MukAway named Construction & Building Services StartUp of the Year for the North West
MukAway.com has been named the regional winner in the Construction & Building Services StartUp of the Year category at the UK StartUp Awards 2026 (https://startupawards.uk/) for the North West. The business will now go on to represent the region at the UK national final, taking place at Ideas Fest on 9th September 2026 at Champneys, Tring, Hertfordshire.
The UK StartUp Awards was launched to recognise the booming startup scene across the UK, which has accelerated significantly in recent years with around 832,000 new businesses registered in the UK in 2025.
Over 900 businesses have been shortlisted for this year's UK StartUp Awards across ten nations and regions. The contribution of these firms, all of which were started in the last three years, is significant, having created nearly 5,000 new jobs since they were established and generating annual sales of over £150 million.
Founded in 2025, MukAway.com is a construction technology company that provides a digital platform for soil classification, material exchange, and waste compliance. The business was started specifically to solve a long-standing construction problem by streamlining how materials are managed on site.
By connecting contractors, housebuilders, civil engineering firms, and quarries, the platform helps the industry navigate complex compliance while facilitating the efficient exchange of materials, ensuring that construction projects are more sustainable and better connected.
Already some of the biggest names in construction have backed the MukAway platform and the latest addition, the Merchant functionality. This latest innovation is perfect for companies as it allows verified Merchants to list processed materials directly on the platform, with subscribers receiving automatic notifications when relevant products become available.
"Winning Construction & Building Services StartUp of the Year for the North West is a huge moment for everyone who has built this business," said Fraser Linaker, CEO of MukAway.com.
“We started with just two people; myself as founder and owner, and Ian Cheveau as Marketing Director. Then the tech team came in. Our Birchwood office was small then, but in a very short space of time we’ve grown massively in all areas and now we’re set up to hit the construction masses.
"We've thrown everything into MukAway and the take up is exactly what we thought it would be. We’ve put together a working platform, real sites and real results in front of expert judges, and they backed us on merit. That means everything. This is the region where MukAway was founded and where our team lives and works, so to win it here, in front of the North West business community, makes it all the sweeter. We are now incredibly excited to take our vision to the national final at Ideas Fest on 9th September 2026."
MukAway enters the national final with significant momentum, having already reached the milestone of 85+ companies signed up to the platform. The business has scaled rapidly, and is one the way to securing 1,000 construction sites nationwide. With a dedicated team of eight people, the firm is demonstrating clear ambition to digitise a traditional sector and drive massive efficiencies across the UK's infrastructure.
The UK StartUp Awards judging panel said MukAway was a platform that ticked every box for its criteria, especially ESG and sustainability offerings.
The panel stated: "MukAway.com impressed through its practical digital solution to construction waste, carbon emissions and material inefficiency. The platform enables construction and infrastructure sites to reuse surplus spoil, topsoil and aggregates locally, supported by AI matching, mapping and ESG reporting. With more than 500 live sites already connected, it shows strong early traction in a traditional sector and the judges recognised its potential to make circular economy principles commercially useful on the ground."
Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, co-founder of the UK StartUp Awards (https://startupawards.uk/), said: "New businesses are the driving force behind any thriving economy, generating employment, pioneering innovation, and contributing to prosperity right across the UK. Our regional winners represent the very best of British entrepreneurial talent, and they have earned their place at the national final on merit alone. We look forward to seeing them take to the main stage at Ideas Fest on 9th September, where one of them will be crowned the UK's best startup in their category."
The UK StartUp Awards (https://startupawards.uk/), founded by Frankie James and Professor Dylan Jones-Evans as part of Ideas Community, is the UK's largest independent startup awards programme. Now in its fifth year, the awards received over 2,000 entries in 2026. Regional winners compete at the national final, held at Ideas Fest (https://ideasfest.uk/), aka the Glastonbury of Business, on 9th-10th September 2026 at Champneys, Tring, Hertfordshire. For more information visit startupawards.uk
This year's regional UK StartUp Awards winners can be found online at https://startupawards.uk/
Key stats
- Over 2,000 entries received for the UK StartUp Awards 2026
- Around 832,000 new businesses registered in the UK in 2025
- Over 900 businesses shortlisted across ten nations and regions
- Finalists have created nearly 5,000 new jobs since founding
- Finalists generating combined annual sales of over £150 million
- Regional winners progress to the national final, competing for the title of the UK's best startup
- National final: Ideas Fest, 9th-10th September 2026, Champneys, Tring, Hertfordshire
- Ideas Community represents over 100,000 entrepreneurs and business leaders via its initiatives and events
Media enquiries
Ian Cheveau, Business Development and Marketing Director, MukAway.com
Email: ian.cheveau@mukaway.com
M: 07724546500
