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From mentoring startups to championing cybersecurity – here’s what our ‘EEMs’ got up to in March

Kane Fulton, April 1, 2019 ⏱ 8 min read

No two days are the same when you’re a Tech Nation ‘EEM’ (that’s Entrepreneur Engagement Manager to me and you).

As explained in last month’s ‘Meet the EEMs‘ introduction post, our EEMs are on the ground in towns and cities across the UK helping to connect ambitious digital tech entrepreneurs to other founders and stakeholders. And that’s just the start.

We’ll be publishing this blog at the beginning of each month to help you discover what’s been going on in digital tech ecosystems across the country, straight from the EEMs’ mouth. (Or keyboard, more accurately.) They’ll also highlight interesting companies they’ve met, so if you’re keen on knowing about the most promising tech startups and scaleups before anybody else, this is the place to be.

Without further ado, here’s our EEM diary for March.

Jamie Hardesty – North East

What’s happening in your region?

At present there’s a North of Tyne (Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland) Mayoral race, which will see a new devolution deal take place in the region. With the deal spanning 30 years and £600m, it’ll be interesting to see how digital tech will feature in each candidate’s strategy. Additionally, Tech Nation held a consultation roundtable in Newcastle to discuss challenges facing startups in the region.

What wins have you had?

I had a great weekend mentoring at Newcastle University’s annual Startup Bootcamp, an initiative where entrepreneurial students work on taking ideas from concept to MVP over a weekend. Working on a cross-sector and organisation Statement re North East tech, I’ve spent a lot of time editing the document and showcasing local tech startups making their mark. It’s a really exciting project with collaboration at its core.

What interesting companies have you met?

I’ve met a couple of new startups this month, including Monist, Veritent and Direct Software. Interestingly they’re headed up by young founders, working on their first business. It’s been amazing to see the progress even at such initial stages. Moralbox are another company which has caught my eye; the team is great and they’re constantly growing their offering and testing the market.

North West – Mo Aldalou

What’s happening in your region?

A few things. Venture capital firm Beringea officially launched its new Manchester office and reiterated its commitment of backing ambitious, high-growth digital and tech scaleups across the North West region. GP Bullhound’s Northern Tech Awards saw three companies from the North West pick up prizes including Wejo,  Matillion and Celerity Limited. I also went along to an investment in tech event held at UKFast’s campus where three separate panels of speakers shed light on the dos and don’ts of raising cash as an early-stage digital tech startup.

What wins have you had?

I was asked to act as a judge for Prolific North’s inaugural tech awards this summer and for the Manchester regional finals of The F Factor, a startup competition that gives 14-28 and 19-25 year olds a chance to win £10,000 for their technology startup idea. I was also given the wonderful opportunity to become a member of the Liverpool City Region Digital & Creative board to discuss what can be done to further strengthen the city’s digital and tech ecosystem. Liverpool-based fintech tickr and PPC Protect in Bolton were both crowned winners of Tech Nation’s Rising Stars competition earlier this month and that’s a definite win!

What interesting companies have you met?

Too many to mention! I met with Simon Swan, founder and CEO of recruitment technology scaleup Hiring Hub. They’ve recently secured an additional investment and are enjoying a period of strong growth and expansion. I also had the pleasure of sitting down with Matt Haworth, cofounder of award-winning social enterprise Reason Digital, who focus on developing and using technology for social good and now have a team of 50 employees and counting. Meanwhile, I can’t forget my great trip to Macclesfield to see fast-growing fintech Mojo Mortgages, who’ve recently closed their Series A round. I’d also like to give a shout out to a few superb startups including Culture Shift, Wattl and Dicey Tech.

Wales – Gino Brancazio

What wins have you had?

Talks, talks, talks! I was invited to talk about innovation in tech at the Natwest Accelerator Hub. I was also invited to join a panel at a Digital Women Wales event, which was about mentoring. Finally, I presented Tech Nation’s offering to the newly formed Coworking Collective – a group of the big Welsh coworking spaces and universities.

What interesting companies have you met?

I met a few interesting companies including the CEO of Resooma, which is doing interesting things in the property rental industry. Additionally, I sat down with the CEO of Nightingale, a Data Science company, and met the head of product at CareerCake.

Yorkshire – Jem Henderson

What’s gone on in your region this month?

We’ve recently won the Channel 4 bid which means their digital and creative output will be built in Leeds. We also saw the opening of Leeds University’s Nexus hub. The business hub will see academia and enterprise work more closely together. It’s also been announced that we’re going to be getting a British Library North here at some point.

What wins have you had?

I gave a talk at Coventry University Scarborough (that’s me in the picture right at the top, purple hair and all!) to a cohort of computer engineering and cyber security students who were keen to hear about Tech Nation, working in tech and the all important question – which is the best Star Trek film? I’ve also been helping out with the local (and not so local) Tech Nation Rising Stars champions, connecting them to finance, mentoring and more.

What interesting companies have you met?

I interviewed Merlin Burrows – a tech startup in Harrogate who use satellite technology to find buried and lost treasure, including their recent find of the Bonhomme Richard off the coast of Filey. I also spoke to some chaps in Leicester who are hoping to open a coworking space after an intro by our Midlands EEM Naomi to give them the dos and don’t from my experience.

South West – Vicky Hunter

What’s gone on in your region this month?

I attended a very interesting panel talk about inclusive growth with Clare Reddington, creative director and CEO of Watershed, who hosted. The panel saw plenty of insightful examples of how companies have benefitted by embedding diversity practises into their organisations.

What interesting companies have you met?

Lettus Grow is my favourite from this month – they’re young, ambitious and seemingly going places. I really think these are ones to watch, and I hope we see them on a Tech Nation programme by the end of the year. I enjoyed meeting Resooma when visiting Wales – Dan the founder commutes between London and Cardiff and is also familiar with (and a fan of) Bristol’s tech scene, which goes down well with me.

London – Eoin Marsh

What’s gone on in your region this month?

It’s London – there’s about a million things! I can give you a highlight – Vicky (our EEM based in the South West) and I attended the Digital Impact Awards which showcased the great work being done within Tech for Good.

What’s gone on in your region this month?

I worked with Gary, our Northern Ireland EEM, to introduce Bluesona to our Fintech team.  I also put them in touch with contacts at Tech Nation’s Insurtech Standards launch event, pictured above. Additionally, I visited the Belfast ecosystem and connected with a number of startups in Northern Ireland, which was awesome. Finally, I gave an overview of the latest Tech Nation updates to an IoT event hosted at Digital Catapult in the capital.

What interesting companies have you met?

Virti is a really interesting company I met in March. They’re using AR/VR and applying it to medical and surgical education.

Midlands – Naomi Watts

What’s gone on in your region this month?

Helping to close the gender gap in digital, DIDFEST (Diversity in Digital Festival) launched on International Women’s Day with over 50 events throughout the month. On a completely unrelated note, this month I learnt that Leicester’s startup community doesn’t have a coworking space, which is unbelievable considering its size.

What wins have you had?

I had my first speaking opportunity which went really well. It was at a meeting for ICEAW – a ‘meet the tech community’-type occasion. This proved very productive and has opened up new avenues to reach scaling tech companies in the West Midlands. The second was at the ICAV (International connected autonomous vehicles) Cluster event on CAV, AI and Optimisation. I was able to give an overwiew of everything Tech Nation offers to a packed house.

What interesting companies have you met?

I met up with founder and CEO at Opinsta, a scaleup that has grown significantly in the last few years and has nearly 20 staff, with clients all over the world. I’ll not say too much as I’ll be sharing an interview with them later in the month, but they have some really big customers and have raised significant money for a Birmingham company.

Northern Ireland – Gary Davidson

What’s gone on in your region this month?

This month I attended Digital DNA Awards 2019, the largest tech awards hosted every year in Northern Ireland. Tech Nation’s Entrepreneur Success Director Mike Jackson and I were invited by the local Barclays Eco Lab manager to witness some of Northern Ireland’s leading tech players and celebrate our fantastic talent pool.

What wins have you had?

I helped put on the Startup World Cup at the Ormeau Baths space in Belfast. It was incredible! Companies applying to pitch were judged on scaling potential and ability to showcase Northern Ireland on a global platform. As said in a Tech Nation article, I was asked to get involved about six months ago on the strength of my local network and understanding of the local ecosystem. It was a really awesome thing to be involved in and we packed out the house.

What interesting companies have you met?

PayHere is a fintech startup based in Ormeau Baths in Belfast. A member of Ignite’s current pre-accelerator cohort, they’re focused on improving the recurring payment market and were recently mentioned on Product Hunt.

Community, London, Midlands, North East, North West, Northern Ireland, South West, Wales, Yorkshire