‍adeus Named Finalist in the UK StartUp Awards 2026

London legaltech startup recognised for ‘Digital StartUp of the Year’ across the UK's largest independent startup awards programme.

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London, U.K. (1st April, 2026) adeus, the London-based legaltech startup pioneering electronic wills and digital legacy planning, has been named a regional finalist in the UK StartUp Awards 2026, shortlisted in the Digital StartUp of the Year category for the London region.

The UK StartUp Awards, now in its fifth year, is the UK's largest independent startup awards programme. This year the awards received over 2,000 entries from across the country. The awards are expert-judged on merit alone, making the shortlist a significant validation of innovation and impact.

About adeus

Founded in January 2024 by Nick Adams and Mark Hedley, adeus is on a mission to change the way people plan for the future. The platform provides simple, secure and accessible electronic wills and digital legacy planning tools for individuals, as well as through partnerships with charities, employers, and channel partners.

The company's flagship product, adeus True Wills, uses cryptographic fingerprinting to create a tamper-proof, legally compliant record of a will, meeting the Law Commission's requirements for electronic wills and addressing the long-standing risks of lost or disputed wills. The platform also includes a Digital Vault, an AI assistant (Ady), a proprietary AI-enabled Mental Capacity Assessment tool, and an Executor Toolkit.

adeus has secured £295,000 in pre-seed funding and a £500,000 Innovate UK Smart Grant to pioneer electronic wills in England and Wales. The company is also a LawtechUK supported business, backed by the Ministry of Justice's initiative to drive digital transformation in the legal sector.

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"Building a startup isn't about winning awards, it's about solving real world problems and making an impact. But when the recognition is for a major award, which is expert-judged based on merit alone, it's a nice validation that we must be doing something right. We are looking forward to the regional final and the opportunity to potentially represent London at the national final at Ideas Fest in September 2026." Mark Hedley, Co-Founder & COO, adeus

About the UK StartUp Awards

 The UK StartUp Awards was founded by Frankie James and Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE as part of Ideas Community; the UK's leading entrepreneurship ecosystem, connecting and celebrating founders for over 27 years.

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"New businesses are the driving force behind any thriving economy, generating employment, pioneering innovation, and contributing to prosperity right across the UK. The standard of entries in 2026 has been exceptional, and every finalist should be enormously proud of what they have achieved." Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, Co-Founder, UK StartUp Awards

What's Next

Regional winners will go on to represent their region at the national final at Ideas Fest held on 9–10 September 2026..

For more information about adeus and to explore electronic will and digital legacy planning solutions, visit www.adeuslife.com. For more information about the UK StartUp Awards, visit startupawards.uk.

Contacts

Press & PR Enquiries:  hello@adeus.life

Awards Enquiries:  startups@ideasforums.com