News | Peter Jones awards Shiply.com with £10,000 and title of BT Essence of Entrepreneur
Shiply.com founder, Robert Matthams, was last night named as Most Outstanding Entrepreneur and overall BT Essence of the Entrepreneur 2009.
Amongst hundreds of entries and 20 finalists, Shiply.com were awarded a £10,000 cash prize and a professional photo shoot from world renowned photographer Rankin.
The award itself was presented by Peter Jones from Dragons' Den at the glamorous OXO gallery on London's South Bank, saying: "I wish I had known about Shiply before it was so successful, as I would certainly have been looking to invest!".
Robert Matthams (Shiply.com) and Peter Jones
Peter continued on to say: “When you think about the number of hauliers running up and down the UK, some of them empty of the way back, to find a way to put that across in a technological way (i.e. an e-auction site) and to have that potential haulier bid for your business is actually quite a clever concept. I’m not saying that it’s the first time it’s been done, but it’s certainly the first time it’s been done successfully.”
Just like eBay is an online marketplace for buying and selling goods, Shiply.com is an online marketplace for transporting goods. Users simply list items they need to move - free and with no obligation and then receive low cost bids from thousands of feedback-rated transport companies making similar journeys anyway.
Upon receiving the award, Robert Matthams said: “We are absolutely delighted to have received such prestigious recognition for the hard work we have all put in at Shiply.com. It really does act as a very firm pat on the back from giants like BT and pushes us even further forward towards our goals.”
Related links
BT Business Essence of the Entrepreneur
Robert Matthams crowned Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2009
