Ashurst has been singled out for honours as the winner for the IJGlobal ESG Excellence Award for the EMEA region for its “innovative” Ashurst Sustainability Accelerator Programme (ASAP).

The judges were more than impressed by the law firm having created a “much needed initiative in an area that holds back start-ups or leaves them without options / benefits of their work as they scale up and encounter VC/PE world.”

One judge said of ASAP: “Ashurst has taken an innovative approach to encourage finance for companies that will assist in the transition by introducing them to capital.”

Yet another added: “What we see here is some good, focused ESG innovation and creativity – especially notable for a law firm – which demonstrates a good ESG culture throughout the organisation.”

Ashurst has built an intense, short timeframe accelerator programme designed to cover the key areas of law relevant to FinTech and GreenTech businesses; and provide businesses with access to leading financial institutions, investors and potential joint venture partners.

The Ashurst submission states: “Think Dragons' Den concept and add sustainability / ESG to the agenda – entrepreneurs take to the stage to present their FinTech / GreenTech company; bringing new innovation to market.

“The rationale for establishing FinTech Legal Labs is as a result of the direct demand of FinTech companies at various stages of development. It has become clear to such companies that legal support is critical for their development and success.”

Ashurst's legal accelerator programme this year offered a sustainability stream – in partnership with Hitachi Vantara – to arm FinTech and GreenTech start-ups with data-driven insights into sustainable technology initiatives to help them better understand and achieve sustainable digital transformation goals.

Set over 3 days, they cover key areas of law relevant to FinTech businesses, offers opportunities to get answers to specific legal questions and connects cohort members to a wide array of legal and business experts and thought leaders operating in the FinTech space.

According to the Ashurst submission: “Advancing the sustainability agenda is a global priority, and we are delighted to be providing critical support through our accelerator programme to FinTechs and GreenTechs, ensuring they have the right legal, technology and governance infrastructure in place to support the transformation and integration of sustainable finance systems.”

Picture added after IJGlobal ESG Awards 2022. Two of the Ashurst team with IJGlobal editor Ila Patel and editorial director Angus Leslie Melville.