We’re part of the 2018-19 Future Fifty programme from Tech City UK
We’re very excited to announce that we’re once again part of the Tech City UK’s Future Fifty programme for 2018-19. We’ll be joining a new cohort of 50 fastest-growing, late-stage UK companies!
Tech City UK has announced 26 new companies that are joining its Future Fifty programme, which showcases and supports 50 of the country’s leading growth stage companies.
Future Fifty gives 26 fast-growing companies immediate access to a valuable peer network; expert-led classes and workshops designed to take their businesses to the next levels; and a higher profile amongst the wider tech ecosystem. Future Fifty companies represent some of the country’s most exciting growth stage tech businesses, while changing the sectors that they operate in fundamentally.
All 26 companies have been identified by a highly experienced and respected judging panel made up of some of the most successful entrepreneurs and investors in UK tech. They believe these companies have the potential to scale rapidly and build significant businesses.
“We’re honored to once again be recognized as an innovative and rapidly progressing organization in the tech sector,” says Interact CEO, Simon Dance.
“The past 2 years have been our fastest growing yet, with 2017 closing with 45% YoY growth for Interact. We’ve cemented New York as our US HQ, moving to larger offices as the international side of the business continues to grow, and we’re now aiming to grow our global headcount by 30% in 2018.
“However, Manchester remains our home and headquarters, with all our development undertaken in-house here. All our achievements have been made without outside investment, a true testament to both our product and our people. We’re excited to see what the coming 12 months will bring for the business.”
The full list of Future Fifty companies is below (1 – 26 are new companies, 27 – 50 existing companies).
New companies:
- BigChange Apps is the Paperless way to Plan, Manage, Schedule and Track any mobile workforce.
- Biosite Systems provide integrated solutions designed to help manage, monitor and maximize safety and security on construction sites.
- Captify Technologies powers decisions globally through Search Intelligence.
- Checkout offers online payment solutions and consultative services to help companies grow and become greater.
- Click Travel reduce the cost and complexity of business travel management through the use of technology.
- CloudSense enables leading organizations worldwide to sell more, launch faster and reduce costs by providing seamlessly connected digital-first customer experiences.
- Darktrace Ltd uses machine learning and AI algorithms to detect and respond to cyber-threats across diverse digital environments.
- EDITED help fashion retailers have the right product at the right price at the right time by giving the most important people in those businesses the information they need to beat the market.
- Egress Software Technologies Ltd provides an on-demand collaboration service to enable businesses to share information securely.
- Featurespace uses anomaly detection to analyze complex behavioral data in real-time for fraud and risk management.
- Firefly Learning is the online tool that brings together teachers, students and parents.
- Infectious Media partners with global brands to deliver effective and efficient media campaigns.
- Ixaris Ltd enables businesses to profit from the payments they make.
- LendInvest develops technology that alleviates pain points in the mortgage application journey, making the process of getting a mortgage simpler, faster and more efficient.
- Masabi Ltd is the London-based global leader in mobile ticketing and innovative fare collection for public transport, turning user’s smartphones into both ticket machine and ticket in cities around the world.
- Memrise Limited enables you to learn a new language with games, humorous chatbots and over 30000 native speaker videos.
- MPB Group has revolutionized the experience of selling unwanted photographic equipment, offering a market leading price, hassle-free selling process and instant payment.
- OakNorth is a UK bank that provides fast, flexible and accessible debt finance (from GBP500k to GBP20m) to small and medium-sized enterprises.
- OpenSignal is a mobile analytics company modernizing how the wireless industry measures network performance.
- Paddle.com offers software companies a single platform that solves every part of the software sales process.
- Semafone provides software to contact centers so they can take personal data securely over the telephone.
- SIMBA is disrupting the global sleep market with their direct-to-door omnichannel retail model and award-winning one-type-fits-all hybrid mattress.
- SportPursuit showcases the best specialist sports and outdoor brands in week-long sales at prices that are not available anywhere else.
- Trouva is the destination for shopping the world’s best independent shops, enabling customers to discover homeware and accessories you cannot find elsewhere.
- UKCloud is the power behind UK public sector technology. It provides a wide range of the multi-cloud platforms for the exclusive use of organizations within the public and healthcare sector in the UK.
- ZappiStore is the most transformative, automated platform for buying cost-effective research services at lightning speed.
Of the 77 companies that have been through the programme since 2014, Future Fifty’s track record now includes:
- Five IPOs on the London Stock Exchange
- 23 M&A’s of which 7 in the last year, including MatchesFashion.com (acquired $1bn), JustGiving (acquired $120m) and Shazam (acquired $400m).
- Over $5.5bn raised in funding, including $1.7 billion in 2017
- The companies have created 27,000 jobs around the world, demonstrating the extent to which tech is rapidly creating jobs and wealth throughout the UK, and have offices in 59 countries
- A string of alumni companies that are household names including Just Eat and Zoopla.
Existing companies
- Azimo is an online international money transfer service that allows people to send money to any internet-connected device in over 190 countries
- Blis uses location data technology to create audiences for advertisers
- Bloom And Wild provides flower delivery through the letterbox
- Carwow is the most convenient, stress free way to find and buy a new car.
- ClearScore is a company that provides free access to credit scores and reports
- Condeco helps companies manage their meeting and office spaces more effectively
- Ebury is a financial services company that helps small and medium enterprises grow internationally with foreign exchange, business lending and cash management solutions
- EposNow is a point-of-sale software and hardware provider that automates small business banking
- Festicket is an online marketplace to discover and book musical festival experiences
- Gousto provides innovative recipe boxes with pre-portioned ingredients packaged and delivered to the door each week
- Interact intranet provides intranet software and professional services to help companies solve internal communication and collaboration challenges
- Kano creates computers and coding kits for all ages
- LoveCrafts is an online community and marketplace for the crafts sector
- MyUnidays connects brands and services to a verified audience of students around the world
- Onfido is an identity verification platform that helps over 1,000 companies ensure their customers are who they claim to be
- Receipt-bank automates small business bookkeeping
- Roli is a music technology company that makes a modular music creation system that opens up new possibilities for musical expression
- Tails is an online pet nutrition service that makes and delivers tailormade food for an individual dog’s unique diet and nutritional needs
- Thread is an e-commerce company that uses human stylists and machine learning to help men dress well without going shopping
- ThreadsStyling is a company reinventing luxury goods commerce for the Snapchat generation
- SpitfireAudio provides virtual instruments to composers and producers to produce and earn royalties on quality musical samples
- Superawesome powers a kid-safe digital media ecosystem with products that are designed for kids’ data privacy requirements
- SwoonEditions is an online furniture brand that works directly with suppliers to provide better quality products at a better price than traditional retailers
- TrakGlobal is a telematics company that uses embedded devices to gather data and manage driver risk
Parveen Dhanda, Programme Lead for Future Fifty at Tech City UK, said: “We’re delighted to welcome 26 new exceptional high- growth companies onto the Future Fifty programme for 2018, and to welcome back 24 of last year’s experienced participants. The Future Fifty class of 2018 includes companies from right across the UK, operating in sectors as diverse as cutting-edge fintech solutions, and innovative music hardware. But all these companies face common challenges in scaling their teams and operations and share an ambition to build world-beating global digital businesses.
“The Future Fifty will get access to some of the world’s leading innovators and experts in the form of our advisors and partners, and join a powerful network of the UK’s fastest-growing late-stage digital businesses, working to grow further, faster, together.”
Gerard Grech, CEO, Tech City UK, said: “In the tech sector, small and growing businesses are providing high-quality jobs, employment to more than a million people and great career paths. Future Fifty helps 50 of the UK’s most promising businesses to accelerate their growth and shows how Tech City UK, soon to be Tech Nation, can connect ambitious people and companies across the country.
“By sharing knowledge and expertise Tech Nation can help these exciting businesses build faster and compete on the world stage. The prize for backing ambitious tech companies is huge: average salaries are almost GBP51,000, 44% higher than the average non-digital salary and the digital tech turnover of the UK is now worth GBP170bn and increasing all the time.”
Margot James, Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, said: “Congratulations to all those selected to join this fantastic scheme which aims to help some of the UK’s brightest and most innovative digital businesses expand. We’re working hard to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a digital business, filled with high-skilled, well-paid jobs of the future.”
