A company developing compostable food packaging from seaweed and another building farming robots are among the South West tech firms selected for prominent growth programmes.
Industry experts Tech Nation has identified 15 “promising” firms from across the region which it said had the potential to scale and strengthen the national sector.
Between them the businesses, which range from start-ups to later-stage enterprises, have raised hundreds of millions in investment and created more than 1,000 jobs.
Two of the businesses have joined Tech Nation’s ‘Future Fifty’ programme - an influential network of the UK’s leading later-stage tech companies. Tech Nation said six of the companies had female founders, while three belonged to the South West’s burgeoning Artificial Intelligence (AI) hub.
Alumni of Tech Nation growth schemes include travel search engine Skyscanner and Monzo bank, as well as three UK firms to be valued at more than $10bn - fintechs Revolut and Wise, and online luxury fashion platform Farfetch.
In no particular order, here is a look at all 15 of the businesses earmarked for success:
Itsettled, Bristol
Previously a regional winner in Tech Nation’s annual Rising Stars competition, the Fintech’s bank-grade automated cash flow management and credit control platform identifies payment risks and automatically collects overdue invoices.
Small Robot Company, Wiltshire
The Salisbury-based business is developing autonomous “farmbots” to plant, monitor and treat crops. The company says its futuristic approach to farming can increase yields, soil quality and biodiversity, while reducing carbon emissions and variable costs.
Data Duopoly, Cornwall
Founded by Tanuvi Ethunandan and Erin Morris at Falmouth University’s venture studio Launchpad, the start-up is “revolutionising the visitor experience” in venues worldwide with an app which tracks and monitors visitor distribution, reducing queues and managing bottlenecks at theatres, museums and theme parks.
Husmus, Dorset
The Poole-based insurtech-proptech start-up is looking to shape the future of renting with a smart platform that offers landlords and tenants tailored insurance packages that looks to eliminate high costs and risks.
Softlink.ai, Gloucestershire
The software developer’s app enables online retailers to build websites, landing pages, shop and accept payment online with inbuilt email marketing and business automation, all via smartphone. The Gloucester company has a particular focus on Africa, with an office in Lagos.
Kinherit, Bristol
The law firm’s platform is designed to reduce hassle and confusion involved in setting up a Will, and helps people to make a digital end of life plan with their families, ensuring no information is missed or assets lost during the process.
Clue, Bristol
A Software as a Service (SaaS) investigation case management and intelligence platform, used by governments, police, private, and non-profit sectors globally to help counter threats including fraud, organised crime, modern slavery, corruption, environmental crime and more.
Deazy, Bristol
The company has built a global register of individual and groups of software developers who it then matches with businesses based on their requirements,
Tumelo, Bristol
The fintech is looking to drive retail investor engagement. Its software allows investors and pension members to see which companies their money is being put into, while giving them a voice on issues that matter most to them - from chief executive pay to climate change. Tumelo says this in turn helps fund managers to better understand and act on the preferences of their underlying investors.
Filmily, Devon
The Totnes-based media firm harvests video content from thousands of mobile phones at events. It uses AI and computer vision to understand everything about each second of each recording and add relevant tags (faces, brands, objects) to understand what the camera saw. This data can be used with AI to then create branded films for clients.
Reach Industries, Bristol
The software developer’s Lumi platform, which uses computer vision, voice and machine learning, is designed to help manage operations in scientific laboratories, so they can tackle world challenges quickly and more efficiently.
Kelpi, Bath
In collaboration with the University of Bath, Kelpi is to develop compostable packaging using biomaterial derived from seaweed, in a bid to reduce the use of single-use plastics in the food industry.
Ooooby, Devon
With a name that stands for ‘Out Of Our Own Backyards’ the online marketplace for food producers, founded by Dartington-based Pete Russell, facilitates sales and logistics from gate-to-plate. It is already operating across the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Graphcore, Bristol
The AI chip maker, valued at more than £2bn last year, has developed one of the most advanced intelligence processing units in the world. The technology is used in machine learning globally to help power driverless cars and robots.
Huboo, Bristol
The fast-growing e-commerce fulfilment firm’s technology enables online retailers to access and complete end-to-end fulfilment operations. The Bristol firm was identified in a government report last year as one of three companies within the city’s burgeoning tech sector expected to attain a "unicorn" valuation of more than US$1bn over the coming years.
Read next:
- US cloud software firm Pax8 opens high-tech office in Bristol
- British sign language book publisher secures £10k for new project
- Gloucestershire healthtech strikes deal for digital health firm
- Gloucestershire tech firm raises £5m for hotel e-commerce platform
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