TWO tech firms from the north have been named among ten winners of a UK wide competition for early-stage scale-up ventures.
Belfast data analytics and business intelligence company Budibase, and Derry healthtech business Elemental, have been plucked from a list of 330 firms for inclusion in the UK Government-backed Tech Nation Rising Stars initiative.
Tech Nation said that on average, Rising Stars winners go on to raise £352,000 after the competition, and grow their workforce by 70 per cent.
Set up in 2019, Budibase is an open source, no-code platform used for building web applications to digitise businesses.
Chief executive Mike Shanks said the award would give the tech start-up a platform to showcase its vision for the future of software development.
Founded by Derry entrepreneurs Jennifer Neff and Leeann Monk-Ozgul, Elemental has been around since 2013, already securing a number of awards. The platform allows individuals, families and their carers to better connect into community-based programmes, services and interventions that make a positive impact on their lives.
Jennifer Neff described the latest accolade as “massive” for the tech firm.
“It's absolutely amazing and really shows all the hard work we've put into Elemental. It also puts Derry on the map as a great place to start a business and grow a business.
“Our focus has remained on our primary mission, halting health inequalities whilst keeping our business going during the pandemic. We have seen a dramatic increase in the adoption of Elemental across the UK and Ireland and as a result we've created more jobs and are empowering more people”.
Leeann Monk-Ozgul said Elemenatal has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of social prescriptions made during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We've an exciting R&D roadmap that is helping Elemental to maintain our relevance, stay ahead of market trends and expand into new geographical markets and sectors,” she added.
Gary Davidson, investment lead at Tech Nation, said: “It brings me so much joy to see Elemental be crowned as a Tech Nation Rising Star winner. It’s a real testament to the team’s ambition to scale and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.”
