The founders of Cwmbran-based Solar Buddies have been invited to attend St James’s Palace next month to join the judging panel for the final of the Pitch@Palace competition.

Kelli Aspland and Laura Griffin, who last year won the Entrepreneur of the Year award at the inaugural South Wales Argus Business Awards, will be joining an influential audience from the worlds of entrepreneurship, technology, media and investment on June 12.

They will be helping to choose a winner from the 42 finalists selected from a series of Pitch@Palace regional events which have been taking place across the UK this year.

Kelli Aspland is looking forward to attending the event next month and learning more about the finalist’s businesses. She said: “This is a huge privilege for Laura and I, and quite unexpected. Who would have thought that after starting our own business just a few years ago we would be invited to such an event as judges?”

Founded by The Duke of York in 2014, Pitch@Palace gives entrepreneurs a platform to amplify and accelerate their work by providing them with opportunities to meet and pitch to potential supporters from the business world.

Since its launch Pitch@Palace has helped 785 start-up businesses, created 3,669 new jobs and generated more than £885m of new economic activity.