Cloud accounting pioneers pip Ashton Kutcher funded startup to the post at UKBAA Awards.
In a ceremony supported by GrowthAccelerator and Lloyds TSB, attended by leading business figures from just about everywhere (from senior partners at Deloitte to the founder of Innocent Smoothies), KashFlow was recognised as High Growth Team of the Year on Tuesday 2nd July. Julian Buck, KashFlow’s Commercial Director, was on hand to collect the award at the UK Business Angels Association’s (UKBAA) annual Angel Investment Awards Gala Dinner.
KashFlow is no stranger to awards, having scooped Best Accounting Software for SMEs at the Software Satisfaction Awards (voted for by users of cloud software) for five of the past six years. However, the award marks external validation of one of the company’s key objectives for 2013; namely, putting foundations in place to continue their historical track record of doubling revenue year on year.
Notably, especially given the context of the awards, KashFlow continues to grow without taking on any sources of external funding from VCs or angel investors. Among other nominees for the award were Roaming Roosters, TSG and YPlan, the latter of which recently raised over $12 million in funding. That’s not to say that KashFlow hasn’t received any outside help – they’ve recently been working closely with GrowthAccelerator, which focuses on taking up and coming businesses to ‘the next level’.
KashFlow has spent the last year building a team composed of software industry veterans, which gives the award even more significance – this is one of the first times that external recognition has focused on the team behind the software, rather than founder Duane Jackson or the software itself. In that respect, 2013 indicates the start of a new journey for KashFlow – with the software now well established and widely used, the magnifying glass is shifting focus onto KashFlow as a business, rather than just a piece of software. With more and more small business owners turning to cloud software to get ahead, KashFlow continues to go from strength to strength.
Duane Jackson, Founder of KashFlow, commented:
“In the past I’ve occasionally won personal awards, like Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Esquire’s Most Impressive Businessmen under 30, but [last night] the unsung heroes finally got a look-in. The team has been working very hard on structuring and growing the business, freeing up my time to focus on the product. It’s great to see that rewarded.”
Simon Littlewood, Director at GrowthAccelerator, described KashFlow as one of
“The brightest and most dynamic businesses currently growing in the UK”
“a remarkable example of how vibrant businesses can unlock potential, achieving sustained and vigorous growth.”