Barclays awards two online lettings ‘disruptors’ with start-up gongs

Two property firms are winners within this year’s Barclays Entrepreneur Awards including Upad founder and landlord James Davis (pictured, right), who was named Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year for the London region, and proptech firm brightLET, which during an earlier heat won Best Innovative Start-Up for the Midlands. The Upad award somewhat stretches the definition of a start-up business – Upad Ltd was incorporated in April 2008 – but a spokesperson told The Negotiator that the gong was awarded by the award’s panel of judges for its high-growth credentials instead. The judges included Cambridge Judge Business School, The Sunday Times, investment firm MMC Ventures and Barclays. The bank said James received the award because he had been the “driving force behind Upad’s phenomenal growth over the last two years”, commending him on the way he had “identified, and capitalised upon, a market opportunity”. “From day one, Upad was intended as a disruptor within the residential lettings market,” James said after the ceremony. “As a landlord myself I had witnessed how fragmented the market had become and felt sure that there was scope for significant improvement. “Upad was, therefore, born out of a belief that innovative and bespoke technology could more effectively…