Firms to fight it out for Branson's backing

The final six will now pitch to Richard Branson and a panel of business heavyweights, including Tyra Banks, Sara Blakely Marcus Butler and Peter Kelly, at the live finale on June 28.

Peter Kelly, Managing Director of Virgin Media Business said: “The calibre of businesses we’ve seen this year has been outstanding and they should all be proud of what they’ve achieved. The competition was fierce but the final six are extremely worthy of their place and we look forward to working with them to develop their business in the lead up to the finale and beyond.”

The three businesses in each of the two categories – ‘start-up’ and ‘grow’ – will go head to head for their slice of the £1million prize fund. The finalists representa diverse range of sectors including; food, sustainable energy, entertainment, transport and engineering. The three start-up businesses are:

- MacRebuer - an innovative company which uses a patented method and recipe to produce new road asphalt out of waste plastic.

- eFOLDi - an electric scooter that can fold into a chair or portable suitcase so users can easily transport it around with them.

- Vibe Tickets - an ethical marketplace that connects fans so they can buy and sell tickets at face value.

The three ‘grow’ businesses are:

- bio-bean - a clean technology company which recycles waste coffee grounds from your morning cup of coffee into sustainable biofuels.

- Sibberi Tree Water - natural, hydrating drinking products which come from Birch, Maple and Bamboo tree sap.

- FoodCloud - a social enterprise that connects businesses that have surplus food with charities that need it through a technology platform.

Richard Branson, Virgin Founder said: “We set out to find ambitious businesses who will shake up the market, step up on a global stage and who will have a positive impact on the UK economy - this year’s finalists all demonstrate these attributes.”

Among those on the judging panel will be Colin Glass, one of 12 professional judges out of 13,000 applicants and the only Yorkshire representative. Mr Glass is a Senior Partner at WGN, assisting SMEs to reach their potential.