Peter Jones Awards Robert Matthams’ Shiply.com With Yet Another Award

Shiply.com founder, Robert Matthams (pictured), has been named Most Outstanding Entrepreneur and overall BT Essence of The Entrepreneur 2009, just months after being placed runner-up in the Green Challenge from the Postcode Lottery.

Amongst hundreds of entries and 20 finalists, Shiply.com were awarded a £10,000 cash prize and a professional photo shoot from world renowned photographer Rankin. The award itself was presented by Peter Jones from Dragon’s Den at the glamorous oxo gallery on London’s South Bank, saying: “I wish I had known about Shiply before it was so successful, as I would certainly have been looking to invest!”

Peter continued on to say: “When you think about the number of hauliers running up and down the UK, some of them empty of the way back, to find a way to put that across in a technological way (i.e. an e-auction site) and to have that potential haulier bid for your business is actually quite a clever concept.  I’m not saying that it’s the first time it’s been done, but it’s certainly the first time it’s been done successfully.”

Just like eBay is an online marketplace for buying and selling goods, Shiply.com is an online marketplace for transporting goods. Users simply list items they need to move – free and with no obligation and then receive low cost bids from thousands of feedback-rated transport companies making similar journeys anyway.

Shiply recently received €100,000 after landing runner up with the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge, with the judges praising Shiply’s wide area of applicability and an impressive growth rate.