Northern Tech awards winners revealed
European technology investment bank GP Bullhound has revealed the winners of the Northern Tech Awards 2017.
The awards recognised the entrepreneurs and businesses leading growth of the northern digital economy over the past year.
The winners were selected by a panel of high-profile judges, including Richard Flint, chief executive of Sky Betting and Gaming, David Rowan, former editor of WIRED UK, and Carol Kane, co-chief executive and co-founder of Boohoo.
The Hut Group was awarded the Overall Judges’ Award, in recognition of its “outstanding innovation, leadership and international impact” in the e-commerce sector.
Hugh Campbell, managing partner of GP Bullhound, said: “The tech sector in the North is more robust than ever and high profile transactions will continue establishing the region’s reputation as a home for profitable tech companies, a real depth of talent and genuine software innovation.”
The full list of award winners is:
Fastest Growing Company – The Car Buying Group
Fastest Growing Larger Company – Evolution Funding
Local Hero Award – Dynamo North East
Northern Star – Air Time Rewards
Judges’ Innovation Award – Zero light
Judges’ Award for International Success – Interact
Judges’ Leadership Award – Godel Technologies
Tech4Good Award – Reason Digital
Young Entrepreneur Award – The Floow
Overall Judges’ Award – The Hut Group
Manchester’s Interact wins International Success award
Interact, a global provider of enterprise intranet software, was presented with the Judge’s Award for International Success, and was up against some stiff competition for the award.
Although Interact has been established in the UK market for more than 10 years, it has enjoyed growth in recent years, which is largely down to success in the US.
In 2016, Interact opened a San Francisco office in addition to its operation in New York, and this year the firm expects US revenue to overtake the UK for the first time.
Simon Dance, UK CEO says: ‘We saw our global revenues triple from 2013 to 2016, and although the UK has made a significant contribution to this, it’s our growth in the US that is now giving us the biggest acceleration. By 2020 we predict global revenue to grow by 400 percent, two-thirds of which will come from the US.’
Interact were also recognised as one of the Top 50 Fastest Growing Technology Companies at the ceremony last night, alongside some of the North of the UK’s most exciting tech enterprises.
The award comes a month after Interact was named one of the UK’s top 50 pioneering late stage tech companies as part of Tech City UK’s Future Fifty program, and heralds an exciting time for the Manchester-based company.
Newcastle firms triumph at Northern Tech Awards with two top prizes
Virtual reality specialist Zerolight and regional support hub Dynamo both walked away with awards.
Virtual reality company Zerolight was presented with the Judges’ Innovation Award while regional tech body Dynamo received the Local Hero Award.
Zerolight uses virtual reality software to allow petrolheads to customise luxury cars before they purchase them. The tech has been adopted by Italian hypercar manufacturer Pagani to promote its new Huayra Roadster and last year was named as a strategic partner to Audi.
Dynamo, which was founded by local entrepreneur Charlie Hoult, dedicates its time to growing the North East’s tech sector. The organisation works to fill IT vacancies, train apprentices, and encourage inward investments.
Richard Flint, CEO of Sky Betting and Gaming and judge at the awards, said: “The awards have shown just how strong the tech sector is in the North. The rapid growth achieved by so many of these fantastic companies is testament to the innovation and ingenuity present in the region.”
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