The birthplace of both Shakespeare and rugby, the West Midlands is also home to a tech industry ripe with exciting business opportunities.
In an announcement by Digital Minister Chris Philip, the value of West Midlands tech was expected to grow by a minimum of £2.7 billion by 2025.
In fact, according to an October 2021 report, the UK government named the region’s tech sector the fastest-growing in the entire country.
With the West Midlands comprising Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire, there is always plenty going on. Here is a selection of exciting tech companies to find in the region.
Contents
i) Tech Companies in West Midlands to Watch
ii) Previous Features on Companies in England
- Newcastle
- North East England
- Leeds
- Yorkshire
- North West England
- Liverpool
- Manchester (Fintech)
- Manchester (Tech)
- Cheshire
Tech Companies in West Midlands to Watch
1. Capri Healthcare
Based in Birmingham, Capri Healthcare is all about making money from the NHS Digital strategy.
The healthtech was established in 2019 and develops online systems (web and mobile) to help patients.
While it hasn’t got a lot of funding, $42,500 (£34,000) according to Crunchbase, it does offer a variety of products. These include TriVice, an AI-assisted solution to minimise referrals; DiTi, an AI solution to handle the transcription and interpretation of patient and doctor conversations; and v-Clink, a virtual clinic that provides real-time visual and audio patient assessment.
2. Clarilis
Birmingham-based scaleup Clarilis plies its trade in the world of legaltech. It offers an SaaS platform for legal professionals designed to automate document drafting.
Unlike other DocAuto tools, which are for more general-use, Clarilis was built from the ground up to function in the complicated, dense world of legal documentation. Its clientele can be found all across the UK and Ireland, including Arthur Cox, Mills & Reeve and Shakepeare Martineau.
In August 2020, the firm raised £6 million in Series B funding. In early May 2022, Clarilis unveiled its expansion into the real estate sector via its automated Model Commercial Lease (MCL) suites for real estate lawyers.
3. Grid Edge
As the UK inches closer and closer to its 2050 goal of net zero emissions, companies like Grid Edge have risen to prominence thanks to its AI-driven solutions to improve building energy efficiency and management.
Grid Edge specifically has provided these services to the likes of real estate developer Hammerson, the Royal Opera House and Kent County Council. The company says its Edge2X product can reduce energy and carbon costs by 20%.
In December 2021, the tech firm secured £2 million in a funding round which included participation from bp ventures and Aston University, among others.
4. Jobmate
Automation is the name of the game for many up-and-coming UK tech companies, and Jobmate is no exception. However, what separates the Wolverhampton-based firm from the pack is its focus on providing administrative automation to small businesses and the self-employed.
Its software platform includes a daily planner, data entry aids, and employee and subcontractor management, among other features. Notable partners include The Guild of Master Craftsmen, business coaching firm ActionCoach and the Painting & Decorating Association.
The firm should not be confused with JobMate (note the capitalisation difference), a job-posting and applicant-tracking technology provider also based out of the West Midlands.
5. Maze
Founded in 2021, tech startup Maze calls Birmingham home, and offers relocation aid to international companies looking at the UK. In practice, this involves services like orientation, home search, banking, registrations, utilities setup and social integration.
The firm works with a number of different partners, including the University of Birmingham and the University of Kent. Its relationship with the University of Birmingham is quite close, in fact. The company was founded by a Birmingham graduate and is part of The Exchange, a collective of University of Birmingham student/graduate startups operating out of the Graham Turner Entrepreneurship Centre.
In March 2022, Maze was named as a Midlands finalists for the StartUp Awards National Series in the Graduate StartUp category.
6. METCLOUD
Founded in 1998, METCLOUD offers a cybersecurity and cloud platform to SMEs looking to upgrade their technological capabilities. Through this platform and its team of cybersecurity experts, the firm offers a range of solutions and services, including cyber incident response, data loss prevention, email security and cloud adoption.
It struck a deal with US-based cybersecurity organisation Cygilant to integrate several of Cygilant’s solutions into METCLOUD’s platform in June 2021. At the time of this writing, it is unknown if cybersecurity firm SilverSky’s January 2022 purchase of Cygilant will affect this agreement.
In December 2021, METCLOUD received a £1 million investment from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund.
7. RiskBusiness
Not to be confused with the 1983 Tom-Cruise-led movie Risky Business, RiskBusiness operates out of Halesowen and specialises in governance, risk, audit, compliance and intelligence (GRAC) solutions for the financial services sector.
On its LinkedIn page, the company says it has over 220 clients worldwide. In September 2021, RiskBusiness unveiled a GDPR Equivalency Checker feature for its Graci solution. Three more features, including advisory alerts and industry risk maps, were added in October 2021.
On top of new features, the firm has its eyes on expansion. It acquired the Global Operational Loss Database (GOLD) from its partner UK Finance for an undisclosed amount in March 2022.
8. Wavenet
Founded in 2000, Wavenet is out to make waves in unified communications and business telephony solutions.
The Solihull-based firm provides data, voice, contact centre, IT and technology services to over 8,000 SME and enterprise customers. Along with its Solihull base, it has offices in Chester, Norwich, Cardiff and Nottingham. The tech firm seems to be doing well as it employs over 200 people, including over 100 support staff and engineers.
Wavenet is an acquisitive entity. Last year, its acquisitions included Excell Group, Internal Systems Limited and Shropshire-based NTS Communications.
