12 Clusters of Tech North West Contents 12 Clusters of Tech September 2020 – August 2021 4 Regional 3 Summary 6 Introduction Established Introduction Leaders This is the story of technology in the UK. Over 12 months, London Tech Week and UK Tech Cluster Group will explore the unique ecosystems and tech trends in every region of the UK. From space tech in the South West to cybersecurity in Northern Ireland, 12 Clusters of Tech charts the companies, sectors and case studies that make up the entire UK tech landscape. 8 Scaleup 10 Ones to 12 Stories Watch Hotspot 1: HealthTech

14 Hotspot 2: E-commerce and Marketplaces 16 Hostspot 3: FinTech

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2 12 Clusters of Tech North West 12 Clusters of Tech North West 3 Regional Summary

The North West is forging an exciting future for itself through technology in the 21st century, just as it did in centuries gone by.

The North West has a long history of pioneering technologies, from being at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution to its key role in the early days of computing. And in the 21st century, the region is forging new paths, with a focus on its modern specialities such as health technology, e-commerce, and games. Already home to five digital tech unicorns, the North West is showing no signs of slowing down.

The region is attracting ever greater success is the dedicated support available to international attention, with companies like tech companies with particular specialisms. Amazon, Microsoft, and Booking Holdings Healthtech companies benefit from facilities like building presences in the North West. Alderley Park near Macclesfield and Citylabs in Homegrown successes are proving their worth . Sensor City in supports as well, whether on the public markets, such companies working with sensor technology; as THG launching one of the biggest European GCHQ’s Manchester office works to support IPOs in years, or via acquisitions like LivingLens’ startups in fields related to cybersecurity, and $26 million sale to Medallia. Sci-Tech Daresbury, near Warrington, has been encouraging ‘open innovation’ between One thing that the North West can be technologists and scientists for many decades. particularly proud of is just how widely its tech talent and entrepreneurial spirit is The North West’s increasing confidence as distributed. While the region’s biggest cities are a technology hotspot is reflected in growing unsurprisingly the focus of much attention, it’s investment activity. According to Beauhurst, not unusual to find successful tech companies there were 389 announced and 502 in small towns and villages from Cumbria to the unannounced tech investment deals in Greater Cheshire Plain, and from the Irish Sea to the Manchester alone between 2011 and 2020. Pennines. While a few regionally-focused investors once dominated dealflow, an increasing number of One reason for this is the geographic spread venture capital firms and angels with relevant of universities producing talented graduates domain expertise are now active in the area. and conducting relevant research. This means And North West companies seem increasingly that companies in places like North Lancashire successful at engaging with investors in London, report the ability to attract high-quality staff the USA, and beyond. within travelling distance. It’s likely that post- pandemic trends in remote working will only The North West has always been a region that increase the attractiveness of high quality looked out to the world with its innovations. Its companies outside large urban centres. tech sector is bringing many new ideas to life, One factor that is important to the region’s but some things never change.

4 12 Clusters of Tech North West 12 Clusters of Tech North West 5 Established Blue Prism www.blueprism.com Location: Warrington Leaders Established: 2001

When demand for automation The North West is home to some of the UK’s leading software skyrocketed in recent tech companies, including global leaders in their fields. years, Blue Prism was well-placed And they’re joined by bases for multinational giants like to capitalise on it. The company Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. invented the now widely-used term ‘robotic process automation’ which is This is no surprise. The North West boasts excellent a fundamental building block to what connections by rail and road to the rest of the UK, and it today calls ‘intelligent automation’. by air to the rest of the world. In times of normal travel, This allows businesses to expand the Manchester Airport ranks among one of Europe’s capabilities of their workforce without busiest air hubs. deploying any code. Blue Prism went public on the London Stock And the North West’s warm, friendly, but skilled, Exchange’s AIM market in 2016. ambitious, and boundlessly creative people just add to that appeal. And that’s part of the reason why when Did you know? tech companies succeed here, they often don’t move away. No matter how large they become, they maintain OF THE 14 UNICORNS their home in the region. IN THE UK, 2 WERE FOUNDED IN THE NORTH WEST AND A FURTHER 3 HAVE THG The Very Group EXPANDED TO THE REGION.

www.thg.com www.theverygroup.com The Very Group is today the UK’s largest integrated online retailer and financial services Location: Manchester Location: Liverpool provider, but its roots stretch back to the Established: 2004 Established: 1890 foundation of the Kay & Co catalogue brand more than 130 years ago. Operating the Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.com brands, the group boasts £2bn annual revenue, 1.9 million daily website visitors, THG (The Hut Group) is a vertically integrated and 4.5 million active customers. digital-first consumer brands group. It its own offerings in beauty and nutrition, as well as third-party brands, via its proprietary technology platform to an online and global customer base. Its success was reflected in its 2020 IPO, which “Our heritage is in saw the company valued at more than £5.4bn, Liverpool and we remain in the biggest UK market debut in half a decade. totally committed to the city, from where we’ve built the capability to deliver an outstanding “THG is proud to be a North West business. We are online experience for our customers. committed to contributing to the region’s economic success The wider North West has a as a major tech hub, and will do this through major direct thriving tech and digital landscape. investment into local operations, and by investing in local people” We love it here.” Matthew Moulding, founder, Chairman and CEO Carly O’Brien, Chief Marketing Officer

6 12 Clusters of Tech North West 12 Clusters of Tech North West 7 Scaleup AccessPay www.accesspay.com Location: Manchester Stories Established: 2012

AccessPay provides a secure digital The North West’s current generation of scaleups connection to over 16,000 banks and tap into the hottest technology trends in the payment schemes worldwide. The platform world. These companies forge ahead in fields like is used by thousands of companies, data, A.I., and fintech. And the region’s scaleup banks and other fintechs to automate success is reflected in the fact that almost half of their payments, collections, and treasury GP Bullhound’s Northern Tech 100 of the fastest- processes. This frees up finance functions growing Northern tech companies were based in to perform other tasks. AccessPay has the region. raised over $20m, and is backed by several leading US and UK venture capital investors. Not afraid to look beyond the region for investment, these companies serve international customer bases and provide inspiration to up-and-coming “The North West is a hive of tech innovation and we are proud to startups by showing what can be achieved from a belong to this regional ecosystem. Our very existence shows future base in the North West. talent that you don’t need to move to London to forge a successful career in fintech. It’s possible right here.” Anish Kapoor, CEO

“We wanted to be positioned at Peak the heart of a fast-moving, ever- Relative Insight changing city on the rise, and www.peak.ai Manchester is a melting pot of culture, www.relativeinsight.com It’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it; that’s the innovation and technology. Engaging with core idea behind Relative Insight’s technology that helps Location: Manchester Location: Lancaster the Northern tech scene has been a true businesses communicate better with customers and Established: 2014 Established: 2012 employees. Originally designed to support law enforcement catalyst of our success.” agencies in identifying criminals online, the software lets Richard Potter, CEO businesses analyse their unstructured language data to improve their consumer insights, optimise customer Peak enables the world’s smartest “We’ve built a experience and attract and retain the right talent. enterprise companies to put the power of AI at the centre of all commercial business with big- decision making. The Peak AI System name customers on is helping the likes of AO, ASOS and both sides of the Atlantic, PepsiCo unlock the value of their data. The company has raised around £18.5 but Lancaster is a perfect million in investment to date and was home for us. We can attract named in The Sunday Times 100 Best talented developers who Small Companies to Work For 2020. recruiters in bigger cities miss out on, while enjoying convenient travel links to London and New York.” Ben Hookway, CEO

8 12 Clusters of Tech North West 12 Clusters of Tech North West 9 Ones to Tootoot www.tootoot.co.uk Location: Manchester Watch Established: 2013

Tootoot began as an app that gives school students a discrete, confidential way of reporting issues such The people of the North West have never been as bullying and abuse. It has helped over a quarter the type to shy away from trying something new. of a million children since 2015. The app has been And as the cost of developing new products has adapted for use by sports clubs, and in 2020 Tootoot come down, a thriving tech startup culture has launched Stribe, a platform that gives employers a emerged in cities like Manchester and Liverpool. way to learn about their staff’s concerns. Startup-friendly working spaces are now commonplace all across the region, and initiatives like Barclays Eagle Labs and NatWest’s Entrepreneur Accelerator help “We based our business in the North West because of the new entrepreneurs take their first steps. The investment we could raise here, and it has been a great home likes of Liverpool’s Nova will even partner with entrepreneurs to help them get their products off for us ever since. We’re able to attract not just incredible the ground. There’s never been a better time to tech talent, but the right marketing and business professionals too.” be a North West startup. Michael Brennan, CEO

Did you know? LIVERPOOL IS HOME TO THE LARGEST 5G MMWAVE MESH NETWORK IN EUROPE Landscape Safe Steps WHICH IS CURRENTLY BEING USED TO TEST NEW SOCIAL AND HEALTHCARE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES. www.landscape.ventures www.safesteps.tech Location: Manchester Location: Liverpool Established: 2020 Established: 2018

Billed as ‘Glassdoor for VCs,’ Landscape A spin-out from R&D company Red Ninja, Safe Steps is turning the tables on the traditional began by developing software to assist care homes startup/investor power dynamic with their responses to fall-related injuries. Amid by letting founders review venture the pandemic in 2020, the company developed a capitalists and accelerators. In its first pioneering app that tracks Covid-19 outbreaks among few months, it has attracted more care home residents and coordinates their treatment than 1,000 reviews. More than 150 with health professionals. By late 2020, Safe Steps investors from across the UK, Europe, was on track to serve more than 1,000 care homes. and the US have signed up as verified partners. Reflecting just how much as “I moved to Manchester in 2017 to take service like this is needed, Landscape part in a startup accelerator, and have “The North West is a great regularly attracts media attention. called it home ever since. The startup place to build a tech company ecosystem in Manchester is going from strength as the start-up and running to strength, and I’m proud to be building costs are low, the culture is supportive Landscape here.” and the startup scene is collaborative.” Joe Perkins, Founder Lee Omar, CEO

10 12 Clusters of Tech North West 12 Clusters of Tech North West 11 Hotspot 1 Gendius www.gendius.co.uk Downloaded more than 450,000 times, Gendius’ Intellin app is the only diabetes management software to use clinical data to Location: Macclesfield calculate how the condition may develop in patients. It advises them HealthTech Established: 2015 on behavioural change, pharmacological treatment, and mental wellness techniques. Gendius has partnered with a major global pharmaceutical company for a rollout in markets around the world, and is expanding into the treatment of cardiovascular and renal With a significant presence of health conditions. industry giants like AstraZeneca in the region, it’s no surprise that the North West has emerged as a focus for much “The North West is an innovation in the field of healthtech. excellent home for healthtech But it’s not just the private sector, and companies. The ecosystem facilities like Alderley Park near Macclesfield has an innate desire to see the region and Lancaster University’s Health Innovation Campus, that has facilitated succeed, with strong engagement from this. The region’s healthtech entrepreneurs the NHS. We’re based at Alderley are attracted by the level engagement they Park, a science and innovation hub receive from the NHS at sites like Alder Hey Children’s Hospital’s Innovation Hub in that has been invaluable in helping us Liverpool, and Citylabs on the Manchester scale our business.” Central University Hospitals campus. Chris Genders, Co-Founder

Yourgene Health Push Doctor

www.yourgene-health.com www.pushdoctor.co.uk Location: Manchester Location: Manchester Established: 2013 Established: 2015

Yourgene Health develops and brings to market Push Doctor is a leading name in the products in the field of molecular diagnostics. rapid adoption of digital services by These help clinicians detect genetic conditions healthcare providers and the public. and diseases, and make predictions about Its service connects thousands of UK a patient’s future health. The company has patients each week with NHS-trained, expanded through acquisitions of businesses GMC-registered doctors, online and in Canada and Asia, and is listed on the London via smartphone. Push Doctor partners Stock Exchange’s AIM market. In 2020, it launched with the NHS across the UK to serve its a Covid-19 testing product and service for 5.4 million patients, and is rated ‘Good’ workplaces, global events, schools, and travel. by the Care Quality Commission. “We’ve had a fantastic experience as a tech startup in the North West. “Manchester is a strong hub for molecular genetics, allowing Manchester has access to some of the for valuable partnerships and knowledge-sharing. We’re best talent in the world and innovation is in its happy to be based in Citylabs, which is built for companies DNA. The city’s vibrant culture also gives it an like us and in close proximity to hospitals and universities.” edge over other business hotspots.” Joanne Cross, Director of Marketing Wais Shaifta, Chief Executive

12 12 Clusters of Tech North West 12 Clusters of Tech North West 13 Hotspot 2 Cybertill www.cybertill.com E-commerce and Marketplaces Location: Knowsley Established: 2001

Cybertill originally offered one of the first cloud- E-commerce has had a boom year in 2020, based electronic point-of-sale systems for retailers. but the North West has been a hotspot Over the years, its product has expanded to include for online selling, marketplaces, and the a CRM, and software to support merchandising, technology that supports them, for decades. warehousing, Gift Aid, and e-commerce features THG (The Hut Group), The Very Group, fast- like click-and-collect. It’s used by large and small fashion giants like Boohoo and Missguided, retailers alike in the UK, Europe, and USA. On the and second-hand retailer MusicMagpie are horizon are integrations with online marketplaces, just some of the highly successful online self-service, and multi-source data analytics. sellers based in the region.

And perhaps unexpectedly, technology to “The North West has been good to Cybertil right from the start, support this healthy regional e-commerce activity has emerged as a growing slice of the when we received local financial support to launch the business. And North West’s technology sector. Knowsley is a particularly advantageous location for us, with an easy commute from Lancashire, , and Merseyside alike.” Ian Tomlinson, CEO

“Access to great talent is critical when scaling a business. The North EKM Hiring Hub West has a thriving, maturing IT and digital ecosystem that attracts world-class www.ekm.com EKM’s ecommerce platform has served over 80,000 www.hiring-hub.com shop owners since hospital porter turned CEO people, providing tech companies in the area Location: Preston Antony Chesworth was inspired by conversations Location: Manchester with a rich supply of skilled people.” with patients to found a business that helps people Established: 2002 Established: 2010 Simon Swan, Founder & CEO achieve their dreams. Emphasising a personal connection with its customers, the company serves retailers ranging from the smallest independent shops Global agencies dominate the to well-known names like Oxfam and Lotus Cars. recruitment industry. Through its marketplace, Hiring Hub levels the playing field for smaller, specialist recruiters, making it easier for “We pride ourselves on our employers to find and work with close working relationships them, while helping those recruitment agencies meet companies that need with our customers, so the talent. The company’s latest product, North West’s warm, friendly people are Portal, lets companies view and manage a perfect fit for us. A strong pipeline of all third-party recruitment activity in one place, providing insight into metrics, talent from the region’s universities and performance, and spend. excellent travel links mean that Preston is a great home for EKM.” Antony Chesworth, CEO

14 12 Clusters of Tech North West 12 Clusters of Tech North West 15 Hotspot 3 BankiFi www.bankifi.com Location: Manchester FinTech Established: 2018

The North West has emerged as a fintech BankiFi helps banks improve their hotspot in recent years, with startups, scaleups offering to businesses, with a platform and beyond basing themselves in the region that consolidates solutions to the to address the financial services market. North admin and financial tasks faced by West fintech companies tackle verticals like SMEs. It automates admin and invoices, payments, insurance, and mortgages, as well as tracks and collects payments of any “Supporting businesses is the core back-end financial infrastructure. type and offers access to real-time, purpose of BankiFi, and the North affordable finance options. BankiFI West with its very entrepreneurial Manchester is the most-discussed focus for allows banks to make more of their regional fintech activity; a 2020 Whitecap open banking strategy and investments, spirit is a great location for our multinational Consulting report found it has the largest and is part of Tech Nation’s Fintech team. It’s also a great launch pad into a global regional fintech ecosystem in the UK. But growth programme. financial services marketplace ready to companies in this space can be found much farther afield across the North West. embrace change.” Conny Dorrestijn, Founding Partner

Bringing the simplicity of online services to the Quint Group operates four fintech businesses in the often complex process of financing the purchase consumer credit space. It has commercial operations in Mojo Mortgages of a home, Mojo Mortgages says it’s “on a mission Quint Group multiple countries, and technology hubs in the UK, China, to force everyone in the mortgage industry to and South Africa. With a mission to improve access to up their game.” The company offers customers mojomortgages.com www.pagabo.co.uk credit by scaling B2B and B2C businesses, Quint has been a selection of mortgage deals based on their recognised by the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and The Location: Macclesfield circumstances, then handles the application Location: Hull Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies to Work For. process. The company won Best Mortgage Broker Established: 2018 at the 2019 British Bank Awards. Established: 2013

“The North West is a brilliant place to operate a “The talent and entrepreneurial tech business. It’s a hive of energy in the North West business activity and experiencing region is incredible and through huge growth. There has been our continuous growth and significant investment into the innovation, we’re thrilled to contribute region, revitalising the ‘Northern to the local economy and be part of the Powerhouse’ and mobilising the regional success story.” inventive talent available.” Dawn Wood, Monevo UK Territory Director Richard Hayes, CEO

16 12 Clusters of Tech North West 12 Clusters of Tech North West 17 2020 – 2021 12 months. 12 Clusters. The whole of UK tech.

October Scotland

September November North East Northern Ireland

December Yorkshire & the Humber

April January North West

March West Midlands May East of

February Wales June London August South West July South East

18 12 Clusters of Tech North West