Like many parts of the UK, Yorkshire is home to a thriving tech scene. The region’s digital sector is projected to create 42,000 new jobs and add £1.6 billion in annual GVA by 2025 according to a DCMS report in September 2021.
We’ve already covered some firms in Middlesbrough and Leeds (links below), but this time we take a look at the entire Yorkshire region and shout out some of the brightest stars in the region’s digital industry.
Aegiq
The phrase “quantum photonics” might sound like something straight out of an SF magazine or novel but Aegiq is working to show how this very-real science can revolutionise fields like fibre and satellite communications.
The University of Sheffield spinout was founded in 2019, and has since become a leading startup in its field. In March 2021, it was announced as part of a project led by University of Exeter researchers to create a prototype single-photon source that can operate at room temperature. Aegiq also won a Business Start-Up Award at the 2021 Institute of Physics Business Awards.
In early 2022, Aegiq announced that investments by German venture capital firm The High-Tech Gründerfonds, Deepbridge Capital and other investors had supplied them with £3.5 million in available funding, alongside an additional £20 million from funding consortia to fund various projects.
Beholder Vision
Photogrammetry is, generally speaking, the science of using photographs to create measurements, and it is in this field of science where the Knaresborough-based Beholder Vision plies its trade.
The startup is very young, only coming into existence in 2021, and has not had much of a chance to make news as of yet. Beholder says its cloud-based photogrammetric platform allows users to create 3D models out of as few as six photos, though its website generally recommends 20-50.
Beholder’s owner, Dr. Alan Broun, was previously a former Vice President for Goldman Sachs and the founder and Managing Director of defunct camera robotics startup Dawn Robotics.
Hublsoft
Hublsoft’s primary offering is its data analytics platform. Its tech does away with the dashboards so common in data analytics in favour of a “big picture visual embodiment of your business”.
The York-based scaleup was founded in 2019 and counts private equity firm Maven among its investors.
Most recently, it has spent its time working with advisory firm TechMarketView in order to expand its partner network, with TechMarketView publishing a number of posts on its website boosting the company.
incuto
incuto is a banking software provider primarily working to speed up the digitisation process in the credit union and community banking spheres. Case studies on its website include Riverside Credit Union, Manchester Credit Union and Northumberland Community Bank.
A mobile banking app, back-office process automation and e-signature are some of its products.
Founded in 2016, the firm counts ClearBank, Experian and TransUnion among its notable partnerships. Through its ClearBank partnership, incuto was able to launch a Direct Debits program in May 2021 that is designed to make it more accessible to smaller credit unions and community banks.
Opteran Technologies
Instead of artificial intelligence, Opteran says it provides “natural intelligence”. That is, the tech firm can reverse-engineer biological systems, specifically those of insects like the honeybee, to create better robotics autonomy platforms.
The company reckons it can accomplish this without the deep learning architecture commonly used in modern machine learning, only requiring a visual sensor.
Shortly after launching in 2020, the University of Sheffield spinout was pollinated with €2.3 million (£1.9 million) in seed funding. In May 2021, Opteran received the Audience Choice Award at the 2021 Vision Tank Start-Up Competition put on by the Edge AI and Vision Alliance.
Target Information Systems
Founded in 2010, Target Information Systems is focused on providing data management software solutions to businesses.
The Barnsley-based company says the NHS, Raytheon subsidiary Collins Aerospace, international legal firm Osborne Clarke and Ulster University are among its clients/partners.
Its contractor management system Verature is likely its most significant offering, with clients including the University of Strathclyde Glasgow, the London Natural History Museum and the University of York. Though relatively quiet in recent times, its strong list of clients makes them primed to continue producing software throughout the 2020s.
Vapour
Based in Huddersfield, Vapour stays true to its name and offers cloud technology services.
The tech firm mentions various aspects it can help with – such as network connectivity, unified communications, robotic process automation, security and business intelligence. Vapour works by designing cloud infrastructure for other businesses.
One notable launch was its Application Monitoring as a Service (AMaaS) solution, called Logic Monitor. This is a surveillance tool for an organisation’s IT infrastructure – across on-premise, cloud and hybrid applications.
Have a look at the previous features on tech firms in Leeds, North East England and Newcastle.
