Top Tech:
Yorkshire
2019
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Fast-growing, cutting edge? You bet!
"The region’s reputation as a hub for fast-growing and cutting-edge technology companies has once again been exemplified by the entries in this year’s Top Tech: Yorkshire."
Paul Johnson, Partner Mills & Reeve
Not only did we receive double the number of entrants compared to last year, but the quality of the companies was outstanding, so a huge thanks to all the businesses which spared the time to submit applications. The calibre of our home-grown technology companies certainly bodes well for the region. We are seeing increased investment into technology businesses and the local ecosystem, which in turn, will enable companies to grow and be supported in their ambitious national and international expansion plans. Most of the entrants are in the early to mid-stage of their journey and many demonstrated that they are scalable technology businesses of the future. One of the things that stood out was the number of entrants from right across the Yorkshire region with companies coming from the main cities, as well as smaller towns. Businesses in this region are facing challenges, particularly the battle for talent, access to scale-up capital and finding suitable premises that are geared up for start-ups. These challenges are the same as we are seeing across our national technology teams. However, there have been some great steps made this year, particularly with Barclays’ state-of-the-art Eagle Labs and the ongoing work of Nexus which provides access to world-leading research, talent and facilities at the University of Leeds. We’ve also seen continued investment in much-needed tech co-working spaces which help provide an environment of facilitation, introductions and collaborations among tenants. I would also like to touch on the Top Tech: Yorkshire Class of 2018. The feedback from some of last year’s entrants has been excellent with many securing new business opportunities and attracting talent into their companies. This year, we will harness that feedback and take on-board their comments to ensure that we use the report to increase the profile of entrants and the Yorkshire region to help them capitalise on all opportunities whether that be forging new partnership or recruiting skilled workers. Several of last year’s entrants have made it into the report again and it has been great to see their progress over the last 12 months. We hope to be able to feature some of the entrants who haven’t managed to make it in 2019 in future reports. Finally, I would like to say a huge congratulations to those 20 companies which were selected to feature in this year’s Top Tech: Yorkshire as well as our Stars of the Future. The breadth of innovation, talent and commitment was excellent, a big well done to you all!
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Foreword from Richard Carter Managing Director of Equiniti
"I’m struck by the number of businesses that have been formed by serial entrepreneurs, those that have made it, building and selling a business only to start again, more often than not in adjacent markets. Why do they do it? Simply that it’s in their blood, there’s only so much golf or lounging round a pool before boredom kicks in and the challenge to build again becomes overwhelming."
Following the success of last year’s report on the growing Northern tech scene, this is the second, annual, Top Tech: Yorkshire report commissioned by Mills & Reeve. Building on last year’s launch, responses to this year’s call for entries increased significantly and, once again, the judges were impressed by the quality, diversity of business models and stages of growth, providing the basis for some spirited debate to arrive at this, the final shortlist. I’m struck by the number of businesses that have been formed by serial entrepreneurs, those that have made it, building and selling a business only to start again, more often than not in adjacent markets. Why do they do it? Simply that it’s in their blood, there’s only so much golf or lounging round a pool before boredom kicks in and the challenge to build again becomes overwhelming. This report features a number of those entrepreneurs, but also those that are on their first cycle, inching or taking giant strides forward, grabbing opportunity by the lapels and building some truly special products and businesses. On a slightly less positive note, entries from female founded or led businesses still remained low, although the numbers were slightly up on last year. Hopefully the numbers will increase more next year. As the title suggests, the report is about tech in Yorkshire with all companies featured either wholly or significantly based in the region. Increasingly, we’re seeing more companies formed to leverage the wealth of capability and deep domain experience that exists in our county. This is a fantastic endorsement of the innovation that exists in our region, drawing inward investment; it’s evident that Yorkshire is firmly on the UK tech map. So, enjoy the read and congratulations to all the businesses in the report!
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Our judges
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Chelsea Boothroyd Engagement Manager, Nexus
Richard Carter MD, Equiniti Credit Services
Stuart Clarke Festival Director, Leeds Digital Festival
Richard Faulkner MD, Technology Banking, Silicon Valley Bank
Paul Johnson Partner, Mills & Reeve
Mel Kanarek Director and Co-founder, Sheffield Digital
Heather Niven Business and Innovation Consultant
Peter Rowe Consultant, WH Ireland
Mills & Reeve - Top Tech: Yorkshire
Our criteria
Technological innovation
Why is the technology innovative, is it disrupting the market?
Leadership
Demonstration of strong and visionary management team.
Growth and financial performance Commercialisation of the technology.
Client service and delivery
How it stands out from the crowd when servicing clients.
Employee and community engagement
Recruitment, retention and employee rewards. Is it making a difference?
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Top Tech: Yorkshire 2019
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The list...
3Squared AppCheck BigChange BOXT CPP Group Crisp DealTrak Fleetondemand Hark Jaywing Netsells RapidSpike rradar SmartSearch Sonocent Synap The Data Shed The Floow TribePad Vapour Cloud
The stars of the future...
BetaJester Calbot Can Studios FeTu Slanted Theory The Distance Tappit
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3Squared 3Squared is a software development consultancy specialising in mobile and web applications for clients in the construction and rail sectors. The Queens Award winning company was founded in Sheffield in 2002. It develops bespoke business development apps for companies operating in the rail industry including Network Rail, East Midlands Trains, Bombardier, Freightliner and GB Railfreight. 3Squared’s flagship product, RailSmart, is a suite of mobile applications which improve efficiencies and have revolutionised the way in which the rail industry operates. Sales are set to top the £5m mark this year, up from £3.7m last year. 3Squared is also moving into new 9,000 sq ft offices early next year, tripling the size of its existing space. 3Squared is passionate about its Sheffield heartland. Nearly three quarters of its employees studied in Sheffield and it has strong ties with Sheffield Hallam University. It has sponsored local events including DotNetSheff, a local monthly user group focused on software development and is a member of Sheffield Digital. It is also sponsoring a charity Rainbow Laces event in Sheffield to promote stamping out homophobia in football.
The judges said: “The company has a growing international presence but is also very closely aligned with its local community, supporting Sheffield Women in Technology and providing work placements and internships to students.”
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AppCheck AppCheck is a global software security vendor based in Leeds. It offers a vulnerability security scanning platform that automates the discovery of security flaws within company websites, applications, networks and cloud infrastructures. Established in 2014, the business has seen 100% growth year-on-year in both sales and employees. More than 1,000 clients across the globe have used AppCheck’s software to improve their IT security. Its proprietary and innovative scanning technology is built and maintained by leading penetration testing experts, offering unparalleled accuracy and detection rates. There are multiple licence models available that are all fully scalable, meaning that AppCheck’s solution caters for SMEs and education through to public sector and blue-chip organisations. In the past 12 months, AppCheck has massively expanded its sales team and further developed its support and account management teams, resulting in increased customer retention and a fall in support queries. The company commits more than 20% of its technical team’s time into research, with the aim of trying to close the gap between hackers and keeping operations secure. To help facilitate this, AppCheck is looking to bring the highest caliber of talent into the Yorkshire region and further develop links with universities to nurture the stars of the future.
The judges said: “It was good to see Appcheck's track record in working with some of the world's biggest brands. They've built a leading security scanning platform that keeps website and cloud platforms safe, and recent growth is expected to continue.”
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Big Change Launched in 2013, Leeds-based BigChange provides business software called JobWatch, a mobile workforce and job management system that connects back office employees, mobile workers and customers, and enables tradespeople to run their businesses on the move. JobWatch provides mobile workers with an array of back-office functions in their pocket, as well as everything organisations need to monitor and manage their mobile operations. It combines CRM, smart job scheduling, vehicle tracking and a series of applications to eliminate paper record keeping and automate many manual processes undertaken by mobile workers. BigChange is expanding at pace following the success of JobWatch. The company created 140 high value jobs at its Yorkshire HQ and is now expanding around the world. Last year, it attracted more than 250 new customers, signed business contracts worth £16m and trebled its profits. JobWatch has taken sectors such as transportation, construction, facilities management and waste management by storm since it was launched. It is now used by more than 35,000 mobile workers and back office personnel at more than 1,000 organisations around the world. BigChange saves customers an average of eight hours of office administration per mobile worker each month after moving to JobWatch. Individual JobWatch users spend 10 fewer hours on the road each month while the companies they work for achieve an average 10% reduction in fuel usage.
The judges said: “As one of last year's fast-growing companies, we expected to see BigChange back in the Top Tech report. The compay’s growth has been outstanding, and they continue to be one of Yorkshire's fastest-growing companies.”
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BOXT BOXT is a smart home tech installation firm founded in Leeds by three former directors of boiler installation specialist Help-Link and the former managing director of Wolseley's Plumb Centre. BOXT was born because its founders didn’t think the heating industry was fair on consumers. Two years down the line it has instigated a revolution in the home heating market. Through the Boxt app, customers type in their boiler needs and a price is pulled up in as little as 90 seconds. That price includes a free Google Home Mini and Nest Smart Thermostat. BOXT then connects customers with a peer-moderated engineer. By 9.30am the following day, a Bosch boiler is delivered and then fitted by the expert if customers order before 3pm. BOXT connects installers with customers through a centralised booking platform which allows people to choose and buy a suitable home heating package at a fixed price, in their own time, on their phone or laptop. Since launching in March 2017, the company has established a network of around 1,000 installers in the UK, which provide the capacity to install approximately 1,500+ units per week. Having received investment from industry giant Bosch, BOXT has also secured a supply partnership with Google, helping turn UK homes into connected homes of the future with each boiler installation. In the next year, BOXT will advance into the smart tech and electric vehicle charging markets. BOXT has become Britain's second largest boiler installer. And it doesn’t stop here. BOXT has plans to take its revolutionary platform global, with expansion into France, Germany and the US on the horizon.
The judges said: “BOXT is a great example of something you thought should already exist! It gives instant access to a process that is currently referral based and fragmented.”
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CPP Group Headquartered in Leeds, CPP Group is a partner focused, global product and services company specialising in the financial services and insurance markets. It uses local knowledge from 12 country markets to provide business partners with technology-led product expertise that deliver commercial benefits and bring meaningful solutions to more than 9 million end customers. Their CPP Group UK business develops innovative fintech, insurtech and cyber security products that help insurers add value to their services and provide support to SME businesses. It has developed a suite of innovative cyber security products that combine assistance and prevention, utilising technology to manage, mitigate and protect against the risks posed to SMEs. In 2017, CPP Group acquired Blink Innovation, an insurtech business which has developed a pioneering parametric insurance platform and is driving innovation within the global travel insurance sector. Blink has launched in Canada and Turkey with over 250,000 customers having access to their innovative travel disruption technology. Blink has recently been featured in the INSURTECH100, an annual list of the world’s most innovative insurtech companies. The company is committed to raising money for local charities including Simon On The Streets and taking part in the Jane Tomlinson Leeds 10k Corporate Challenge. CPP Group India supports disadvantaged children in Bangalore who received food, cooking equipment and medical care from colleagues at CPP India.
The judges said: “CPP has invested heavily in tech services, including its new cyber insurance policy for the SME market. Its recent move into Leeds underpins its growth.�
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Crisp Crisp is a social media safety and crisis monitoring firm. Its technology is used by some of the world’s largest brands including Disney, Coca-Cola, and Stanley, Black & Decker to provide fast detection of critical issues and crises. Bringing artificial and human intelligence together, Crisp keeps brands safe from harmful social media content. Established in 2005 by online gaming and social media entrepreneur Adam Hildreth, Crisp initially focused on protecting children and teenagers using online games and social networks from abuse, sexual exploitation, cyberbullying and other online threats. Adam Hildreth helped the UK Government to write the first online child protection laws. Crisp’s social media safety solution is tailored for each brand. Called Extended Intelligence, it combines the world's best AI-based social media content risk detection technology with real-time human intelligence in every time zone. Crisp has offices in Chicago and London and more than 85% of revenues come from firms based in the US. However, Crisp was founded in Leeds and remains committed to the city. Leeds is Crisp's global hub for social media safety, and every major issue faced by global brands and platforms is dealt with through its Leeds HQ. A $25m investment from Baird Capital at the end of 2018 enabled the company to create more than 50 new jobs. Crisp is on course for a record year as it plans to create 40 more jobs over the next few months. This will bring their global headcount to almost 200, the majority of which are in Leeds.
The judges said: “All brands' reputations are exposed to attack on social media. Crisp ensures that businesses are alert to harmful comment and can respond before an issue becomes a crisis."
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DealTrak Leeds headquartered DealTrak is one of the UK’s leading automotive finance and insurance specialists and remains dedicated to connecting the motor finance and insurance sectors. The £3.6m turnover fintech firm has consistently recorded double-digit growth per annum since 2013, as a result of its technology now being used by car sites across the country. 3.6 million finance applications are sent through the platform each year, and the success lies with users needing to enter customer details only once, with information retained for any further proposal submissions required. The result enables car dealers and brokers to ‘service’ more clients by significantly reducing the time spent drafting numerous proposals – a saving of up to an hour per buyer. DealTrak is working on the next iteration of its platform in order to bring additional automation functionality. The company also announced the creation of 18 new positions earlier this year, with 13 of those now filled. DealTrak is committed to its people and the local community. It holds IIP and Workplace Wellbeing Charter certifications and is a long-term supporter of Cancer Research UK. The firm has also pledged to raise £6,000 for Yorkshire’s homeless youth this year. Its engineers have also created an uber-style app to track the movements of Leeds’ water taxis. ‘TaxiTrak ’ provides real-time GPS tracking of the city’s water taxis which carry in excess of 120,000 passengers each year.
The judges said: “DealTrak understands its customers and continues to evolve its platform to solve new challenges they face. It plays an important role in driving digital transformation in the industry - making it easier to do business.”
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Fleetondemand Fleetondemand has created a unique, first-to-market mobility as a service (MaaS) platform that allows users to book all forms of business travel within a single place. Named Mobilleo, it is free to download through iOS, android and desktop and is "set to redefine the business travel market on a global scale". Built from the ground-up to address business mobility needs on a global basis, the "drive for mobility" (D4M) platform has been developed by a management and engineering team with an unrivalled track record in the fleet and mobility sector. Mobilleo integrates with thousands of public and private travel providers to allow users to find, book and pay for their entire business journey (including parking, car hire, flights, trains, accommodation, car clubs, buses, taxis, and more) in less than 90 seconds. New features, such as the carbon footprint tool, establish Mobilleo as an advocate for eco-friendly initiatives, giving users the opportunity to book their travel method dependent on its environmental impact. The company has the technology, experience and expertise to tailor its Mobilleo platform to any organisation. For larger businesses and government bodies, Fleetondemand can deliver a branded, personalised white-label mobility product.
The judges said: "There is no doubt that mobility as a service is a massive opportunity. Fleet On Demand is at the centre of that, and just as importantly, is in the centre of Leeds.�
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Hark The Hark platform is an all-in-one environmental monitoring system which allows clients to monitor, store and analyse their business-critical environmental data with its cloud-based software from anywhere in the world. The platform allows users to access information on their labs, supermarkets, factories, production or storage facilities in real-time. Customers can manage and organise sensors across multiple facilities and regions with a central, streamlined interface that has global connectivity. Within industries that demand regulatory compliance, data integrity can take a lot of time, effort and money. With Hark everything is automated. Companies can complete regulatory reports at the click of a button and have immediate access to compulsory information from anywhere in the world. The second largest chain of supermarkets in the UK signed a three-year deal with the Leeds-based Hark team with the objective to implement efficient ways to monitor and optimise its stores’ energy usage. Around 368 million readings are now taken daily for the retailer. In the retailer’s stores, the Hark Platform has detected anomalies that have saved between 4-8% in energy by detecting problems and alerting the relevant people in real-time. The usage of legacy assets saved the retailer £500,000 in installation costs. The Hark platform has the potential to make a huge impact in a variety of ways, from bringing down operational and utility costs to streamlining processes and ultimately lowering the carbon footprint of any company.
The judges said: “The efficiency opportunities for businesses are significant across a huge number of sectors equalled by the scalability potential for Hark. An exciting business addressing a significant need.”
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Jaywing Jaywing is a data science led creative agency based in Sheffield. Its 70-strong team of data scientists help UK brands with data and analytics projects across a range of industries, working with the likes of Asda, Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland, Virgin Money, Mazda and Swinton Insurance. Jaywing’s multi-award winning and patent-pending AI software, Archetype, was launched this year to revolutionise credit risk assessments. Lenders can control and explain an AI-powered model and use it in credit and fraud risk assessments to make quicker and more accurate lending decisions. Since bringing Archetype to market, the company has run more than 20 proof of concept projects with lenders and has consistently generated excellent results, including Hitachi Capital which saw a 7.2 to 11% uplift in results and Newcastle Building Society which saw an 18% uplift in results. Over the next three years, Jaywing expects the market to rapidly embrace more accurate credit and fraud decisions using explainable AI-based models. This includes the support given to Virgin Money, which is currently using the technology in marketing to identify which customers are most likely to consider switching credit card provider, Jaywing is hoping more brands will take to AI to tailor marketing and promotional offers based on individual customer circumstance to improve the customer experience and reduce the likelihood of customers deciding to switch providers.
The judges said: “Jaywing is giving UK brands unique insight and knowledge about consumers and products on another level using artificial intelligence software. Where others have been slow to embrace the use of AI, Jaywing has been bold in carving the way with confidence and genuine passion and resilience in its approach and products."
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Netsells Netsells combines cutting-edge technologies with business insight to develop digital platforms and products for both web and mobile. Having doubled in size each year since its move to York in 2014, Netsells works with a wide range of clients, from innovative start-ups to large household names, building bespoke platforms and applications across web and mobile. Over the past few years the business has experienced a 500% growth in turnover, fuelled by client wins that include Hiscox, Capita and the University of Leeds. A part of its commitment to bringing high-value jobs to the region, the business is currently developing a unique graduate scheme and looking to expand its current internship and work experience placements programme. Netsells is also heavily investing in staff training and development to ensure its team remain at the forefront of the market. Over the past year Netsells has also developed a Ventures arm, which actively seeks out opportunities to provide deep technical expertise and business support to start-ups looking to build and grow their technology offering. This model has already seen the company work collaboratively with some of the UK's most promising start-ups, including rail delay-repay platform Railguard and HealthTech startup HealthPOD.
The judges said: “Netsells is creating cutting edge web and mobile solutions. The company is a supporter of the local tech scene and regularly sponsor events and initiatives for digital industries and young people in the city.�
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RapidSpike RapidSpike’s mission is to help companies across the world deliver faster and more secure websites to help grow their online business. RapidSpike interacts with digital platforms exactly as customers do, monitoring real and synthetic customer interactions, providing insight on how to monitor, protect and improve their digital experience. By understanding each customer interaction, RapidSpike continuously improves digital platforms to increase user happiness and performance, enabling better revenue growth whilst detecting damaging cyber-attacks to protect customer trust. The Leeds-based company has signed major companies in the US and UK such as Helen of Troy and Npower which want to improve online performance and protect themselves from Magecart attacks. RapidSpike also works with many website providers and agencies who are looking to protect and improve their clients' websites. The company has grown more than 300% in the last 12 months since launching its new Magecart detection platform which is the driving force behind the growth. RapidSpike expects this growth to continue and is currently looking to secure investment.
The judges said: “In a world where the customer journey is increasingly online, RapidSpike becomes the eyes and ears of their customers - helping businesses to understand the journey and protect client’s data.”
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rradar Hull-based rradar aims to empower and educate business through smarter legal services. In a radical departure from conventional practice, rradar used digital tools to build exciting and innovative ways of sharing legal services, risk management advice and knowledge with its clients. rradar’s solution is a web-based platform powered by cloud computing working with providers such as Amazon Web Services and IBM Watson. The platform serves as a base for the various technology packages and products that rradar’s team of technologists, creatives and legal/business professionals are developing, producing and releasing to market. The aim is to make its packages and products as accessible, intuitive and easy to use as possible; clients can access the applications on a variety of devices including desktop, smartphone and tablet. Since 2012, rradar has grown from a one-person start-up business to a tech-enhanced law company that helps thousands of businesses, delivering legal services that are accessible, affordable and go further than conventional and traditional expectations. The company has offices in Hull, Leeds, Glasgow and Birmingham.
The judges said: “rradar has brought together traditional legal services and digitisation in an environment where clients can access everything they need, nothing that they don’t and in a timescale to suit them. This is a very powerful tool with significant scalability in a marketplace only just beginning to see the benefits of digitisation.”
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SmartSearch SmartSearch provides a unique anti-money-laundering (AML) platform enabling its clients to perform full AML checks on their customers quickly and cost-effectively. The firm employs 98 people in a brand-new, purpose-built, carbon-neutral office in Ilkley, West Yorkshire. SmartSearch is committed to growing and continuing to attract new talent. SmartSearch provides businesses with a one-stop-shop to meet their anti-money-laundering (AML) obligations. By simply entering an individual’s name, address and date of birth, in just a few seconds SmartSearch can complete a full AML check, including automatic screening for: sanctions, politically exposed persons (PEP), relatives and close associates (RCA) and special interest persons (SIP). SmartSearch has seen sales and profit grow by 150% in the last two years. It now has more than 4,000 clients worldwide and staff numbers have increased to 100. Profit has increased in each of the last six years. Turnover has risen by more than 2,000% since 2011 and is on target to increase by nearly 48% in 2019, delivering profit in excess of £4m. SmartSearch currently provides AML checks for 30% of the top 100 accountancy firms and 25% of the top 200 law firms, The business has doubled its number of estate agency clients over the last two years and has identified further areas for growth in regulated sectors. It is active across European markets and has well-developed plans to expand into North America.
The judges said: “SmartSearch is fixing a complex problem through a combination of industry expertise, rich data and a sleek software solution. The current growth is impressive, and it looks like we should expect further internationalisation to follow”.
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Sonocent Sonocent was founded to explore the value of audio notes, recognising that students with disabilities like dyslexia often relied on lengthy digital recordings for note-taking that were difficult to access. Sonocent's software and companion app helps students capture spoken information using audio notes and then scaffolds the learning process to create a distraction free workspace that can be personalised to their individual needs. The software in now used by around 200,000 users at more than 600 universities and colleges worldwide, with 87% of students saying it has improved their grades. Leeds-based Sonocent has achieved an average 30% growth year-on-year since it launched in 2007, and the team has tripled in size over the last three years. The company has made meaningful partnerships with companies helping to break into core markets as a recommended tool for those receiving a Disability Support Allowance in the UK. Sonocent has also broken into the US market where it is targeting the largest 2500 colleges in North America and is aiming to have 50% of these as customers within three years.
The judges said: “Getting new products into the education market can be a long and difficult process and yet management perseverance and belief in the offering is now beginning to see reward. With the ability to scale up both in the UK and abroad, the Sonocent journey is only just beginning.�
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Synap Synap is an intelligent online learning platform that lets organisations deliver personalised, effective and engaging training at scale. It does this by breaking down long, complex training topics into short, digestible chunks which people can practice anytime, anywhere. In the background, Synap’s proprietary ‘spaced learning’ algorithms look at each individual’s strengths and weaknesses and uses that information to create a personalised learning plan for them. The company was set up by two undergraduates from the University of Leeds, Dr James Gupta and Dr Omair Vaiyani, who realised that there was an opportunity for them to create a platform that would not only improve their own learning, but that could be shared with other students in a way that meant that groups of students could learn from and with each other. Since graduating in 2017, James and Omair have moved into the business full time and have implemented Synap across several universities, leading brands, and cutting-edge start-ups, including Daimler, The University of Law, and The Medical Defence Union. Synap has recently completed a major funding round. After raising initial funds in March 2018, the company has now raised a further £500,000 from existing investors, including Yorkshire-based Venturian Funding & Investment Group. As a result, Synap will be expanding its team and relocating to new premises in Leeds. The company now has a fulltime team of eleven, growing from four just a year ago. Further development of the product will also enable Synap to expand into new sectors.
The judges said: “Synap stood out by moving from university entrepreneurs providing revision services to students, to building a learning management system that's used by a number of global firms.”
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The Data Shed Founded by Anna Sutton and Ed Thewlis in 2015, The Data Shed is a Leeds-based consultancy specialising in data integration and analytical projects. It started out as a data services consultancy, working with clients on specific projects including TATE, Sun Life, Friends of the Earth and GAMSTOP. The co-founders wanted to allow more firms to take control of their data and have spent the last three years, at a cost of £750,000, developing a Software as a Service (SaaS) product called The Data Refinery. The Data Refinery was developed as a data integration platform which provides a single view of a person, created by pulling together all data used within a company. Launched in May 2019, the product employs The Data Shed’s unique matching algorithms capable of processing 2.4 billion intelligent comparisons per second, which optimises a firm’s data to give a single profile view of a customer. It also provides valuable insights to companies looking to acquire competitors. In the last 18 months, The Data Shed expanded its team from 18 to 42, and now has plans to create an additional 20 jobs over the next two years to support The Data Refinery. The judges said: “Very impressed with the ambition of The Data Shed and its strategy to move from services to product revenues.”
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The Floow The Floow is a telematics provider combining data science excellence, cutting-edge technology and the innovative use of social science to provide unique safety insights to its clients and their customers. Founded in 2012 with the mission to make mobility safer and smarter for everyone, The Floow employs 110 people based at their Sheffield HQ, their US office in Detroit and across mainland Europe. The Floow pioneered the use of smartphones as powerful mobility sensors collecting data from driver journeys and was the first telematics provider granted approval to use the smartphone as a telematics mobility sensor in the USA. Drivers are scored across several different behaviour areas including speed, smooth driving and distraction. The Floow’s world-class scoring algorithm provides their insurance clients with a solid base to build and create their own unique IP using a combination of driver scores and their claims data. In 2018, The Floow launched FloowDrive, which removes the time, cost and complexity barriers from telematics, opening up the market to more insurers by putting the smartphone at the heart of the solution, and FloowFleet, which is designed to support commercial lines insurers offering policies for small fleets of light duty vehicles. Over the last 18 months, The Floow has moved to a product focus and added several new insurers to its client roster, including two top 10 US insurers.
The judges said: “The company continues to expand globally whilst building on its mission to make mobility smarter and safer for everyone.�
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TribePad TribePad is a specialist talent acquisition software provider. Founded in Sheffield 11 years ago, TribePad’s software is now used by more than 17 million people in 15 languages worldwide. Their core products; Applicant Tracking System (ATS), Video Interviewing, Onboarding, Contractor Management and Job Board Solutions are redefining what it means to recruit for some of the most most well-known organisations in the UK including the Church of England, BBC, Tesco and Superdry. Clients choose TribePad due to the great customer service and innovative products offered, which has led to referrals and further client wins. This meant TribePad could focus on investment into R&D as well as excellent staff benefits to attract and retain talent. TribePad’s growth has accelerated with a 28% increase from 2018/2019, allowing expansion of sales, marketing, support and delivery. In the last 12 months, the team has grown from 34 to 43 employees. Growth from £2.4m to £10m turnover, by winning more medium/large enterprises, is a key three- year objective. TribePad’s core motto "people first, product second and profit third" encapsulates the company values. The "people first" aspect is exceptionally important, shown through initiatives like a £1,000 training budget per employee each year. The company’s aim is to become the most attractive employer in the area. By forming close connections with The Sheffield College, it has been able to offer students apprenticeships at TribePad. It is also a member of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and a supporting partner of Sheffield Digital
The judges said: “With a product that is used by major brands around the world, TribePad has expanded its client base into the public and education sectors and continues to invest in research and development as well as in its expanding workforce.”
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Vapour Cloud With a genuine passion for "all things tech", Halifax-headquartered Vapour Cloud was founded to devise and deliver secure, next-generation voice, video, connectivity and storage solutions for organisations, irrespective of size. Founded six years ago, Vapour Cloud is a trusted leader in this complex space. With £5m investment under its belt, Vapour now has a product roadmap to rival some of the most well-known tech giants on the planet. Committed to breaking new boundaries, the team has helped generate millions of pounds of revenue for partners and is proud that end users of its solutions range from ambitious start-ups through to established household brands such as Betfred and motor giant JCT600. The company has recorded 500% growth in its cloud voice division over the past two years plus an increase in net recurring revenue of 96%. Vapour Cloud has also successfully negotiated seven channel partnerships with Value Added Resellers and Avaya partners, and boosted its senior executive team with the appointment of COO Andy Nash and account director Alec Stephens. The company is poised to confirm the two biggest deals in its history off the back of launching its new managed service. This offering alone looks set to prove pivotal to Vapour’s growth trajectory with 20% of turnover uplift predicted by the end of 2020. In 2018, Vapour Cloud launched TeleDOC – an innovation which hit the headlines for being the first video tool of its kind for the UK healthcare sector, powered by a free, simple SMS. This WebRTCpowered product was purposely designed to reduce the strain and costs incurred by the NHS, whilst improving convenience for patients.
The judges said: "Cloud based telephony, video and storage is the backbone for so many organisations. Leeds-based Vapour Cloud provides its award winning service to a broad range of businesses including many household brands."
Mills & Reeve - Top Tech: Yorkshire
The stars of the future...
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Mills & Reeve - Top Tech: Yorkshire
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BetaJester
Calbot
BetaJester offers immersive and interactive digital experiences across games, marketing, training and research.
Fast-growing start-up Calbot has developed a simple and intuitive tool which helps professionals find the best time for a meeting.
The Hull-based development company creates bespoke digital content, providing highly engaging experiences to all sectors. BetaJester pride themselves on being highly agile, attacking under-utilised markets and identifying clear market gaps for virtual/augmented reality content, such as using VR in architecture to create building tours for structures before they finish construction, for example the Ron Dearing UTC. BetaJester also develop their own IP, including games and VR content on all modern devices. The judges said: “BetaJester’s work is cutting edge and great quality and they are making strides in this space. Definitely one to watch!”
Instead of asking people for their availability (like Outlook, Doodle or Calendly do) Calbot privately scans people’s calendars and, using AI, determines the best time when everybody is available. This way, people can finalise the meeting in seconds, instead of hours. In practice, this results in Calbot saving 243 hours (10 days) of time per month for a team of 20 people that has 10 meetings per week. The judges said: “A great solution to automate appointment setting across multiple users in different organisations. Potentially a platform to rival Skype’s global adoption.”
Can Studios Can Studios creates digital experiences for learners of all ages. The Sheffield-based company develops high-quality e-learning for niche training needs, and builds software for assessment tools, educational mobile apps and training platforms. With an update of the technology stack behind its Training Post LMS, Can Studios has made streamlined e-learning management affordable, whether you need to manage a handful of learners or thousands. Using the latest rapid testing and deployment technology, Training Post keeps customers’ needs front and centre. The judges said: “This established player in the e-learning industry has recently completed a ground-up redevelopment of its core platform. Can Studios is now able to respond much faster to customer requirements and provide a more flexible and affordable pricing model.”
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FeTu
Slanted Theory
Incorporated in 2015, FeTu has developed a Positive Displacement Turbine. FeTu is essentially a rotational to volumetric energy conversion platform, the fundamental principle of all compressors, vacuums, pumps, expanders and engines.
Slanted Theory is pioneering the next generation of business and data intelligence tools of the future, specialising in 3D collaborative data visualisations.
FeTu’s technology has 22 identified applications and the core architecture at the heart of the concept remains the same no matter the use. The technology is robust, scalable and simplistic with only two moving parts allowing low manufacturing costs, low maintenance whilst demonstrating a strong return on investment. The judges said: “FeTu was a stand-out entry from a pure technical perspective and whilst very early stages, it will be interesting to watch its development in putting Halifax on the map from a CleanTech perspective.”
Operating since 2017 in the heart of Sheffield, co-founders Laura Smith and Mark Burkitt have created ALAIRA - an all-in-one; data visualisation, artificial intelligence, analytics, exploration, collaboration and interactive tool. The judges said: “If data is the new oil, slanted theory is the new windscreenallowing us to physically visualise our data to drive new insights.”
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The Distance
Tappit
The Distance is a creative, digital agency that specialises solely in the development of bespoke mobile applications. Its customers include disruptive start-ups to multi-billion turnover global enterprises such as NHS, Astra Zeneca, Slimming World and Bentley Motors.
Tappit is a global payment ecosystem for events, stadia and venues. Tappit provides end-to-end solutions including cashless payment, white-label payment apps, RFID and event analytics.
The York-based company has recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and now employs more than 20 full-time digital experts in its Yorkshire office. Over the last few years The Distance has focused on two clear targets - a bulletproof project lifecycle; and its own in-house framework for both cross-platform apps and the backend services to support them named The Core. The judges: “The company’s culture is second to none. The Distance is also heavily invested in contributing their tech for good and has worked with multiple charities to develop professional solutions for the greater good.”
Tappit’s offerings bring event organisers and venues closer to their fans, giving them control over their payment solutions whilst providing actionable insights to make events better. Since opening its office in Leeds in 2018, the company now operates in 14 countries and has engaged with more than 2.2 million fans across 83 events including Leopallooza, UNITE with Tomorrowland, Dubai Rugby 7s and Birmingham City FC. The judges said: “Whilst not alone in a growing sector space, the business has achieved good traction in a short period of time combined with positive customer reaction through both the sports and festival markets.”
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