FreakoutAI Is Heading to the UK StartUp Awards National Final

FreakoutAI named Digital StartUp of the Year at the South West final of the UK StartUp Awards. — Digital StartUp of the Year, South West final of the UK StartUp Awards.

Building a product people have never seen before is mostly quiet work.

There is no applause when a 3D model finally renders the way you imagined, or when a merchant turns a flat product page into a room a customer can walk through. Most of it happens heads-down, in small increments, with a small team that believes the idea is worth the effort.

So it means something when the outside world looks up and says: this is worth backing.

Digital StartUp of the Year, South West

FreakoutAI has been crowned Digital StartUp of the Year at the South West final of the UK StartUp Awards.

The win does more than mark a good year. It sends us forward to represent the South West at the national final, against the best new businesses from every nation and region of the UK, all competing for the country’s top startup titles.

For a company built around a simple belief, that brands should be able to turn their products into interactive, AI-powered 3D shopping experiences, that recognition lands close to home.

What the Awards Are Looking For

The UK StartUp Awards celebrate the country’s most exciting businesses under three years old. This year’s programme is backed by Starling, Innovate UK, Lodestar Accounting, Xero, Ideas Fest and FundOnion.

Regional finals ran across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and more than 200 category winners from ten regions now progress to a single national final.

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, founder of the UK StartUp Awards, framed what the judges were really rewarding:

“This year’s winners are not just coming up with clever ideas, they are building businesses with real purpose, commercial credibility and the potential to scale. Across every region we are seeing founders creating jobs, opening up new markets and challenging established industries. Their success is not only worth celebrating, it is worth backing.”

That is the bar. Not the cleverest demo, but the business with a reason to exist and room to grow.

Why This One Matters to Us

Michael, Founder at FreakoutAI, put it plainly:

“It’s a real honour to be recognised, especially for something we’ve been building with so much belief and persistence. FreakoutAI is about making immersive commerce easier for brands, and I’m proud of the small team behind it who keep pushing the product forward. I’m looking forward to the national final and the chance to share what we’re building with a wider audience.”

Immersive commerce has been talked about for years, usually as something expensive, technical, and reserved for the biggest brands. Our work has been to make it ordinary: something a merchant can reach for without a 3D team, a production budget, or a headset.

An award does not change the roadmap. But it is a signal that the direction is the right one.

Next Stop: Ideas Fest

The national final takes place on 9 September at Ideas Fest, the two-day festival held at Champneys, Tring, in Hertfordshire.

Ideas Fest is where winners from all ten nations and regions come together to compete for the national titles, set against two days of talks, connection and celebration for business leaders and entrepreneurs. It is often described as the Glastonbury for business, and it is open to everyone. You can find out more at ideasfest.uk.

We will be there to represent the South West, and to share what we are building with a wider audience. If you are going too, come and find us.

About FreakoutAI

FreakoutAI helps brands turn products into interactive AI-powered 3D shopping experiences.

About the UK StartUp Awards

The UK StartUp Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of the UK’s most promising new businesses, all under three years old, across ten nations and regions. Winners from every regional final progress to the national final, held at Ideas Fest.

About Ideas Fest

Often described as the Glastonbury for business, Ideas Fest is a two-day festival bringing together business leaders and entrepreneurs from across the UK. It takes place on the 9th and 10th September at Champneys, Tring, Hertfordshire, and is open to everyone. Find out more at ideasfest.uk.

Get in touch

Build immersive product pages, showrooms and campaign visuals with FreakoutAI.

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Open FreakoutAI:
https://freakout.ai/app/commerce