Lineup revealed for new Tech South West StartUp Studio
The first cohort for the new Tech South West StartUp Studio has been announced.
The programme will feature ten tech firms specialising in robotics, healthtech, advanced engineering and software development. The cohort was chosen from a shortlist of companies from across the South West including Bath, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon and Somerset.
The StartUp Studio is a fully-funded growth programme for early stage tech startups in the South West of England, delivered by Tech South West in partnership with virtual accelerator Activate and startup advisor Skowt Consulting.
Ongoing support for the cohort covering investment, grant funding, business strategy, brand, marketing and financial topics will be provided by the programme’s four partners. They are funding experts Granted Consultancy, accountancy experts Azure, audit, tax and consulting experts RSM and marketing and PR agency Astley Media.
The ten successful startups are:
- Anibotics
- Arracca
- BandLess
- Daptablade
- Storzy (MyAirStorage)
- Polypapillon
- Paranimo
- Portilius
- The PeerSpace
- Regulation Technologies
Dan Pritchard, co-founder of Tech South West, said: “Early stage companies are an essential part of the South West’s dynamic and fast-growing tech sector. We are delighted to be supporting ten of the best through the new StartUp Studio programme, helping to provide opportunities for growth, investment and future success.
“A huge thanks goes out to our fantastic partner companies who are supporting the programme: Granted Consultancy, RSM, Azure and Astley Media. And to Skowt Consulting for bringing the StartUp Studio programme to life. Their expertise and ongoing support will be invaluable to the successful delivery of the programme, and to help the first cohort of ten startups to build robust business plans and develop their proposition.”
The programme provides fully-funded opportunities for pre-seed companies to progress and develop their business through the six-week programme, working alongside a team of experts, before pitching to investors at a live event in June.
Among the cohort is the Bristol-based healthtech startup BandLess, which is pioneering a quick and accurate blood pressure estimation system using the green light sensors (PPG) already integrated into most smartwatches.
Arracca, based in Cornwall, has developed a fintech service to track, report and offset your carbon footprint as you spend.
Somerset-based startup Regulation Technologies Ltd maintains datasets of open-source UK company data and applies analytical approaches such as network algorithms and native graph machine learning. The company recently used this technology to identify a case of investment fraud that resulted in the payout of £1.3m in compensation.
Other companies in the cohort include an online platform for connecting mental health therapists with clients, a developer of robotic children’s toys, a digital marketplace for storage and parking spaces, an online import/export tool for SMEs, a 3D printing marketplace and a digital collaboration platform for engineering teams.
The companies will take part in a six-week accelerator programme delivered by startup growth specialists Activate and Skowt Consulting, as well as receiving investment advice, pitch practice and ongoing support from StartUp Studio partner companies.
Ben Cooper, MD of Bristol-based Skowt Consulting, said: “We’ve had a tremendous response and have had some tough decisions when selecting the successful startups. It’s a strong lineup and testament to the depth of talent and innovation in the South West. We’re really looking forward to the programme, supporting these companies as they hone and test their proposition and business plans, and get them ready to face investors at the live Tech South West pitch showcase.
"We’re thrilled to be working with such exciting new startups and to have the support of experts from Azure, Granted Consultancy, RSM UK and Astley Media as part of the programme."
Greg Rice, Director of Activate, said: “We are pleased to be working with Tech South West and Skowt Consulting to support these startups, help get them investor-ready and to take their business to the next level. The vitality of the tech sector depends very much upon the emergence and rapid growth of innovative and disruptive companies. ”
The programme will culminate with a live pitch event in June. StartUps can also apply to join the second cohort running later in the year.
Tech South West operates across the region to support the tech sector, with over 2500 members, and works with the likes of Engine Shed Bristol, Plymouth Science Park and TechSPARK.
