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Online entrepreneurs to vie for Startups Awards

Online entrepreneurs to vie for Startups Awards

E-businesses to compete for title of best online start-up.

The UK's first online pharmacy and a website that allows customers to design their own hand-tailored suits are among the finalists for this year's Online Business of the Year category at the 2008 Startups Awards.

Startups.co.uk, which is organising the competition in partnership with Barclays, named Chemist Direct and A Suit That Fits.com in the final of the online category, along with gift specialist Not On The High Street.com and short-term loans site Wonga.com, with the winner being announced on October 30th.

The four e-businesses are among 60 nominees competing for a Startup Award, with other categories including Green Business of the Year, Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Social Enterprise of the Year.

Other names in the hunt for a gong include Concert Live - which produces instant CDs of live music - and Bolton-based iTeddy, a firm that produces interactive, educational children's toys that successfully secured £140,000 in backing from Theo Paphitis and Peter Jones of BBC Two's Dragon's Den.

Steve Cooper, managing director of Barclays Local Business, said: "These awards highlight the true entrepreneurial spirit which shows how you can turn dreams into reality."

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