South West scale-ups follow Deliveroo on Tech Nation's Future Fifty

Three South West firms have been accepted on to Tech Nation’s prestigious Future Fifty growth acceleration programme.

Bristol cybersecurity business Immersive Labs and the city’s interactive technology company Ultraleap are joined by Bath-based renewable energy supplier Pure Planet in the 22 new entrants to join the accelerator this year.

Future Fifty is designed for late-stage UK tech scale-ups and counts Bulb, Deliveroo, Monzo and Starling Bank among its alumni.  Since its inception, the 131 companies that have taken part have collectively raised $11bn, with nine – including Deliveroo – going on to list on the stock market.

The three firms are among the fastest-growing in the South West. According to Tech Nation, Bristol is the UK’s third largest UK tech hub and has raised £339mn in VC investment past year, while the South West is currently home to two unicorns – businesses that are valued at more than $1bn.

Ultraleap, which specialises in haptics and hand tracking software, has developed  a way to make public touchscreens touchless in a bid to help businesses continue operating without spreading germs during Covid-19. Pure Planet is is a Which? recommended energy provider in 2020 and was the first domestic supplier to offer 100% renewable electricity and 100% carbon offset gas. Immersive Labs, meanwhile, empowers organisations to equip, exercise, and evidence human cyber capabilities. It is funded by Goldman Sachs and Summit Partners.

Ana Lucia Buckman, Future Fifty Lead, Tech Nation, said: “Despite the challenging year for UK businesses, and the rigorous selection process of the Future Fifty programme, the companies in this year’s cohort have overcome tremendous obstacles and achieved unprecedented levels of growth. They have demonstrated their position as UK tech leaders and I would like to congratulate them for having a real impact on the UK economy and the world at large.”