Workplace online card and gifting start-up Thankbox has been nominated for one of the UK’s most prestigious entrepreneurial awards.
The Edinburgh-based company – launched in 2020 by husband-and-wife Valentin and Tsvetelina Hinov – was shortlisted in the family business entrepreneur-of-the-year category in Scotland at the 2024 Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards.
Previous winners of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards include the founders of BrewDog, MyEnergi, Zilch, Grenade, and ClearScore, who have gone on to become household names.
The employee appreciation platform – which allows businesses to celebrate events such as birthdays, anniversaries, maternity leave, and retirements by gathering collections and leaving messages remotely – is on course to turn over £400,000 this year, with plans to double that by 2026.
It eliminates the stress of a single employee passing around a greetings card and collecting cash from different departments and buildings within companies. The platform is also used in schools, to arrange for classes to organise collective gifts for teachers, as well as by clubs, organisations, and communities.
As well as adding several new features in the past year, including the ability to spread cost and a new layout format, the company has also introduced a flower delivery service, in collaboration with one of the UK’s leading florists, Bloom and Wild.
In the past 12 months, it passed significant milestones of achieving 100,000 users and 3million messages collected, with the value of gift cards issued topping £7.7million.
A winner of successive Scottish Edge grants, in 2021 and 2022, worth a combined £60,000, the company is now turning over £25,000-a-month, with revenues expected to rise to more than £80,000-a-month within two years.
Tsvetelina Hinova – who trained as a chartered accountant with PWC after graduating with a first class honours degree from The University of Abertay, Dundee – said: “The past year has been our most successful and significant yet, with Valentin and I both leaving our jobs to concentrate, full-time, on building the business.
“We surpassed several important financial milestones, introduced new features to the platform and signed valuable new partnerships with key suppliers.
Tsvetelina added: “We are incredibly honoured to be shortlisted for such a prestigious award. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, and we are excited to celebrate this achievement with the wider entrepreneurial community.”
The Great British Entrepreneur Awards – dubbed the “Grammys of Entrepreneurship” – celebrate the achievements of the UK’s most dynamic and innovative businesses.
Every year, the awards receive thousands of applications, underscoring the competitive nature and high standard of the competition.
Businesses shortlisted for this year’s awards have a combined turnover of £2.9 billion, employing 20,000 people, highlighting the critical role they play in driving economic growth and innovation.
The awards ceremony will take place on Monday, November 18, at the Grosvenor House Hotel, in London, where winners for each category will be announced.
Francesca James, founder of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, said: “The calibre of entries this year is truly outstanding.
“These entrepreneurs are the backbone of our economy, and their stories are a testament to the incredible resilience and creativity of the UK’s business community. We are thrilled to recognise their achievements and support their continued growth.”
Conrad Ford, chief product and strategy officer for headline sponsor Allica Bank, said: “It has been a real honour to sponsor this year’s Great British Entrepreneur Awards.
“Hearing the inspiring stories from the incredible businesses that these awards champion really brings to life the important contribution that British entrepreneurs make to our economy.”
Notes:
- The Great British Entrepreneur Awards celebrate the inspiring stories of entrepreneurs from across the UK.
- With a rich history of recognising businesses that have gone on to become household names, the awards are a beacon for entrepreneurial success and innovation.
- Each year, thousands of businesses apply, highlighting the immense talent and diversity in the UK’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
- Thankbox was founded in response to the inconvenience of passing paper cards around and the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
- It was initiated by its founders Valentin and Tsvetelina Hinov who assembled a dedicated team to bring the idea of remote group cards to life, with a focus on simplicity and fun.
- The first version of Thankbox went live in May 2020, and its core vision has remained unchanged: a simple, enjoyable way to create group cards and collect funds for a gift online.
- Thankbox partners with over 700 global retailers, offering a wide range of choices for gift recipients, from clothing and experiences to fine dining and more.
- Thankbox provides a three-step process for creating and delivering cards, offering customization options, and an eco-friendly approach, such as planting a tree for every 10th sale, making it a modern and sustainable alternative to traditional paper cards.