Compression socks and concussion management system scoop AXA Startup Angel competition prizes

Colourful compression socks for sufferers of chronic leg conditions and a smart headband that monitors cranial impacts during sports took the two top prizes in the annual AXA Startup Angel awards on Thursday.

Main Squeeze founder Princess Ebi and Dyamotech boss Simone Panella each receive £25,000 funding for their startup businesses. They’ll also benefit from a year’s business insurance thanks to AXA UK and mentoring from the AXA Startup Angels - entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid MBE, Henry Firth and Ian Theasby from vegan food brand BOSH! and Raphael Sofoluke, founder of the UK Black Business Show and UK Black Business Week.

The competition, now in its fifth year, attracted a record number of entries. A panel of judges including AXA UK Small Business Champion Julie White and the AXA Startup Angels decided Main Squeeze and Dyamotech were stand-out winners.

Once again we were blown away by the ideas that were submitted - the innovation and creativity demonstrated by the entrants was truly inspiring. Every year the competition goes from strength to strength. Small businesses are the backbone of the UK economy, and we’re delighted to be able to play a small part in helping the entrepreneurs of tomorrow to get a foot on the ladder.

Princess (30), from North London, was inspired to quit investment banking and launch Main Squeeze in 2023 after a friend was diagnosed with a health condition that meant she had to wear compression socks all the time. Princess noticed how her extroverted pal stopped socialising because she felt self-conscious about the uninspiring colours and designs available. 

Princess spent six months researching the science behind the product and a further six months sourcing a manufacturer before launching her business at the end of last year. She hopes to develop partnerships with the NHS and airlines to provide the socks for their patients and customers.

We’ve entered the market with two sizes and one compression strength, but we intend to move into higher compression strengths and other products, such as tights and longer socks. Some of the prize money will help with the product development stage and I’m really excited about that.

Right now we’re focusing on compression socks for people with chronic conditions, but I’d love for everyone to be wearing them as an essential accessory. In a fitness context they’re great for workout recovery and if you’re someone who walks around a lot or sits at a desk, they are helpful for that too. There’s a use case for everyone.

Simone (24) came to the UK from Italy at the age of 16 with a plan to play professional rugby, but a concussion cut short his career. While at Brunel University in London studying business, he came up with the idea for a monitor that could record the two crucial metrics that contribute to concussion – directional force and rotational velocity – and keep a record of their frequency. 

While the technology to measure these metrics already exists, it is currently only integrated in specialised professional mouthguards which are too expensive to be used in grassroots sport. The headband Simone has developed not only identifies when a player suffers a significant impact but also records the number of collisions over a period of time that could have a cumulative effect leading to a concussion. This data is particularly significant in young players while their brains are developing. 

Simone’s headband is still undergoing development and testing but crucially, it is designed to be affordable and easy to use so coaches can interpret the data it produces. He hopes it might one day become an essential piece of equipment in schools and sports clubs, influencing training and games to reduce the number of head impacts incurred.

The more head impacts you have, the more likely you are to get a concussion. The concept is to try to help with better managing the volume of these, providing data to coaches and helping them understand what level of head impact exposure kids have been through and how they can adjust their training sessions accordingly.

What we are trying to do is develop a piece of tech that is more suitable for kids and grassroots sport because mouthguards are a great technology, but they’ve been developed specifically for professional environments. They are individually mouth printed, you can’t use them across different players, and they’re really expensive.

Simone currently has a full-time job in AI while working on developing his headband. He says the prize money will be invaluable in moving his business to the next level.

The AXA Startup Angel competition offers two top prizes of:

• £25,000 funding to launch your idea or take your business to the next level
• Business insurance for a year thanks to AXA
• Dedicated mentoring from the AXA Startup Angels
• Access to a mental health webinar provided by AXA Health
• 50% off business health insurance provided by AXA Health

Four runners up receive:

• A profile on their business in The Standard, which partners the competition
• Mentoring from The Standard team on digital branding, marketing and social media
• Total value of the runners up prize estimated to be over £18,000

Budding entrepreneurs can register their interest in the 2026 AXA Startup Angel competition.