hugely — and it's come at a good time because I've been testing lots of different platforms and channels, and I think I've just figured out what works. It's the perfect time to double down on that and scale [up]," says Boadu.

His reflective cyclewear is an idea stemmed from a university project: "At the time, I'd hear about so many cycling casualties in the news and that's when we first came up with our cycling glove, which has reflective arrows on it as indicators."

Speaking of the cash injection and mentoring he'll receive as a winner, Boadu has grand plans for Vistella. "In a year, the dream would be to have a new line.