Deborah Meaden, Dragon’s Den star and Smarta board member, who wasn’t part of the judging process, said: “This year’s Smarta 100 has uncovered some superb small businesses, many of which I’ll admit I’d never heard of but have enjoyed discovering and am very much looking forward to meeting.
“What pleases me is that these awards are championing passionate and ambitious people with brilliant ideas who’ve acted on those ideas and turned them into flourishing businesses.
“These small businesses and individuals are hugely important and deserve our recognition and support.”
Andrew Areoff, chairman of the Best Business Awards judges, said: “Borro has taken money lending into a new era and formed a new category of lending.
“Borrowers can take out short-term loans of between £100 and £1m secured against their assets, such as, luxury watches, fine art, antiques, jewellery and luxury cars. Borro has been able to lend where other lenders are unwilling because of its in-house team of expert valuers.
“It has also taken advantage of the speed and low cost of the Internet. Borro has to be congratulated for putting a new spin on an age-old business.”
Paul Aitken, chief executive officer and founder of Borro, said: “We are delighted to have won two awards in one week.
“We have created a completely new market over the last few years, and are committed to continued growth.
“In the last year, we have launched a new service enabling professional advisers to recommend their clients to Borro too.
“This additional offering, combined with our commitment to providing flexible and fast loans, means we will continue to provide the strongest and best customer-focused service available.”
