Halifax’s The EyeBag Company beats over 2,200 businesses to pitch to Richard Branson

Halifax’s The EyeBag Company has beaten over 2,200 UK-based businesses to be named in the final three for the Virgin Media Business #VOOM2016 Exporting is GREAT competition.

#VOOM 2016 Exporting is GREAT semi-finalists made their pitches to a panel of expert judges including UKTI Business Ambassador Holly Tucker, co-founder and non-executive director of notonthehighstreet.com

The EyeBag Company is set to attend the #VOOM2016 Live Finale at ITV studios in London on 28th June, alongside other #VOOM2016 finalists and judges Sir Richard Branson, Tyra Banks, Sara Blakely, Marcus Butler, Holly Tucker MBE and Peter Kelly from Virgin Media Business.

Launched in 2004, The EyeBag Company is based at Unit 5, Calderdale Business Park, Club Lane, Ovenden, Halifax.

Managing director Teifi James, a consultant ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon at Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax, founded the business when he decided to design and patent his own version of a warm compress - a re-useable product which can be heated in a microwave.

The EyeBag, which acts as a warm eye mask to treat dry eye, styes and other eye-related medical conditions, is a wholly UK-manufactured product with production, packaging and distribution all undertaken in West Yorkshire.

The business first started exporting in 2008 to Trinidad but has since exported wholesale to many other countries including Australia, Spain and France. EyeBag achieved a turnover of in excess of £728k in the past year with 10% of that from export sales.

The winner will receive a one-to-one mentoring session at 10 Downing Street with one of the Prime Minister’s Business Ambassadors and a package of bespoke export support provided by UK Trade & Investment’s Exporting is GREAT campaign.

#VOOM2016, run by Virgin Media Business, is UK and Ireland’s biggest and most valuable pitch competition which gives businesses the opportunity to pitch for a £1m prize fund to help them build their business.

Richard Branson said: “I’m very much looking forward to being in London on June 28th to crown the winners of Virgin Media Business #VOOM2016. VOOM has proven itself to be an extraordinary platform for discovering and bolstering the UK and Ireland’s most exciting and innovative businesses.”

Teifi James added: “I’m absolutely over the moon to have reached the top three for the #VOOM2016 Exporting is GREAT award. Exporting seemed a natural development for the EyeBag® since international demand for our product is strong and growing.

“Eye care professionals around the world routinely tell patients to use a warm compress to treat a variety of eye conditions. With compelling evidence from research published in medical journals, professionals are now aware that the EyeBag® is the warm compress their patients need.”

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