THE HEROPRENEURS AWARDS
Product of the Year 2025
The Product of the Year award recognises the best innovative products emerging from the military business community. The product can be from any sector but must exemplify excellence in both quality and innovation.
Meet our finalists
Andy Cuff, Computer Network Defence Ltd
Andy Cuff is a proud veteran with 23 years of service in the Royal Air Force, followed by another 20 years as a British Army Royal Signals cyber reserve officer. In 2004, driven by a passion for innovation and ethical business, he founded a cybersecurity consultancy that now supports clients across defence, government, and the private sector.
Andy’s leadership blends military qualities with entrepreneurial vision, empowering teams to tackle complex cyber challenges with precision and purpose. As a committed Heropreneur, he actively mentors fellow veterans transitioning into business, championing the value of service-forged skills like resilience, adaptability, and strategic thinking.
Andy’s mission is to bridge the gap between military experience and commercial success, proving that veterans are powerful assets in the tech world. He continues to advocate for inclusive innovation and is dedicated to building secure, ethical solutions that make a meaningful impact.
Jon Reynolds, Battle Bag Ltd, trading as The55
Jon is a results-driven leader and entrepreneur with a diverse background in military service, fitness innovation, and digital health. A former Captain in the British Airborne Forces, Jon developed his leadership, organisational, and strategic decision-making skills during six years of active service - experiences that continue to shape his principled and values-led approach.
As the Managing Director of The55, Jon has played a crucial role in achieving significant milestones, including securing a contract with the British Ministry of Defence. His work at The55 embodies his vision for creating resilient and innovative fitness solutions that address the needs of various audiences, from military professionals to fitness enthusiasts.
Jon’s leadership is characterised by integrity, creativity, and a relentless drive for positive change—qualities that position him as a forward-thinking leader in the fitness and health sectors.
Ed van der Lande, More Toddle Meals
The state of baby food in the UK is atrocious and needs to change. The NHS advises against regular use of current baby food options and a BBC Panorama investigation highlighted how nutritionally poor many of these products are. More Toddler Meals is here to change that. Through their innovative freeze-dried meals they are uniquely placed to offer a product that balances the convenience required by time strapped parents and the nutritional quality of home cooked food.
Set up by Ed van der Lande when he was deployed to Somalia with the Army in 2022 as leaving his family at home he realised that there was a gap in the market for real food aimed at babies. Having tested a minimal viable product from 2022 – 2025, More Toddler Meals launched their retail ready product in early 2025. They secured their first major retail listing shortly after having launched with Ocado in the Autumn. They are determined to offer a high-quality alternative to commercial baby food and play their part to improve health outcomes for the next generation.
Meet our judges
Matt Williams
Owner and CEO, Brigantes
After working as the International Sales Director for Original Mountain Marathon, former Royal Marines Officer Matt founded Brigantes in January 2014 as an offshoot of his family business, which had been involved in the outdoor industry for over 40 years. Brigantes exists to enable the development and supply of technical outdoor equipment and clothing to the military and police.
Matt also supports Heropreneurs by delivering business start-up workshops, with a focus on developing business ideas and concepts.
Vivienne Garnett
Recruitment and EDI Manager, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses UK
The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses UK programme, funded by the Goldman Sachs Foundation, was set up to help established small businesses manage their growth and thrive.
Vivienne spends much of her time bringing together leaders of small businesses from diverse industry sectors and backgrounds to participate in this unique learning and networking opportunity.
Prior to her work in business education, she was a theatre director and actor and regularly performed with North Country Theatre. She also appeared in nine plays over several seasons of Frinton Summer Theatre’s weekly rep and directed three, two of which she redirected when they transferred to London.
Humphrey Maddan
Founder, REMAKER
Before founding REMAKER, Humphrey served with The Rifles, working as part of light infantry training teams across four continents. In his final military role, he worked as a consultant in Defence Innovation, supporting projects aimed at reducing casualties in urban operations.
During military service, Humphrey recognised that while cardio fitness is well-supported by technology, effective tools for strength training are limited. This insight led to the founding of REMAKER — a patented system combining a connectable device with an app to help track and support strength training more effectively.
Since its launch, REMAKER has been adopted by elite athletes, including those in Formula 1 and England Rugby, and was recognised with the Heropreneurs Product of the Year 2024 award.