This year’s Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Entrepreneurs (DBACE) received an incredible 538 applications from talented entrepreneurs across the UK. After a thorough and tough selection process, we’re excited to announce the longlist of 20 outstanding applicants!
The quality and diversity of entries blew us away. If you haven’t made it to the longlist this time, thank you for applying and putting yourself forward. We were inspired by your ideas and hope you’ll stay connected and consider applying again next year.
Our 20 longlisted entrepreneurs will soon take part in a pitching workshop, followed by the DBACE Live Heats Pitch.
Finalists will be announced on June 12, ahead of the Final Pitch and DBACE Awards Ceremony in July, where the winners will be revealed.
Meet the DBACE 2025 Longlists
Tom James
Absolute Beginners CIC is a new kind of factory in north-west London where local 17-21-year-olds are paid to learn how to design and make everyday products from waste materials. The goal is to equip young people with future-ready skills while promoting radically sustainable production.
Gee Collins
Artist-led supports creative people with a connection to St. Helens to find opportunities, events and each other.
Caron Mcluckie
Bealies Adaptivewear designs and produces adaptive casualwear for wheelchair users and disabled people. The brand operates an online store and is now preparing to scale through a rebrand and the launch of new products to stay aligned with mainstream fashion trends.
Sicgmone Kludje and
Vanessa Koranteng
Black Girl Knit Club is an East London collective which aims to empower Black women and women of colour through creativity and community. By teaching hand knitting and hosting workshops and talks. BGKC builds confidence, fosters connection, and supports the next generation through meaningful cultural and creative engagement.
Chloé Cornell and Valentina Miranda
C(re)ate is an online platform serving as a community hub, knowledge hub, and marketplace. It facilitates communication, knowledge exchange, and material reuse within arts sectors. Their goal is to reduce waste by connecting organisations and individuals, promoting sustainable practices, and enabling resource sharing.
Pedro Resendez
CALACA Press is a publishing studio based in London, dedicated to developing interdisciplinary projects led by Latin American creatives. They produce books, magazines, moving image works, and public programmes that engage communities in dialogue around culture, identity, and territory.
Stac Dowdeswell
Co Labs is a professional development programme dedicated to empowering disabled young creatives who have undergone treatment for cancer and/or long term health conditions. Through artistic, practical, and emotional support, it fosters creativity, builds community, and drives change in aftercare policies for those recovering from life-altering treatment.
Imriel Morgan
Content is Queen connects diverse audio creators with brands and commissioners through a transparent marketplace, making it easier to discover, hire, and monetise talent globally.
Romanah Buchanan
Eloquent Dance is a Birmingham-based, award-winning arts organisation that empowers young people, mainly from African Caribbean and dual heritage backgrounds, through dance, music, and cross-artform projects. It creates accessible pathways from participation to professional careers, using cultural heritage as a source of creative strength.
Victoria Smith
Ghostwriter is a female-led live music consultancy supporting venues, shows, and cultural organisations. Its new platform, Gig Lab, streamlines booking, finances, and data to help grassroots music thrive by making the sector more visible, efficient, and connected.
Osmond Gordon-Vernon
Life Is What U Make It is an interactive board game and workshop helping young people explore choices around peer pressure, gangs, and values. It uses storytelling and discussion to support positive decision-making and is delivered in schools and youth settings as part of the PSHE curriculum.
Joseph Cavalli-Price
Music in Hospices brings the joy of the creative arts to Palliative Care settings across the UK.
Cheryl Ndione
Purple Moon Drama CIC uses the arts as a vehicle for personal and professional development for individuals and local communities. They support people with resources, training, and safe creative spaces to build and flourish.
Gracie Broom
Reporti is a real-time incident reporting platform for live events, such as music festivals, letting attendees report concerns instantly without an app or mobile signal. It improves safety, speeds up response times, and supports venues in managing incidents, protecting both people and reputation.
Kit Hung
Secure Storytelling Network (SSN) supports filmmakers working in high-risk environments with digital security training, safety protocols, and resources. Partnering globally, SSN centers underrepresented voices and helps media adopt secure, ethical practices to ensure safe and sustainable storytelling.
Andi Jepson
Sonic Boom Music CIC transforms Burton upon Trent’s music scene by creating opportunities, nurturing talent, and building a sustainable music economy. Its mission is to make music accessible, support young musicians, and establish Burton as a vibrant live music hub. They believe in music’s power to change a town.
Nicola Roper
This Place Between Us is a bespoke storytelling service creating audio, video, and photography content that drives social change. Specialising in authentic visual narratives, the service helps organisations and individuals communicate social impact work with emotional depth to inspire understanding and action.
Joseph Roberts
THU Arts Collective (The Hold Up) is a Welsh non-profit empowering people from deprived backgrounds through Hip-Hop culture. It promotes self-knowledge and community values via workshops, education, and events, creating pathways into Wales’ creative industries to foster diversity and innovation.
Helen Meyerhoff
Vox Urbane is a vocal ensemble championing diversity in classical choral music. They showcase and support underrepresented artists through concerts, mentoring, and outreach, fostering a vibrant, inclusive community.
Farah Mohammoud
You Press is a youth-led social enterprise empowering underrepresented young people through training, storytelling, and paid creative work. They offer leadership programs and a creative agency, helping ages 13-30 build sustainable careers while delivering high-quality content for social clients.
About Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank has a long history of championing initiatives that drive positive change in society and is committed to helping build the long-term success of the UK creative industries.
Marking its 32nd year in 2025, DBACE is one of the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility flagship programmes. It is a natural extension of the deep dedication Deutsche Bank has to enabling economic growth and societal progress, creating positive impact in communities around the world.
About MeWe360
MeWe360 is a pioneering not for profit Incubator for founders and enterprises in the arts and creative industries. Our Incubator, outreach and funding programmes equip entrepreneurs with tools, resources and relationships to support success and deeper impact.