The Investec Early Stage Entrepreneur of the Year Awards return in 2026 for their second edition, with OPUS expanding the programme to ten award categories and introducing a US$250,000 investment prize for one overall global winner. Investec serves as the awards’ lead partner, while the programme is organised by OPUS Community Limited.
Programme Overview
• Organiser: OPUS Community Limited
• Lead Partner: Investec
• Programme: The Investec Early Stage Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2026
• Edition: Second edition
• Investment Prize: US$250,000 investment from Day Zero for one global winner
• Award Categories: 10
• Geographic Scope: Global
• Target Stage: Pre-Series A
• Eligibility: Founder-led, legally registered companies less than four years old, with demonstrated momentum through a product, prototype, traction or early users. Bootstrapped, angel-backed and seed-funded businesses may apply.
Award Categories and Founder Focus
The ESEY Awards recognise early-stage founders building businesses across a broad range of industries and business models. Applicants may select up to two award categories.
The ten 2026 categories are:
• The Future is Female — for female founders building across any sector, business model or form of innovation
• The Future of Services — for consultancies, professional services, advisory and delivery businesses where human expertise drives value
• The Future of AI — for founders developing technology, technical IP or scientific innovation
• The Future of Finance — covering fintech, payments, lending, wealth, insurance and financial infrastructure
• The Future of Our Planet — covering climate, energy, food, water, circularity and the built environment
• The Future of Consumer — for physical consumer products across areas such as food, drink, beauty and lifestyle
• The Future of Enterprise — for B2B software and technical tools transforming business operations
• The Future of Creativity — for technology enabling people to create, distribute work, gain visibility or earn from creativity
• The Future of Health — covering health, longevity, mental health, femtech, medtech, diagnostics, fitness and wellness
• The Future of Education & Work — covering learning, skills, hiring, HR, flexible work and access to opportunity.
Awards and Founder Benefits
One overall global winner will receive a US$250,000 investment from Day Zero. Each of the ten category winners will also be invited to join the OPUS delegation in Davos during the World Economic Forum in January 2027 and will receive a 12-month OPUS membership.
Applicants also gain exposure to the ESEY judging panel and programme partners, including relevant venture capital and corporate partners, through the awards’ review process.
Leadership Perspective
Cumesh Moodliar, CEO of Investec South Africa and an ESEY judge, highlighted the wider economic contribution of entrepreneurs, including their role in creating employment, attracting investment and strengthening industries. He said the awards are intended to recognise the next generation of business builders with the potential to create lasting global impact.
Application Details
• Applications: Open
• Application Deadline: 30 September 2026, 23:59 GMT+0
• Application Channel: Official ESEY application platform
• Application Fee: Free
• Required Materials: Completed application form, pitch deck, and founder headshot; an introductory video is optional
• Eligible Regions: Worldwide.
The official terms state that OPUS may extend the deadline to 7 October 2026, 23:59 GMT+0, but this extension is not guaranteed and would need to be formally published by the programme. With ten award categories, global eligibility and a US$250,000 investment opportunity for the overall winner, the 2026 Investec Early Stage Entrepreneur of the Year Awards are designed to recognise founder-led, pre-Series A businesses showing early evidence of momentum across a wide range of sectors.