EIGHT finalists have been selected to pitch to the judges of THE ONE competition 2012, which offers a prize package of business support worth �40,000 for an outstanding entrepreneurial business.

THE ONE, now in its third year, was open to start-up businesses from Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk, with entries having closed last month.

A record total of more than 30 entries has now been whittled down to a final eight, the winner from among which is due to be announced by early December.

The competition, originally the brainchild of Nichola Cain, managing director of Voice Communications is again being run through the East Anglian Daily Times in conjunction with a number of other successful businesses in the region.

The winner of THE ONE competition this year will win a prize package consisting of:

: : PR consultancy and implementation from Voice Communications to the value of �5,000;

: : Advertising in the EADT to the value of �5,000;

: : Business consultancy from Angela Kimberley to the value of �3,500;

: : On-line marketing from Climbing Trees to the value of �5,000;

: : Legal support from Ellisons Solicitors to the value of �3,500;

: : Accountancy advice and annual returns from LB Group to the value of �3,000;

: : Leadership and management coaching from Julie Clements (24 hours of one-to-one coaching) to the value of �3,500;

: : Call answering services from MyRuby to the value of �1,500;

: : Design consultancy from Phelan Barker to the value of �5,000; and

: : Website consultancy from Rubious to the value of �5,000.

All of the business support and services are to be used over the following 12 months. In addition, the Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex chambers of commerce have agreed to provide a year’s membership for the winner.

The panel of judges for THE ONE 2012 includes Nichola Cain, Stuart Sheldrick of LB Group, Seamus Clifford of Ellisons, Julie Clements, Alex Holliman of Climbing Trees, Natalie Perillo of MyRuby, James Phelan of Phelan Barker, Greg Goodson of Rubious, Angela Kimberley and Duncan Brodie from the EADT.

The judging process is being hosted by the 16th Century Layer Marney Tower, the tallest Tudor gatehouse in the UK situated in the heart of the Essex countryside near Colchester.

Surrounded by established gardens with views over the Blackwater Estuary, the house was built in 1520 as a large country residence for its aristocratic Tudor owners. Today, Layer Marney Tower is a popular wedding venue, providing a stunning, historic background to any big day.

The finalists for THE ONE 2012 are:

: : Spillsure Solutions Limited (Check-my-tank), Earls Colne

CHECK-my-tank offers a unique way to monitor heating oil and bulk liquids.

Through the use of mobile phone technology and ultrasonic sensors, the Check-my-tank application provides a simple, modern and cost effective way for domestic oil users to control oil usage from anywhere in the world on their smartphone, tablet, PC or Mac.

Alan Smith, the founder of Spillsure Solutions, has had a dynamic career as a chartered accountant, moving from chief financial officer and chief executive roles to become a majority shareholder though a series of high growth companies over his working life.

Over the next two years Alan would like to see Check-my-tank become recognised as the leading provider of oil monitoring services to domestic, commercial and agricultural markets, both in the UK and overseas.

: : Silent Partner Limited, Takeley

RAY Higgs has developed the A-OK care monitor to help aged or infirm individuals stay at home for longer with an improved quality of life and peace of mind to their loved ones.

The monitor detects non-movement at specific times and alerts nominated persons by SMS text message. Ray developed the product after his late father came to be in a position where he needed such a device and he soon realised that this product could be beneficial to other people in similar situations.

Ray is focussed on achieving world recognition for the A-OK Care Monitor over the coming years and believes that the device could help thousands across the globe.

: : JaJaJa Books, Colchester

JAJAJA Books publishes bilingual children’s books with a difference.

Each story is written to be entertaining as well as educational, written primarily in English with Spanish or French included in the content.

As a result, children can learn whilst they read something they enjoy. It will also encourages them to embrace foreign languages before starting school.

In the coming years the brand hopes to expand into other countries, helping children in places, such as China, to learn English.

JaJaJa Books has already been recognised by The Times Educational Supplement, The Guardian and Prima Baby Magazine and has received fantastic testimonials from parents.

: : EuropeEducation Limited, Norwich

EUROPEDUCATION is a unique company, providing UK undergraduate students the opportunity to study a range of university courses, taught in English across Europe.

The company offers young people the chance to gain international experience, improve language skills, enhance career opportunities and enjoy different cultures while at the same time saving at least �20,000 on tuition fees.

EuropeEducation provides free school presentations, workshops, support packages and language lessons for those who take part and the company’s vision is to empower tomorrow’s students and liberate them from university debts.

The business was launched in June 2012 and has since opened doors for many sixth form students by making them aware of exciting educational possibilities abroad.

: : Sales Media Evolution, Ipswich

ESTABLISHED in 2010, Sales Media Evolution developed the first custom made, roll-up banner that incorporates an all new 22” full HD LED screen – the dBanner.

The banner is capable of displaying animated artwork or live video all day without being connected to a PC and is a truly innovate product.

Sales Media Evolution has already had global success, launching in Europe, America and Africa, and the company is currently vendors to Disney.

Winning the Innovation of the Year Award in the Anglian Business Awards 2011 was a major achievement for the Ipswich based company and the team aim to change the banner and design market with their product.

: : 3D MarComms Limited (HARBOUR), Tiptree

HARBOUR is a proprietary Software as a Service (SaaS) platform with Applicant Tracking and Content Management modules as its core features.

Conceived and built by the founding directors of 3D MarComms Ltd, the product is a digital recruitment software platform which has been designed to meet the needs of the ever-evolving corporate recruitment sector.

With more than 14 years of digital recruitment experience, the founder directors of 3D MarComms Ltd aim to achieve the best possible recruitment results through competitively priced, entry level solutions to complex, bespoke systems with acclaimed usability and industry leading functionality.

The company has underpinned recruitment activity for a number of large organisations, including Admiral, Comic Relief and TSB and is currently delivering solutions for Greater Anglia, Joules and TOTAL.

: : Burland Technology Solutions Limited, Great Blakenham

ESTABLISHED in 2008, Burland Technology Solutions Ltd designs, sub-contracts and manufactures power distribution and energy saving systems for offices, data centres and trading floors.

The company invests in designing and bringing cutting edge, new products to the market and as a result the company’s exports are constantly growing, distributing products in the UK, USA, Far East and India. As experts in their field, the company hopes to grow by 30% to 40% over the next two years.

Richard Vass, founder of Burland Technology Solutions, has spent over 20 years of his career developing and manufacturing power distribution products.

: : Incredibli, Stonham Aspal

INCREDIBLI is an internet-based platform which aims to help individuals collect money from people they know simply and efficiently.

The company’s “groupfunding” platform makes this process easy through the use of social media and email and can be used for anything, from paying for group holidays to collecting funds for a gift.

Incredibli allows users to keep track of who has paid and also how achievable the total is. At the same time, it provides an easy way to communicate with those involved through a campaign discussion board ensuring that everyone is kept up to date.

Founded by Lauren Hine, a young graduate entrepreneur, the business has ambitions to develop mobile applications over the next two years, making the platform increasingly social.