P29-40 Most Exciting.Indd 30 16/09/2019 16:28 SPONSORED BY

Meet the innovators Which really are the most exciting companies in the South West? Which companies are innovating in their fields or have the greatest potential to bring about long term change? We present our pick of 50 of the most exciting companies in the region

“mmWave” wireless solutions of fibre- Bristol Sport Bristol level performance that promise to be Bristol Sport is the commercial business economically smart and reliable. behind some of Bristol’s biggest sporting Amdaris Bristol Emerging system IP is at its core, but brands, including Bristol City FC and Bristol Bristol-based software developer Amdaris with expertise in everything from chip Bears rugby club. It is part of a group of collaborates with clients globally to create design to system solutions that solve the sports companies owned by Stephen industry-disrupting software solutions. technical challenges faced in mmWave Lansdown, one of the co-founders of The business became a more prominent carrier-grade applications, Blu Wireless has financial services giant Hargreaves player in the regional market last year much more to offer. As partners of some Lansdown. In recent years, the business with its move to the impressive Aurora of the world’s biggest names in telecoms, has managed the rebuild of Ashton Gate building in the city centre. The business, Blu Wireless works with clients to provide stadium, and as well as running two of which was founded ten years ago by Andy complete design, testing, and validation, the city’s biggest teams, Bristol Sport also Rogers and Vlad Nanu, describes itself as serving emerging markets in High-Speed oversees the business, commercial and a “nearshore software house” – so most of Transport, Industry 4.0 and Fixed Wireless operational interests of its affiliated clubs its resources are based in eastern Europe, Access. which include Bristol Flyers basketball, but it nevertheless has a growing team Based in Bristol, with a team of Bristol City women’s football, Bristol Ladies at its Bristol headquarters, which acts as a more than 80 employees, it also has a rugby, Bristol Jets badminton and Bristol shop-front for its clients. second office in Hyderabad, India. Sport Racing. Appsbroker Swindon Appsbroker is the largest Google BrightPearl Bristol Cloud-only practice in Europe, priding itself Few traditional sectors are being on “delivering extraordinary experiences” evolved by incoming digital to clients. In recent years it has worked technologies quite as rapidly as retail. with clients such as John Lewis, Royal Bristol-based Brightpearl offers Mail, PwC, Santander, Vodafone and the retailers on both sides of the Atlantic Football Association. The Swindon-based the chance to tap into the ecommerce business was founded to target a gap in revolution by providing efficient the market left by traditional system inte- digital retail management platforms grators that sold software, hardware and that put order and inventory, professional services separately, leaving financial, point-of sale, and customer clients to manage the risk of owning and relationship management data in one running their applications. The business place. has now moved several hundred thousand Under the leadership of Dublin- users, to the Google Cloud. born chief executive Derek O’Carroll, in the past couple of years the busi- Blu Wireless Bristol ness has moved towards providing With 5G integration already under way at support to increasingly large retailers a test level, Blu Wireless is disrupting the making the leap toward digital sales. market with what is technically known as

30 | insider OCTOBER 2019

p29-40 Most Exciting.indd 30 16/09/2019 16:28 SPONSORED BY

INTERACTION

Interaction is a leading South West ofﬁce design and ﬁt-out expert.

For more than 27 years we have been creating unique workplaces that positively enhance a company’s culture, values, wellbeing and profitability. Through placing people at the centre of each design, we tailor our service to meet the needs and aspirations of our clients, successfully achieving their vision. Every project, every client and British Corner Shop Yate every space deserve to be unique, that is why we believe there is British Corner Shop (see International no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to workplace design. Meet the Business of the Month feature, p48), established in 1999, specialises in exporting British-branded food and drink to consumers, retailers and wholesalers SMITH & WILLIAMSON overseas. Smith & Williamson is one of the UK’s top ten accounting firms innovators It began life sending boxes of HP and a leading investment management business, operating from Sauce and Heinz Baked Beans to ex-pats 12 offices including Bristol, Salisbury and Southampton. We offer ser- yearning for familiar tastes from home, but vices to ambitious businesses and their owners across the financial since being bought 15 years ago by former advisory spectrum, with many having international connections. Hewlett Packard process development Our services include audit, accountancy, transaction support, tax manager Mark Callaghan, the business planning and wealth management. We believe in building close, has scaled up to take in wholesale long-term relationships with our clients, many of whom have been with us for generations where we have dealt with longer term opportunities around the globe – selling succession issues and financial planning for exit or retirement. direct to shops as far afield as the Amer- icas, the Middle East and Far East. It has recently won deals worth £15,000 in Hong Kong and South Korea with the support of THRINGS an Export for Growth bursary. Its partner- Thrings is the go-to law firm for growing businesses. Anticipating ship in Saudi Arabia is worth £130,000. our clients’ future needs, we pride ourselves on enabling growth and success. We support businesses from startup to household name Bofa International Poole and, as leaders in mid-market corporate transactions in the South of England, Thrings can help secure the finance needed to achieve It has, by anyone’s standards, been a a company’s full potential. remarkable few years for BOFA Internation- From our bases in Bristol, Bath, Swindon, London and Romsey, al. Stricter health and safety regulations our specialist teams of commercial and private client lawyers help to across the world have helped the double ensure security and prosperity for our clients, advising on company Queen’s Award-winning manufacturer to a structures, sales, acquisitions, commercial premises, employment, record turnover. In the year to 31 May succession planning and more. 2018, the extractor and air filtration manufacturer’s parent company, SHOO 788AA, registered a turnover of £27.3m, up from UWE BRISTOL £25.1m in the previous year. UWE Bristol has a global outlook, with more than 30,000 students The Dorset-based company also and strong industry connections with some 1,000 employers. expanded its operations in Europe with Research at UWE Bristol focuses on real world challenges and a new office in Germany and a business making a difference to our cities and regions. Through our education, development function in Poland. But the research and enterprise activities, we create jobs, positively impact areas of local deprivation, transform local services and empower real landmark moment came when, follow- people from all socio-economic backgrounds to fulfil their potential. ing the end of the year, 88 per cent of the UWE Bristol is ranked 28th in The Guardian league table, 11th in company was acquired by New York Stock the UK for student satisfaction, and has been awarded the highest Exchange-listed Donaldson, providing an GOLD rating in the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes exit for LDC which backed a £23m man- Framework (TEF) 2018. agement buyout of the business in 2015.

Cardstream Taunton WESTON COLLEGE Taunton-based Cardstream is revolu- Weston College is passionate about creating brighter futures; not tionising the white label online payment just for learners, but also for our employer network – where we sector with its technology under the aim to help businesses grow by developing their exiting staff and leadership of Adam Sharpe, who is also enabling the discovery of new talent. As an award-winning college we work with more than 2,500 employers. Our team of experts offers a semi-professional racing car driver. In assistance in sourcing funding, building bespoke training packages, 2005 he became the youngest Brit to and matching students to your business. Other opportunities grace the podium at Le Mans at the age include offering apprenticeships, industry placements, guest of 21. Having enjoyed his ﬁrst entrepre- lectures, ‘real-life’ projects, training to support inclusion in the work- neurial adventure while at university selling place, pre-employment programmes to ﬁnd new recruits, or working mini-moto motorbikes to fellow students, with the offender learning programme to employ ex-offenders. Sharpe turned down the opportunity to

insider OCTOBER 2019 | 31

p29-40 Most Exciting.indd 31 16/09/2019 16:28 p29-40 Most Exciting.indd 32 16/09/2019 16:28 SPONSORED BY

manage a racing team to focus on building his family’s fledgling payments business. While he still races in his spare time, his key focus for the past six years has been on Cardstream, which Sharpe has transformed from a prototype into the UK’s largest provider of white label payment software and services. Unlike its competitors, who jealously guard their intellectual property, Card- stream shares its cutting-edge technology far and wide, creating rapid market entry pathways for partners, who control how they brand and deploy it. As a result, the company processes millions of transactions each year and enjoyed year-on-year Boston Tea Party Bristol growth of 60 per cent in 2015; 75 per cent Café chain Boston Tea Party enjoyed record profits following on from a year in which in 2016; and 92 per cent in 2017. it implemented a complete ban on disposable takeaway cups in what was univer- sally acknowledged as an incredibly brave move for a coffee shop. According to Caleno Drinks Bristol managing director and founder Sam Roberts, the ban on disposable cups hit The journey for founder Ellie Webb began the company’s takeaway trade by 25 per cent, or £250,000. Despite the reduction, in January 2017. She was on a night out Roberts said the company is in a strong position for growth due to its unique in Bristol with friends and was the desig- position and is set for record profits in the current financial year. In the year to nated driver, left drinking Diet Coke as her 24 October 2018, turnover was £17.4m, up from £16.8m 12 months earlier. However, friends ordered a range of different drinks. it slipped to a small operating loss of £16,761 during the period. Roberts told Insider Coming from a background in the alco- the company received “a great deal of brand love and consumer loyalty” driven by hol industry, it got her thinking – why isn’t the fact it was the first to take the ultimate sustainable leap for a café. there greater choice for the non-drinkers in bars? She was further inspired by a holiday to Colombia the following year when she saw that non-alcoholic cocktails need not be dull. When Webb got home she got mixing, and Caleño Drinks was born. With anticipated turnover of £500,000 in the next year, with just two employees, the Bristol-based business is growing rapidly. Complete Control Bath It started with Glynn Hayward working on a computer in the bedroom of his Keynsham Computershare Bristol home. But now the Complete Control digital When it comes to big global players in the South West we all naturally think about agency is one of the area’s great success the aerospace sector with the likes of Airbus, Rolls-Royce or GKN, the digital stories. Hayward and his growing team of sector with the likes of Aardman Animations, Cray or Oracle, or indeed manufacturing digital creatives have worked with some with Imperial Brands, Thatchers Cider or Renishaw. But we shouldn’t forget the major of the best known characters in children’s role financial services plays in the region and few businesses have quite as impres- media – from Charlie and Lola and the sive a global reach as Computershare – a company with a market capitalisation Teletubbies to Dennis the Menace and the of around £6bn, managing more than 125 million customer records. Its UK head- Go Jetters. The team specialises in moving quarters, in south Bristol is the company’s hub for not only the UK but also Ireland, established characters into the digital realm, the Channel Islands and Africa – representing around 20 per cent of the company’s with spin-off websites, apps, games and av- global business. The company is listed on the Australian stock exchange. Last year it atars – though their own original characters reported annual revenue of £1.25bn globally, and profits of more than £350m. who exist only in the digital realms are also proving popular with youngsters.

insider OCTOBER 2019 | 33

p29-40 Most Exciting.indd 33 16/09/2019 16:29 Achieve more with Executive Education

Develop the skills and knowledge Contact us To ﬁnd out more about our executive you and your business need education programmes.

• Leadership and Innovation +44 (0)117 32 81043 • Coaching and Mentoring [email protected] • Finance and Project Management uwe.ac.uk/ExecEd • Marketing and Customer Experience

In addition to our short professional courses, we can customise our programmes to suit your business needs.

p29-40 Most Exciting.indd 34 16/09/2019 16:29 SPONSORED BY

industries. Some 85 per cent of the company’s output is exported – and a Dovu Bristol large part of that is to the USA, with the Bristol-based Dovu is a block- business having received support from chain-powered cryptocurrency aimed JPL Nasa in order to ensure their products at the connected transport sector. are NASA compliant for space missions. Achieve more with Irfon Watkins, who founded and The company’s “waveguide” products ran Bristol-based video advertising and solutions for international microwave company Coull until its sale in 2016, and millimeter-wave markets are used launched his digital cryptocurrency by a range of sectors, including defence, Executive Education in late 2017, with a sale of 63 million telecommunications and weather digital tokens that only exist as a forecasting as well as space technology. concept in a digital ecosystem, but almost immediately generated a Five AI Bristol theoretical value of around £50m. Five AI is a leader in research into artificial Initially Watkins and his co-founders intelligence (AI), engineering, and mobility. were hoping to create an app that Most excitingly, the business is building would gather the data generated by the software they hope will make shared the onboard computers in modern self-driving mobility a reality in Europe. cars around engine performance, The business boasts it has assembled but they then started to look at how some of the brightest minds in AI, motor manufacturers might be able computer vision, prediction and robotics to reward drivers for returning that in order to achieve genuine tech disruption data for analysis. in the years ahead. Foregenix Marlborough Cubex Bristol also assisted by higher wind volumes in Foregenix is a cyber security company, Led by Gavin Bridge, a former Insider its generating portfolio. Led by Dale Vince, which protects clients across many Property Personality of the Year, Bris- Ecotricity was one of the pioneers of industries including fintech, retail and tol-based developer Cubex’s influence providing sustainable energy alternatives e-commerce, hospitality, travel and insur- on the property sector this year has been to consumers. The business also runs a ance, as well as government institutions immense, cutting across residential and network of electric vehicle charging points across the globe. Founded in 2009 by commercial. The Aurora building is the first under the Electric Highway banner. Benjamin Hosack and Andrew Bontoft, the BREEAM outstanding-rated office outside business, based in Marlborough, Wiltshire, of London and as a speculative develop- Flann Microwave Bodmin has grown to a team of around 100 people ment it sent headline rents soaring in the Bodmin-based Flann Microwave makes operating from seven offices across the city centre, proving that if you build it they cutting edge radio frequency technology globe. As well as its security products, will come. The developer plans to repeat for the aerospace, defence and space the business also has a consultancy the success with 100,000sq ft Halo office at the former fire station site across the road. Following the success of the Finzels Gapsquare Bristol Reach regeneration in the city centre , Bristol-based Gapsquare has devel- Cubex is leading the Frome Gateway oped software to allow organisations project to create a new community on a to easily analyse their gender pay gap significant area of largely industrial land – capturing the zeitgeist as well as Contact us either side of the river Frome. any business in the region today. Develop the skills and knowledge Zara Nanu, founder of Gapsquare, To find out more about our executive Ecotricity Stroud points out that currently the gender you and your business need education programmes. Last year, turnover surged by almost pay gap in the UK is around 18 per £50m at Ecotricity Group in what directors cent and it’s been there for quite a • Leadership and Innovation +44 (0)117 32 81043 described as a significant turnaround for few years. The World Economic Forum • Coaching and Mentoring the Gloucestershire-based green energy estimates it will be around 217 years [email protected] business. In the year to 30 April 2018, before the gender pay gap is closed. • Finance and Project Management uwe.ac.uk/ExecEd turnover at Ecotricity Group climbed from For Nanu, the idea was to bring • Marketing and Customer Experience £126.5m to £175.7m. The increase was together technology and data science mainly due to strong trading performance with companies’ payroll and HR data In addition to our short professional courses, we can in the Stroud-headquartered group’s to help close the gap within 20 years. customise our programmes to suit your business needs. electricity and supply business and was

insider OCTOBER 2019 | 35

p29-40 Most Exciting.indd 35 16/09/2019 16:29 GROUP

Walk in my shoes, s through my eyes, understand my cha enges.

Uniquely placed in the industry, Smith & Williamson has been combining: • tax; • accounting; • fi nancial planning; and • investment management services for over a century. As everyone’s fi nancial needs are diff erent, we work closely with our clients to provide a bespoke service — with direct access to a team of professionals from each service area, who can give specialist advice on a wide range of fi nancial issues. To fi nd out more, please contact Peter Ball, Partner, Smith & Williamson LLP on 0117 376 2130 [email protected] smithandwilliamson.com/challenges

You &

The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and investors may not receive back the original amount invested. © Smith & Williamson Holdings Limited 2019. Smith & Williamson LLP regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales for a range of investment business activities. A member of Nexia International. Smith & Williamson Financial Services Limited authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Smith & Williamson Investment Management LLP authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate all of the products and services referred to in this document, including Tax, Assurance and Business Services. The word partner is used to refer to a member of Smith & Williamson LLP.

p29-40 Most Exciting.indd 36 16/09/2019 16:29 GROUP

SPONSORED BY Walk in my shoes, s through my eyes, understand my Haynes Publishing Yeovil They have been a part of the landscape of our lives for decades, cha enges. but for J Haynes the iconic Haynes Manuals created by his late father GripIt Fixings Melksham John while still a schoolboy in the The Wiltshire-based DIY component company found fame 1950s and developed into something Uniquely placed in the industry, when it was backed by Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden, of a national institution in the ensuing Smith & Williamson has been combining: and is continuing its growth with a recent £1m crowdfunding decades, were a part of the very fabric • tax; campaign. The company sells its products in more than 6,500 of his world as he was growing up. • accounting; stores in 32 countries. Founder and managing director Since replacing his father as chief • fi nancial planning; and Jordan Daykin developed the GripIt plasterboard fixing product executive of the Somerset-based with his grandfather when he was just 13 years old. business back in 2010, J Haynes has • investment management services for taken the brand to new levels. Not over a century. only are they now much-loved in the As everyone’s fi nancial needs are diff erent, UK, Haynes Manuals are available we work closely with our clients to provide a team, which draws its specialists from China, Graphcore has raised more than in almost every country in the world. bespoke service — with direct access to a team backgrounds including law enforcement, $300m (£243) in funding to date. The busi- The group has also diversified to take of professionals from each service area, who counter-terrorism and digital security, ness is currently in a stage of rapid growth in everything from men’s health to can give specialist advice on a wide range of and carries out forensic investigations, and tripled the size of its team last year. Thomas the Tank Engine and the ss fi nancial issues. compliance assessments and quick Great Britain to the Millennium Falcon. To fi nd out more, please contact response services whenever a security iCOMAT Bristol Peter Ball, Partner, Smith & Williamson LLP breach occurs for hundreds of organisa- iCOMAT is a spin-out from the University on 0117 376 2130 tions around the world. of Bristol, which develops production and modules – which the business calls [email protected] manufacturing equipment for the com- “labs” – the platform taps into the end- Graphcore Bristol posites industry. Under the leadership of user’s natural competitive tendencies to smithandwilliamson.com/challenges Last year technology company Graphcore Evangelos Zympeloudis, the business has encourage ongoing learning around what completed a $200m (£162m) funding been developing the core tech for more is now a key issue for all employees of all round which values the business at $1.7bn than a decade, with a unique manufac- companies to understand. (£1.4bn). Investors included Microsoft, turing process that can produce lighter, BMW and Draper Esprit. Graphcore has stronger composites, while at the same Kaluza Bristol built a completely new kind of processor time reducing the production costs. Kaluza has developed technology that You & and software specifically designed for will enable the coordination and control machine intelligence. It generated its first Immersive Labs Bristol of millions of connected devices, creating revenues last year, just two years after the The business has developed a series of a fully distributed energy system that will company was founded. Headquartered online tutorials to allow client businesses enable a complete penetration of renewa- in Bristol, with offices in London, Oslo, to engage their staff around learning ble power. Kaluza’s mission is to securely Norway), Palo Alto, California, and Beijing cybersecurity skills. By ‘gamifying’ the connect all devices to an intelligent zero

The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and investors may not receive back the original amount invested. © Smith & Williamson Holdings Limited 2019. Smith & Williamson LLP regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales for a range of investment Trusted advis f ambitious businesses and their owners business activities. A member of Nexia International. Smith & Williamson Financial Services Limited authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Smith & Williamson Investment Management LLP authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate all of the products and services referred to in this document, including Tax, Assurance and Business Services. The word partner is used to refer to a member of Smith & Williamson LLP. insider OCTOBER 2019 | 37

p29-40 Most Exciting.indd 37 16/09/2019 16:29 THE BEST OUT-OF-THE-BOX THINKERS

thrings.com

SPONSORS OF THE 50 MOST EXCITING COMPANIES

p29-40 Most Exciting.indd 38 16/09/2019 16:29 SPONSORED BY

carbon grid while empowering the customer and supporting the grid with LettUs Grow Bristol untapped flexibility. LettUs Grow is another University of Bristol spin-out, which has developed Lightfoot Exeter a system to grow vegetables using As Ashwoods Lightfoot, the business 95 per cent less water than traditional enjoyed rapid growth across two very agriculture methods. The agricultural diverse markets, but in 2017 the com- sector consumes about 70 per cent panies demerged into two businesses of the planet’s accessible fresh water. – Ashwoods and Lightfoot, as they LettUs Grow’s aeroponic system continued to grow their profile in their grows vegetables without soil, using individual markets – electric engines for less water and delivering better flavour Ashwoods and a disruptive new automo- and faster growth. It is led by three tive technology for Lightfoot. Mark Roberts, University of Bristol graduates Charlie founder and chief executive of Lightfoot, Guy, Ben Crowther and Jack Farmer. also remains a director of Ashwoods. Light- foot’s connected car technology rewards its community of drivers using F1-style analytics to give drivers real-time feedback on how to drive their vehicles as efficiently as possible. Lightfoot connects to the engine and uses a unique system of visual and verbal nudges to keep users driving in the ‘sweet spot’. Lightfoot also offers a rewards platform that motivates drivers to sustain their new, smoother driving style. Drivers can check their score, compete in leagues, and see whether they are an ‘Elite Driver’ – eligible for exclusive prize competitions and THE BEST discounts on car insurance. OUT-OF-THE-BOX Lovehoney Bath Living DNA Frome Since Lovehoney’s modest beginnings as The Frome business has built a growing reputation internationally for its specialist a bedroom-run operation, the Bath-based THINKERS DNA-testing kits, which have ridden the ongoing wave of interest around the world retailer, manufacturer and distributor of in genealogy. sex toys has achieved impressive levels Through parent company DNA Worldwide, the business covers everything from of growth, reaching a turnover of £92.9m paternity testing to workplace drug testing, and for husband and wife leadership and profits of more than £11m in the thrings.com team David Nicholson and Hannah Morden-Nicholson, the sheer potential for financial year ending April 2018. A what the business can do commercially in the DNA sphere in the years to come is game-changer for the brand was when clearly an exciting prospect – not least in terms of the healthcare sector, where exclusive rights to develop products DNA testing could increasingly offer medics insight into a patient’s pre-disposition inspired by the Fifty Shades of Grey towards certain illnesses. series was secured, and again after When most young businesses outgrow their space, they look to relocate into negotiating entry into the US and Australi- something a bit more roomy nearby. But when Nicholson and Morden realised there an markets. was simply nothing suitable in the Somerset market town, they took a more imagina- The Queen’s Award-winning business tive route – opting instead to turn developer by building their own business centre. appointed a new chief executive with The result, the Frome Business Park, offers not only ample space for them to grow the co-founders stepping back from the their DNA business, but also room to take on a range of other growing businesses day-to-day running of the company. as tenants. Former Sainsbury’s and Heineken marketing director Sarah Warby has been brought

SPONSORS OF THE THE BEST OUT-OF-THE-BOX THINKERS 50 MOST EXCITING COMPANIES

insider OCTOBER 2019 | 39

p29-40 Most Exciting.indd 39 16/09/2019 16:29 HELPING EXCITING COMPANIES ACROSS THE REGION TO DEVELOP THEIR WORKFORCE

At Weston College we are passionate about creating brighter futures – for learners and businesses. Our award winning college has a wide offer to help you grow and identify future talent.

SUPPORT WITH ACCESSING FUNDING

BESPOKE TRAINING TO UPSKILL STAFF

APPRENTICESHIPS

TRAINEESHIPS

INDUSTRY PLACEMENTS

WORK EXPERIENCE

LIVE PROJECT BRIEFS

EX-OFFENDER RECRUITMENT SUPPORT

SECTOR BASED WORK ACADEMIES

SUPPORT IN CREATING AN INCLUSIVE WORKFORCE

Join our business community and grow your business.

GET IN TOUCH

www.weston.ac.uk/employers Email Teaching [email protected] Excellence Call 01934 411 594 Framework

p29-40 Most Exciting.indd 40 16/09/2019 16:29 SPONSORED BY

International Aviation Academy saw the Alternative Investment Market-listed business almost effortlessly raise the necessary £1.8m. The purchase price was settled in a HELPING EXCITING COMPANIES matter of hours by a share issue on the AIM at a minimal discount. It was a key acquisition – as the ACROSS THE REGION TO businesses which has historically focused on building the hardware and software for the aviation simulator training market, has DEVELOP THEIR WORKFORCE started to create its own service offering. Plessey Plymouth At Weston College we are passionate about creating brighter futures – for learners and The Plymouth-based semiconductor businesses. Our award winning college has a wide offer to help you grow and identify company has been through a lot of chang- es over the years, but is now focused on future talent. developing and manufacturing unique light technologies. The technology it is pulling SUPPORT WITH ACCESSING FUNDING together will be applied to the likes of smart glasses, smart watches and smart BESPOKE TRAINING TO UPSKILL STAFF phones. It will also be applied to displays of various sizes – including producing an HD TV that is less than an inch across. APPRENTICESHIPS Open Bionics Bristol Open Bionics has had another remarkable year. The Bristol-based business, which Pure Planet Bath TRAINEESHIPS is developing affordable 3D-printed robotic prosthetics, has received significant Pure Planet is an independent, entrepre- press coverage around the world for, among other things, its “Hero Arm” a stylised neurial, renewable energy company, which multi-grip bionic hand. prides itself on its ability to “harness the INDUSTRY PLACEMENTS The company has also won numerous awards, including the James Dyson Award power of its members to help change for Engineering, and the $1m UAE AI & Robotics International Award for Good. the world” for the better. Pure Planet was WORK EXPERIENCE founded by Andrew Ralston, Chris Alliott and Steven Day – a group of friends who LIVE PROJECT BRIEFS in to lead the next phase of growth, Pennant Group share a desire to make a difference. which follows the acquisition of a majority International Cheltenham Their vision is to create a sustainable, stake by Telemos Capital in 2018. It may have a 60-year pedigree, but compelling, mass-market company, which EX-OFFENDER RECRUITMENT SUPPORT Richard Longhurst and Neal Slateford, Pennant Group International’s fortunes offers its members 100 per cent clean, who founded the Bath-based company in have really started to lift in the past few renewable power at affordable prices. SECTOR BASED WORK ACADEMIES 2002, will remain as directors alongside years following the arrival of Philip Walker, Philippe Jacobs and Jacob Polny from initially as chief financial officer, and from Rocketmakers Bath SUPPORT IN CREATING AN INCLUSIVE WORKFORCE Telemos Capital. 2017 as chief executive. Walker has set Rocketmakers was born out of a software about an overhaul of the business from development business, iPrinciples, which OVO Energy Bristol its apprenticeship scheme through to the started at Bath’s Innovation Centre 11 Join our business community and grow your business. Founded by chief executive Stephen make-up of its board, to make it altogether years ago. Co-founder Richard Godfrey, Fitzpatrick in 2009 to disrupt the UK energy more attractive to investors, employees who had previously worked at Microsoft market, OVO has grown rapidly over the and customers alike. for a decade, says the team enjoyed the past decade and now has more than 1.5 The results of the work of Walker and challenges of developing the business and million customers. his senior team is clearly starting to pay their Koodibook product – which allowed GET IN TOUCH Expanding into smart home services dividends. For the year to 31 December people to put together family photo albums and investing heavily in new technologies 2018, the business raised turnover to via an online portal. But as the business www.weston.ac.uk/employers including energy storage and electric £21.07m, up from £18.07m in the year prior. bedded-in, they realised it was the chal- vehicle charging, the company launched Operating profit also rose, up to £3.17m lenges of the start-up phase that appealed Email Teaching [email protected] Excellence the world’s first domestic vehicle-to-grid from £1.81m. Its acquisition of an aviation to them more than running a maturing Call 01934 411 594 Framework charger for electric vehicles last year. skills training company, Norwich-based business. So he changed direction and

WE CAN HELP YOU GROW AND IDENTIFY FUTURE TALENT GET IN TOUCH 01934 411 594 www.weston.ac.uk/employers

insider OCTOBER 2019 | 41

p29-40 Most Exciting.indd 41 16/09/2019 16:29 SPONSORED BY

Sparkol Bristol Sparkol is a growing software company based in Bristol that develops whiteboard animation tools, including its most popular product, Vide- oScribe. The business was acquired by its current chief executive, Zoe Taylor in 2018. She joined Sparkol in 2014 as chief operating officer and has been chief executive at the company RockIt Portishead since November 2016. Rockit is a portable baby rocker that fits to any pram or stroller and gently rocks to soothe babies to sleep or keep them asleep when the pram stops moving. It was the brainchild of SLG Brands Cheltenham Stewart Golf Gloucester Nick Webb, who initially developed Cheltenham-based beauty branding The first Stewart Golf product it to help his daughter Abby sleep company, SLG Brands, has enjoyed launched in 2004 was the X1 Remote, in her pram. The business has now rapid growth in recent years under the a futuristic-looking golf trolley that sold more than 30,000 Rockits and leadership of Miles Dunkley, with help from specialised in cutting edge tech- is exporting to nearly 40 countries influencers such as beauty blogger Zoella nology, on-course performance and around the world. and pop group Little Mix. The company space age looks. A golf trolley selling has seen international growth of 91.5 for more than £1,000 was unheard per cent in the past year, in which it has of at the time, yet the launch was a decided to work with founders of other launched the Johnny’s Chop Shop brand success and the company followed innovative early-stage businesses. Rocket- of men’s grooming products into 3,500 up with the £2,500 F1 Lithium in makers uses a business model that works Walmart stores in the USA and at the same 2008, which featured an integrated on different combinations of investment time opened its first Johnny’s Barber shop golf bag and folded small enough and taking a percentage of equity in a outside the UK in New York. All this while to fit in the boot of a Porsche 911. business that could be set for great things, moving the business and its 120 staff into Constant research and development and getting it to market. a new, suitably stylish, 30,000 sq ft space in new technologies and manufac- in Cheltenham’s Brewery Quarter. turing processes is the hallmark of Scisys Chippenham The business was started in Glouces- the company. The latest £1,499 X9 Satellite industry-focused software com- ter by Dunkley’s parents, Graham and Follow model is golf’s equivalent of a pany SciSys, which has its UK operations Roberta, in 1985, manufacturing cosmetic self-driving car. Historically in Chippenham and Bristol, recently won sponges used for applying foundation. the business exports ap- a €5m (£4.52m) contract to work on three Dunkley joined in 1996 and the proximately one-third of ground control segment elements of the business has been on a design-led, its production GPS System Galileo. fashion-forward trajectory ever since, to more than Galileo is Europe’s own global naviga- ultimately leading to the sale of its original 40 countries all tion satellite system, providing a global Gloucester-based manufacturing division over the world. positioning service under civilian control. last year – by which point the manufactur- The business is currently undergoing ac- ing side of the business represented just quisition by Canada-headquartered IT giant £2m of SLG’s £38m group turnover. CGI. The SciSys board announced the deal in June 2019, recommending the £78.9m Sparx Exeter deal to shareholders, pending a consulta- Sparx is an Exeter-based education-tech tion on the deal by the Competition and company, focused on delivering person- Markets Authority. alised learning experiences in maths, This was still under way at the time of primarily for secondary school students. going to press. The focus is to maintain a “teacher-centric

p29-40 Most Exciting.indd 42 16/09/2019 16:29 ADVERTISEMENT

mentality” as it goes out into different territories around the world as it develops its export offer. The platform offers daily insights into class and individual student progress by providing an instant overview to allow teachers to immediately identify trends within the classroom. TasteTech Bristol Janis Sinton has grown TasteTech, the business started by her late husband, into a thriving £6.5m operation, with its 60-strong workforce developing global innovations in the ﬁeld of food science. Its unique piece of intellectual property is based on a process of encapsulating ingredients in vegetable fat, so you had to release the ingredient by either melting the fat or chewing it – a brilliantly simple idea that had never been done in the food industry before. Ultrahaptics, Bristol Ultrahaptics is a developing technology that uses ultrasound to create tactile sensations on to users’ hands for applications as various as hospital lift controls and dashboard systems for premium car manufacturers. The business, a University of Bristol spin-out, recently acquired fellow Bristol business Leap Motion, which has created hand-tracking systems which can be embedded into any product, including virtual and augmented reality headsets. Viper Innovations Portishead Founded in 2007, the company is recognised as one of the most innovative companies within the oil and gas subsea and rail transportation sectors, winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Innovation among other industry accolades. The company’s expertise lies in control systems that monitor electrical systems in real-time, providing immediate fault detection and in the case of the subsea applications, the reinstatement of electrical insulation, remotely bringing ﬁelds back online. Viper Innovations boasts a culture of continual innovation and growth, investing 50 per cent of its engineering capability directly in research and development. Yellowdog Bristol Under the leadership of Gareth Williams, YellowDog has built technology that allows businesses to accelerate complex

insider OCTOBER 2019 | 43

p29-40 Most Exciting.indd 43 16/09/2019 16:29 SPONSORED BY

Techmodal Bristol Versarien Cheltenham The Bristol-based consultancy and It’s been a story of rapid growth for technology company offers data-driven Versarien – going from working at a bench decision support software. Founded in a garage to a business listed on the in 2005, Techmodal specialises in the London Stock Exchange employing more defence sector having worked with all UK than 100 people in the space of just a few Front Line Commands (Royal Navy, British years. Under the leadership of Neill Ricketts, Army, Royal Air Force and Joint Forces the business has grown rapidly based on Command) and the government’s the future potential for the 21st century’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) wonder material, graphene. Ricketts started department over the past 18 years. the business at the end of 2010, after a distinguished career in engineering that Wireless Innovation had seen him running businesses in the Gloucester innovative world of Formula One motor The company was founded by Phil Rouse, racing – a realm where the pursuit of ever Tony Martin and Jeff Martin, previously lighter and stronger materials is something all directors of Chronos Technology, via of a Holy Grail quest. A single graphene a management buyout in 2004. Since sheet is only as thick as a single atom, and then Wireless Innovation has gone from so is referred to intriguingly as 2D material. strength to strength, building on the organ- Being so thin, it is also transparent – but the isation’s solid reputation while expanding key thing is that despite this wafer-structure, the team to include specialists in cellular it is 200 times stronger than steel. and satellite communications. Chipside Chippenham computational processes without needing new 4,000 sq ft manufacturing facility on Chipside is a specialist software devel- to buy any new hardware, using a network the back of a successful crowdfunding opment company providing products and of computers connected via the cloud. The campaign, that saw it raise more than services to around a quarter of local and business started selling into animation £500,000. The plant in Melksham, sup- regional government traffic authorities in studios and visual effects facilities, and ports the production of online orders, as the UK. Chipside works with more than diversified into financial services last year. well as enabling the business to expand 130 local government authorities through- its retail order capabilities. The company out the UK, delivering smart city initiatives Poppy’s Picnic Melksham is planning to expand its product range to villages, towns, cities and regions. It The Wiltshire company that manufactures by launching its first cat food as well as is best known for MiPermit, a cashless uncooked dog food recently opened a expanding into Asia. parking permit app-based system. n

The next Most Exciting It’s only when you start talking about the businesses in the South West that are doing exciting things that you realise what a great wealth of innovators we have in the region. So we wanted to give an idea of the ones to watch – the organisations we consider to be the next 50 Most Exciting companies that make up the Top 100:

n Wasdell Packaging Swindon n Conlon Swindon n ProLabs Cirencester n Zentraxa Bristol n RockFish Dartmouth n Allegro Logistics Nailsea n Render Swindon n Doodle Maths Bath n Kineta Tea Dartmoor n Hawkins & Brimble n Resource Futures Bristol n Strava Bristol n CookPad Bristol Gloucester n Seasalt Falmouth n Excalibur Swindon n Novia Financial Bath n Interactive Scientiﬁc Bristol n SmarTech Energy Corsham n The Wave Bristol n Zeetta Networks Bristol n Kadlytics Bristol n Tregothnan Cornwall n Loungers Bristol n Truespeed Keynsham n Marks Out of Tenancy Bristol n Tudor Rose International n Corin Group Cirencester n Friska Bristol n Cybsafe Swindon Stroud n Bodywise Bristol n Change Real Estate Bristol n Good Energy Chippenham n Vistair Bristol n Hydrock Bristol n RFS (Regulatory Financial n Elixel Plymouth n Optimum Finance Bristol n Ultimate Finance Bristol Solutions) Swindon n Headforwards Redruth n Arkells Swindon n Aardman Bristol n Roll Along Dorset n OnCorps Bristol n Bow in the Cloud n Play Sports Network Bath n Backhouse Box n One Big Circle Bristol Malmesbury n Newland Homes Gloucester n Pieminister Bristol n Tallt Ventures Bristol

44 | insider OCTOBER 2019

p29-40 Most Exciting.indd 44 16/09/2019 16:29