A BELFAST-based software business was the big winner at this year's Digital DNA Awards.
Multidisciplinary software development firm, Whitespace picked up the highly-coveted Company of the Year title as well as the Deal of the Year prize at the 2019 awards held at St Anne's Cathedral on Thursday evening.
Having started as a venture capital fund, Whitespace was founded by a team of computing experts and financial advisors. In 2016, it closed its fund and now focuses on software development.
Whitespace general manager, Glenn McClements said the accolade was "all down to the team".
“We genuinely weren’t expecting to win Company of the Year. The quality and stature of the other nominees was exceptional, so to win this is a fantastic achievement. On behalf of our entire team, we greatly appreciate the recognition from our peers and the public, without whom this award wouldn’t be possible."
“These awards are a result of a fantastic year for the Whitespace team. Over the past 12 months, we have been working with some of the biggest brands in the world, as well as building a stock exchange. It’s a hugely exciting time for us," he added.
Other winners on the night included Paddy O’Hagan, chief operating officer of tech firm Neueda, who picked up Business Personality of the Year, while Origin Digital's Nuala Carland was named Developer of the Year.
Mr O'Hagan described the award as a "huge accolade" professionally and personally.
"The Northern Ireland tech sector is full of inspirational, innovative leaders so being recognised in this way is very humbling. What inspires me most is the talented team of people at Neueda who come to work full of great ideas and enthusiasm – this award is a reflection of their hard work and commitment.”
Startup of the Year went to Importwise, Daniel McGlade, founder of content management firm Oroson, was named Entrepreneur of the Year, while the award for Best Tech for Good Innovation went to Allstate NI for its cyber security for children programme.
Simon Bailie, chief executive of Digital DNA hailed the calibre of this year's entries.
“Our independent panel of judges were overwhelmed and impressed with the calibre of entries. Having gone from strength to strength, winning this competition has solidified itself as a launch platform for some organisations and individuals to go bigger and better whilst also recognising the impact that some of our more established firms and personalities have had."
“These awards celebrate the very best of the Northern Ireland digital and tech scene, with many of these companies and individuals already operating and competing on the global stage," Mr Bailie added.
The illustrious ceremony was hosted by presenter Zöe Salmon and comedian Shane Todd, with nearly 500 people in attendance.
The full list of winners and runners up were:
Company of the Year
Winner: Whitespace
Shortlist: Allstate NI, Dawson Andrews, Kainos, Novosco, See.Sense, Whitespace
Startup of the Year
Winner: Importwise Ltd.
Runner-up: Groundswell
Best Tech for Good Innovation
Winner: Allstate NI – Cyber Security for Kids Programme
Runner-up: U-Hub Therapy Centre – Suicide Prevention App
Deal of the Year
Winner: Whitespace
Runner-up: Decision Time Ltd.
E-Commerce Project of the Year
Winner: Eyekiller – robinsonsshoes.com
Runner-up: Northside Graphics Ltd. – digitalprinting.co.uk
Business Personality of the Year
Winner: Paddy O’Hagan, Neueda
Runner-up: Joe Boyle, Salt DNA
Entrepreneur of the Year
Winner: Daniel McGlade, Oroson
Runner-up: Jason McKeown, Neurovalens
Best Large Tech Company
Winner: Novosco
Runner-up: Kainos
App of the Year
Winner: Sugar Rush Creative – Whistle App
Runner-up: Scaffold Digital – Ireland, A Directory
Developer of the Year
Winner: Nuala Carland, Origin Digital
Runner-up: Dermot Barron, STATSports
Best Digital Marketing Campaign
Winner: MyCarNeedsA – UK Brand Awareness Campaign
Runner-up: Waterfront & Ulster Hall – Digital First Campaign
Best Small Tech Company
Winner: See.Sense
Runner-up: Fathom
Digital Project of the Year
Winner: Liberty IT – Workgrid Assistant
Runner-up: Danske Bank – Data Intelligence
Young Person of the Year
Winner: Daniel Crawford, axial3D
Runner-up: Jordan McDonald, Kainos
