AN innovator whose York tech business uses smart sensors to monitor hives and better understand the decline of bees has won national recognition.

Casey Woodward is one of three entrepreneur from Yorkshire & the Humber to scoop this year’s Young Innovator Award, announced today by Innovate UK and The Prince’s Trust.

As well as the coveted award for his business, the 29-year-old has also won a £5,000 grant, one-on-one business coaching and an allowance to cover living costs

Casey's company AgriSound, which launched in January 2020, carries out remote monitoring of beehives and allows beekeepers, farmers and researchers to check on the hives in real time, from what they are producing to the health of the colony.

Through its products and analytical tools, AgriSound strives to better understand the factors causing the bee population decline and help manage pollinators vital to food production.

The Young Innovators Awards recognise people with strong business ideas who have the potential to become future leaders in innovation.

Casey said: “We have developed a core line of products for beekeepers which enable real-time monitoring of beehive productivity and colony health, from any web browser, which are now sold via a UK distributor. I’ve applied for the programme to meet like-minded entrepreneurs and benefit from the diversity of businesses around us.”

The programme is set to continue awarding young people until at least 2023.

All of this year’s innovators have ideas that promise to address current challenges, spanning everything from technology to physical and mental health and from sustainability to fashion.

Emily Nott, at Innovate UK, said: “With 2020 proving to be an incredibly difficult year, maintaining our focus on Young Innovators was a priority for Innovate UK since finding the great entrepreneurial minds of the future is more important than ever. Working alongside this year’s winners, Innovate UK will help them grow and develop their business idea to make the world a better, and more innovative place."