UK startup triumphs at Chivas Venture final

A UK-based startup that trains homeless people to become baristas walked away with US$350,000 at the final of this year’s Chivas Venture.

27 finalists competed in Amsterdam for a share of the US$1million Chivas Venture fund

Change Please was one of 27 finalists competing for a share of Chivas Regal’s US$1 million Chivas Venture fund.

Cemal Ezel, founder of Change Please, said: “I’m so happy – I think I’m still in shock. It’s been a hard and long journey, but to have made 26 incredible new friends from all over the world, that’s been the real highlight for me.

“The last four months have been amazing. I just want to give a huge thanks to Chivas.”

Change Please takes the homeless off the streets and ensures they find housing within 10 days, as well as providing bank accounts and jobs paying the London Living Wage.

The final, which took place in Amsterdam, was judged by musician and founder of I.Am.Plus, Will.I.Am; chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard, Alexandre Ricard; senior fellow at The Beeck Centre for Social Impact, Sheila Herrling; and Kresse Wesling MBE, co-founder and director of sustainable luxury brand, Elvis & Kresse.

Will.I.Am said: “Thanks to the Chivas Venture we’re recognising a new wave of entrepreneurs that just get it.

“The superstars of tomorrow are founders of companies like these that are solving the world’s problems.”

Other finalists to receive significant funding included Mestic, a Dutch company that converts cow manure waste into biotextiles, bioplastics and biopaper; Spain’s BraiBook, which created the first Braille eReader; The Picha Project from Malaysia, which supports marginalised communities through a sustainable food catering and delivery business; and ‘change: Water Labs’ from the USA, which has developed low-cost, waterless toilets for non-sewered households and communities around the world.

Pernod Ricard chairman and CEO, Alexandre Ricard, said: “The Chivas Venture is an initiative I am personally very proud of. More than just a competition, it brings together entrepreneurs and innovators who are having a real impact on the world, and changing the way we do business.