HEALTHTECH
INNOVATORS
SPOTIFY OF
SHEET MUSIC
Lorenzo Brewer’s tech
start-up nkoda
p40
SOCIAL MEDIA
INFLUENCERS
Brands harnessing
billion-dollar market
p32
FINTECH’S
GOLDEN BOY
Charles Delingpole on
entrepreneurship
p8
UK’S FASTEST-GROWING
COMPANY BULB
p5
ANGELA SPINDLER ON
TRANSFORMING N BROWN
p42
DOODLE AIMS TO
MONETISE 30M USERS
p59
Edition 14, 2019
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CONTENT
08
46 29
42
// COLUMNS
25 Lawrence Jones on culture
“When your company is growing so fast, how do you retain
those essential ingredients of your culture?”
33 Hayley Sewell on influencers
“Influencersshouldn’tadvertiseaproductunlessithasbeen
fullyapprovedandaimedatanappropriateaudience”
54 Neil Lathwood on APIs
“A sort of sales and account management engine, APIs allow
companiestotapintotechcreatedbyothersandadaptit”
68 Gadget Gavin on keeping children safe online
“ What are the practical things you can do? There are two places
youshouldputsomecontrolin–thedeviceandthenetwork”
// FEATURES
05 InsideUK’sfastest-growingcompany
08 FinTech’sgoldenboyCharlesDelingpole
10 101HealthTechInnovators
22 Former CTO on PlusNet IPO
26 Cantechunlockex-footballer’scondition?
29Foundingastart-upwhilepregnant
32 Theinvisibleworldofthemicro-influencer
34 Connectedcarstart-upwejo
35 Andersen EV is simply electric
38 Big-nameCEOembracesstart-uplife
40 Music’shotteststart-upnkoda
41 InvestmentappTickrmakesanimpact
42 Angela Spindler on transforming N Brown
46 Leicester Tigers legend on Switch the Play
48 Focusontechinvestment
51 Councilestatekidsmashingglassceilings
52 Meet the mortgage disrupters
56 AndyLordontacklingskillsgap
59 DoodleCEOonmonetising30musers
60 IsMetaboardsfutureofwirelesscharging?
62 MeetCarFinance247bossRegRixIII
64 Encyclopedia Britannica goes digital
66 Culture Shift fights scourge of harassment
74 LeedsaimingtobeMIToftheUK
75 HeroLabssavingworld’swaterwithAI
76 Can‘bigbeast’Manchesterbecomeglobal
heavyweight?
BUSINESSCLOUD
EDITION 14, 2019
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
CONTACT US
EditorChrisMaguire:01612157144;chris.maguire@businesscloud.co.uk;@editor_maguire|DeputyeditorJonathanSymcox:01612157143;
jonathan.symcox@businesscloud.co.uk;@jonathansymcox|AlistairHardaker,multimediajournalist;alistair.hardaker@businesscloud.co.uk|
HayleySewell,multimediajournalist;hayley.sewell@businesscloud.co.uk
BusinessdevelopmentmanagerHelenaFurness,helena.furness@businesscloud.co.uk
Events:01612157142|AdvertiseinBusinessCloud:01612153877;sponsor@businesscloud.co.uk
Subscriptions:subscriptions@businesscloud.co.uk|Contributors:JennyBrookfield|Designer:RichardSalisbury
Website:www.businesscloud.co.uk|Twitter:@BCloudUK|Address:BusinessCloud,UKFastCampus,BirleyFields,ManchesterM155QJ
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DISCUSSION CONTACTS
BusinessCloud Media
BusinessCloud_Media
EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION
01612157144editor_maguirechris.maguire@businesscloud.co.uk
Who doesn’t love a good start-up story? The fearless
entrepreneur launching their business and, against all the
odds, conquering the world and growing into a unicorn.
FuelledbyTVprogrammeslikeTheApprenticeand
Dragons’Den,thestart-uprevolutionisunstoppable.Every
year around 600,000 new companies are registered in the
UK,undauntedbythestatisticthatmostwillfail.
Therearelistscelebratingstart-upsandawealthof
advisorsandfundingoptionsavailablebutwhatabout
scale-ups?
Ascale-upisdefinedasacompanywithanannual
growthinemployeesorturnovergreaterthan20percent
overathree-yearperiod,startingwithaminimumoften
employees.
Althoughstart-upsaregreat,therocketfuelofeconomic
growthcomesfromscale-ups.They’veestablishedproofof
conceptsothefailurerateislowerandthey’remorelikelyto
attractinvestment.
It’sthereasonwhyGreaterManchester’sGrowth
CompanyhaslaunchedtheUK’ssecondGlobalScale-up
Programmetogetbusinessestothinkinternationally.More
than230businessesappliedtojointheprogramme,whichis
tryingtofindthenext‘bigbeast’.
Ihostedaneventrecentlyand12techentrepreneurs
sharedtheirstart-upsurvivalguidetips.Bootstrapping
yourbusiness,choosingtherightinvestor,knowingwhento
pivot,recruitingproperlyandgettingtherightlegaladvice
atthebeginningwerediscussedatlength.
Start-upsneedtobeagileandabletoreactto
changesincustomertrends.Mostbusinessestodayare
unrecognisablefromwhentheylaunched.Entrepreneurs
needtorecogniseopportunitiesandprioritiseaccordingly.
BusinessCloud’slatestmagazineisfullofstories
aboutstart-upsand,equallyimportantly,scale-ups.The
challengesforbotharesimilarbutdifferent.
Ilovethestoryofgreenenergystart-upBulb.Founded
byfriendsHaydenWoodandAmitGudkain2015,thefirm
Chris Maguire, editor
BusinessCloud
alreadyhas1.2millioncustomersandhasgrownitsteamto
almost400.
Whenitcomestogame-changingtechnology,lookno
furtherthanconnectedcarstart-upwejo,whichwasfounded
byRichardBarlowin2014.Carsgeneratehugeamountsof
dataandhistechnologycapturesitandprovidesvaluable
informationtoenduserslikeinsurersandlocalauthorities.
It’sthereasonwhyUSautomotivegiantGeneralMotors
boughta35percentstakeinwejo.
I’vesaidbeforethatthepartofmyjobIlovethemost
ismeetingentrepreneurs.LorenzoBrewercanbestbe
describedasthehottestnameinmusicyou’veneverheard
of.Dubbedthe‘SteveJobsofmusicpublishing’hisLondon-
basedtechstart-upnkodaismakingsheetmusicaccessible.
I’venodoubtthe23-year-oldwillprogressfromastart-upto
ascale-up.
RegRixisalreadythere.Herecognisedagapinthe
marketforpeopletryingtoobtaincarfinanceandlaunched
CarFinance247.It’samazinghowthebestnamesareoften
thesimplest.Todayitemploys500peopleandhasaturnover
of£50m.There’sabusinessplantodoubleinsizeby2025.
Growthisvital.
IgaveaspeechrecentlyandIconcludedthatalthough
technologyisomnipresentinourlives,businessshould
alwaysbeaboutthepeople.IwasremindedofthiswhenI
wenttovisitformerfootballerGaryParkinson,whoisunable
tomoveortalkafterastrokein2010lefthimwithlocked-in
syndrome.Hisfamilyareamazingandhopethattechnology
mayfindasolution.Ipraythattheydo.
START-UPS VS SCALE-UPS
3
5
@BCLOUDUK
By any measure,
the rise of green
energy start-up
Bulb has been
staggering.
FoundedbyfriendsHaydenWoodand
AmitGudkain2015,thefirmhasrapidly
builtabaseof1.2millioncustomers–
‘members’–andgrownitsteamtoalmost
400.Howeveritsincrediblesuccess
hasnotbeendowntoaggressivedirect
marketingtechniquesorexpensive
multi-platformadvertising;rather,old-
fashionedreferrals.
HeadofbrandClementineHobson
hasbeenattheforefrontofitsscaling
journeyforthelasttwoyears.“Atthe
timeIjoinedwehad15,000-20,000
members.Thatisrapidgrowthby
anyone’smeasurements!”shetells
BusinessCloud.“Foralongtime,the
growthteamatBulbhadjustthree
people.Wefocusedonasmallnumber
ofthingsandworkedhardatthem:our
presence on price comparison sites,
somedigitaladvertisingandword-of-
mouthmarketing,whereourmembers
refereachother.Thatreferralpiecewas
absolutelyinstrumentalinourgrowth.We
lovetogrowthroughreferralsbecausea
friendofourmembersisafriendofours
ENERGY
SCALE-UP IS
LEAN AND
GREEN
BulbhasbeencrownedtheUK’sfastest-growingcompany
afterbuildingacustomerbaseof1.2millionwiththehelp
oftechnology.JonathanSymcoxreportsontheincredible
riseofaLondonbusinesswhichisleadingthedrivetowards
renewableenergy.
-andwe’dratherrewardourmembers
thanpayadvertisers.ForBulb’sfirstthree
years that was really how we grew the
business–andittookusreallyfar.”
Onlineinvestmentplatform
SyndicateRoomcrownedittheUK’s
fastest-growingcompanyinDecember
2018whileinrecentmonthsithasfinally
dippeditstoesintoTVadvertisingasit
lookstoreachtwomillioncustomersby
theendofthisyear.
TV SPOT
Goingdownthetraditionaladvertising
routewasnotadecisionittooklightly,
despite attracting £60 million in growth
funding.“Atsomepointyouneedtofind
newwaystogrow,”saysHobson.“Over
thepastyearwe’veexperimented:we’re
intellyatthemoment,butbehindthe
scenesweputinayear’sworthofwork
to determine whether that was a channel
thatcouldbeusefultousingrowingthe
businessinasustainableway.”
CEOWoodandCOOGudkawere
movedtosetupthebusinessafterthey
becamedisillusionedbyquestionable
practices they witnessed inside the
traditionalenergyindustry.Woodtold
SyndicateRoom:“Weweretheonlyones
thathadcorporatejobsamongstour
friends,sowheneverwewouldgoto
thepubortoparties,we’dalwaysbein
thecornertalkingaboutwork.Wesaw
first-handhowtheenergymarketwas
broken.Itwasthesamestoryatallthe
bigproviders–poorservice,hightariffs,
inefficiencyandlittleeffortbeingmadeto
championrenewables.”
TheBigSixenergysupplierscharge
customersto‘gogreen’whilethere
isahugequestionmarkoverjusthow
environmentallyfriendlythesegreen
tariffsactuallyare.Meanwhile100per
centoftheelectricityprovidedbyBulb
isrenewable–takenfromindependent
energy generators across the UK – while
itofferssomeoftheUK’sgreenestgas.
“Energy is an enormously distrusted
industry,”saysHobson.“Foundingan
energy company in 2015, it felt to our
foundersliketodoanythingotherthan
100percentrenewableelectricitywasn’t
right.We’rebigbelieversthatrenewable
energydoesnothavetobealuxuryand
itshouldbeavailabletoall.Providing
affordablerenewableenergyhasalways
beentheprincipleaimofBulb.”
FAIR PRICE
According to some estimates, energy
companies are currently holding on to
some£1billionofUKcustomers’money
asaresultofdirectdebitpaymentsbeing
ENERGY
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
6
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
settoohigh.Theaveragedualfuelbill
attheBigSixis£1,117,thesamelevel
as2010,despiteasignificantlylower
wholesale price: they claim this is a direct
consequenceofrisingenvironmentaland
socialcosts.
MeanwhileBulboperatesasingle
tariffforallcustomerswhichchanges
depending on the wholesale price of
energy.Thattariffrosethreetimesin
2018,butdroppedagaininMarchata
timewhenalltheBigSixandsomesmaller
energysupplierswerehikingpricesafter
regulatorOfgemconfirmedariseinthe
energypricecapforstandardvariable
andprepaymenttariffs.Bulbisnotthe
cheapestsupplieronthemarket,butit
claimsitstariffiscurrently£250cheaper
thanstandardplansattheBigSix,which
havecorneredthree-quartersofboththe
electricityandgasmarkets.
“We’reabouttenpercentcheaperthan
theBigSix,”saysHobson.“Thewaywe
priceourenergyiscostreflective:last
year the wholesale cost of energy went
upalotandourtariffswentuptomatch
that.It’snowbeenfallingforquitealong
time,hencetherecentpricedecrease.
“Wethinkit’srightandfairthatthe
priceyoupayforenergyreflectsthecost
toserveit.Forsomepeoplethevariable
tariffdoesintroduceacertainsenseof
insecurity [when it comes to planning
finances],butoverthelongtermyouwill
getabetterdealonyourenergyifyouare
onavariablerate.”
Bulbcommandsafargreatershare
ofthemarketthanfellowrenewable
suppliersEcotricityandGreenEnergy.
AsofDecember2018,ithadthreeper
centshareofbothelectricityandgas,
accordingtoregulatorOfgem.Ithas
caught up with Shell Energy, meaning only
theBigSixandOvoEnergy,whichisit
closingonrapidly,havemorecustomers.
Hobsonsaystheaimistochallengethe
‘bigboys’withinafewyears.
Ten per cent of its gas is green, which
compares with 14 per cent at Ecotricity
and100atGreenEnergy.Bulbsays100
percentofitsgasiscarbonneutralasa
resultofsupportingprojectsaroundthe
world.“Tenpercentisabout30timesthe
nationalaverage,”explainsHobson.“That
willgrowinanascentindustry,butatthe
momentBulbbuysabout40percent
ofallgreengasavailableinthemarket.
Recentlywe’vetakenthedecisionto
carbonoffsetforthe90percentofour
gaswhichisn’tgreen.Soalloftheenergy
usedbyBulbmembersis100percent
carbonneutral.”
INNOVATION
Greengas–biomethane–isderivedfrom
organic sources such as food or farm
waste.Cutting-edgetechniquesareused
to capture the gas which would otherwise
naturallybereleasedasmethane,a
greenhousegas20timesmoretoxicthan
CO2,intotheatmosphere.
OneexampleisHugginFarmin
Doncaster,SouthYorkshire,whichhas
builtananaerobicdigesterplantand
suppliesgreengastoBulb.“Willieand
LyndaMacIntoshgrowsugarbeetontheir
farm, which goes to the factory and gets
processed,”explainsHobson.“Thewaste
thatcomesbackfromthatisputinto
theanaerobicdigester,whichoperates
notdissimilartoacow’sstomach:allof
themattergoesintothatandit’sturned
aroundandagitatedatstomach-like
temperatures.Itgivesoffagasasit’s
doing that which is captured, clean, and
pumpedintotheNationalGrid.It’sa
closed-loopwayofgeneratinggas.The
wastefromtheprocessalsogoesback
ontofarmstofertilisecrops.It’squitea
magicalprocess:it’slikecreatingenergy
from,sometimes,poo!”
Suchadvanceswillbecrucialtothe
ENERGY
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
FoundersHaydenWood,left,andAmitGudka.
7
@BCLOUDUK
UK’saimofcuttinggreenhousegas
emissionstonearlyzeroby2050.Around
30to50percentofourindividualcarbon
footprint comes from powering our
homes,sousingrenewableenergyis
onewaytodecreasetheimpactinboth
theshort-andlong-term.ACommittee
onClimateChangereportpublishedin
Mayrevealedahugedropinthecostof
renewableenergysuchaswindandsolar
powerinrecentyears.
A third of the energy currently in the
NationalGridisrenewable,compared
to39percentgas,18percentnuclear
andjustfivepercentcoal.“Thatis
unbelievablecomparedtowherewewere
5-10yearsago,”saysHobson.“Over
theEasterweekend,theUKwent90
hourscoal-free–fourdaysofrunningthe
countrywithoutanyuseofcoal.Thatwas
becauseitwassosunnyandthesolar
panelswereworkingsohard!We’reinthe
middleofareallybigtransitionandshift.
It’slikeanewindustrialrevolution.
“There’salotofmisinformationabout
renewableenergy:thecosthasfallen
quitesubstantiallyoverthelastfewyears.
Evenbeforethosecostsavingscame
alongwe’vebeenabletoofferrenewable
energyaffordablybyhavingaleaner,
moreefficientbusinessmodelandby
leveraginggreattechnologytokeepour
owncostslow.”
SMART METERING
Bulbhasalargeproductteamdeveloping
digital tools, such as its app, which will
help its customers manage their energy
consumptionassmartmeteringbecomes
moreprevalentinourhomes.“Energy
isgoingtogetmorecomplexbutmore
importantinourlives,”saysHobson.
“Atthemoment,peoplearepassive
recipients of electricity and gas at home:
the generators are at one end, the grid
isinthemiddleandyou’reontheother
endusingit.Thatrelationshipisgoing
tobecomemoredynamic:youmight
havesolarpanelsonyourroofandbe
puttingbackintothegrid,youmighthave
anelectricvehicleandbeputtingback
intothegridthatway.Youmighthavea
batteryathometostoreenergytouse
atothertimes.Wethinkpeoplearegoing
towanthelpandguidancetofigureout
howtoapproachthis.WeseeBulb’srole
shiftingfrombeinganenergysupplierto
anenergymanager,wherewe’rehelping
people to manage the energy ecosystem
theyhaveathome.”
Bulbhaslaunchedan‘alphatrial’of50
customers,whereitpaysthemtohave
solarpanelsathome.“Ourintentionis
torollthatouttoallBulbmembersand
support that growing community of
generators.Thereareamillionpeople
with solar panels on their roofs and we
expectthattogrowsignificantly.”
Inearly2019Bulbleftitsco-working
basetomoveintoitsfirstdedicated
headquartersinBishopsgatenear
LiverpoolStreet,whichhasallowed
thecompany’scross-functionalwayof
workingtoflourish.“Intheoldbuilding
itwasbecominganissuebecausewe
werespreadovermanydifferentfloors,
sitting in little studios separate from each
other,whichwascausinganumberof
difficulties,”Hobsonacknowledges.“The
growthteam[forexample]hasmarketing
professionalslikemyself,technologists,
designers and researchers, so it has
immeasurablychangedforthebetterthe
wayweworktogether.”
CHALLENGES
There are no plans to open regional
offices.“Growingasquicklyaswehave
bringslotsofchallenges.Oneisstaying
true to the original promises that we
madetoourmembers,”saysHobson.
“Wesetourselvesambitioustargets
fordeliveringexcellentservice.Around
ayearagonowweintroducedakindof
swearjarwhere,ifweletourselvesdown
ontheseservicepromises–ifsomeone’s
hadtowaittoolongtospeaktousonthe
phone[forexample]–weautomatically
apply£10credittotheiraccount.
“Tome,thatfeltlikeareallyradical
movetosay‘wevalueourcustomers’
time’.Iwishthereweremoreutilitiesthat
tookthatapproach.Italsointroducesa
laser-focusbecausethereisarealcostto
thebusinessifwedon’tgetitright.”
Bulbhasagoodtrackrecordof
customerservice,with90percent
ratingit‘great’inarecentpollby
MoneySavingExpert.Andthisagainst
abackgroundofawhopping3.8m
complaintsmadebydisgruntled
customersaboutenergycompaniesto
Ofgemin2017alone.
Another challenge is around
maintaining company culture, which is
setbythewiderBulbteam.“Sometimes
Igoonholidayforaweekandthereare
tennewmembersoftheteam!”says
Hobson.“Itmeanseveryoneisconstantly
havingtoshiftrole,fromthetopdown:
what’srequiredfromHaydenandAmit
changesfrommonthtomonth.Everyone
intheorganisationhastobenimbleon
theirfeet.Werunworkshopsasateam,
abottom-upapproach,whereeveryone
canbeinvolvedindefiningwhatour
culturelookslike.Onemightbe‘bea
radiator,notadrain...’
“I’vebeeninverylargeorganisations
beforewhereI’vestoodinthelobby
andseentheculturalvalueswrittenon
thewall,butthey’relonganddifficultto
understand.Idon’tfeeltheorganisations
themselvesreallyreflectthem.
“Wewereconsciousquiteearlyonthat
part of the success of any company, and
particularlyastart-up,isdowntohaving
asharedculturethateveryonebuysinto
andpractises:ithastobealivingpractice,
rather than something which sits in a
documentsomewhere.”
ENERGY
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
“We see Bulb’s role shifting
from being an energy supplier to
an energy manager, where we’re
helping people to manage the
ecosystem they have at home.”
Clementine Hobson
It’s probably
fair to say
that Charles
Delingpole was
destined for
greater things
than picking fruit.
Theserialentrepreneurwasbornin
Birminghamandattendedboarding
schoolinWarwickshirefromtheageof
sixbeforestudyingattwooftheworld’s
mostprestigiousuniversities.
Howeveroneofhisfirstjobssaw
himpickingstrawberriesfor£1.20an
hour – something which spurred him on
tocreatehisfirstventure,TheStudent
Room,anearlyonlinecommunity.“As
soonasIputthewebsiteonlinein
1999,therewasahugeuptakesoitwas
immediatelypreferabletoworkingona
farm,”herecallsofthoseschooldays.
Twoyearslaterheintroducedadverts
andstartedchargingforaccess.By
the time he went to uni, the platform
wasmakingthousandsofpoundsin
revenue.Howeverhedecidedtomove
on after completing his political studies
atCambridgeandLSE.”Iprobablydidn’t
sellitforenough,”hetellsBusinessCloud.
“Butwestartedeverythingbefore
FINTECH’S
GOLDEN
BOY
Onesummerhepickedstrawberries
for£1.20anhourbut,20years
on,CharlesDelingpolehasbuilt
businesseswhichhaveattracted
morethan$100millionininvestment.
He discusses entrepreneurship and
thefinancialcrimearmsracewith
JonathanSymcox.
Facebookand,whileFacebookwas
winning the Olympics, we were doing the
schoolegg-and-spoonrace!Itwasvery
small-scale,tenpeople.Itnowhas70
peopleanddoes£7mrevenue,butit’sstill
tinyincomparisonwithFacebook.”
Hespentthreeyearsadvisingdigital
andmediacompaniesatJPMorgan,an
experiencewhichpreparedhimwellfor
hisstellarfutureFinTechcareer.“Igot
toworkwithCEOsandsawhowthey
rantheircompaniesandlearnedtothink
aboutthestrategyoffinance,”hesays.
DAWN OF FINTECH
StartingupMarketInvoicewithAnil
StockeratthedawnofLondon’sFinTech
boomin2010couldhavebeenadaunting
prospect,butnotforthehungry
Delingpolewithabookfullofcontacts.“It
requiredcredibility,contactsandcapital.
We had to pitch to hedge funds and deal
withregulatorsandbanks,”hesays.“I
didn’tjustdothatfromscratch!”
Thepairinitiallyplannedtobuyan
existingcompanyusingfundsfromwilling
investors.“Wemetlike50companiesand
none of them seemed to
beagoodoptionbecause
theyweresubscaleor,if
theownerleft,itwouldbe
problematic,”hesays.“So
we thought we could lend
moneytotheminstead.
“Backin2009theworld
was collapsing: companies
weren’tlendingand
bankswereverybadat
technology[whereas]we
knewabouttechnology.
Thebanksweresuffering
and it was a good opportunity to try
andattackthem.FundingCircleand
Crowdcubewerelaunchingatthattime:
thatwasthefirstwaveofFinTech.”
Ittookthemfivemonthstogettheir
firsttransactionandninemonthstoget
theirfirstmillionpoundsinvolume.“That
8
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
BIG INTERVIEW
mightmakeyou£6,000,”Delingpole
explains.“Weweretwoyoungguys
andwehadtoworksuperhardtoget
anywhere.Mostcompanieswhotriedthe
samethingfailed.Itwasahugechallenge
tobuildthatcompanybecauseitwasnew
inmanyways.”
DelingpoleleftMarketInvoicefour
yearsagobuthasnoregretsaboutthat
decision.TheFinTechrecentlysecured
£56m in new funding while he still holds
sharesinthebusiness.“Itemployed60
peoplewhenIleftandwasgrowingvery
quickly.Itwasinaverygoodplace.Itwas
therightchoice,”hesays.“Anil’sagreat
businessleaderandhe’sdoneagreatjob.
IfeltitwoulddoverywellevenifIwasn’t
involvedonaday-to-daybasis.”
NEW VENTURE
Readytobuildanotherbusiness,he
turned his attention to the “nightmare”
of compliance, which he says is a huge
problemacrossamultitudeofindustries.
“Ihadtonsofideasfromtalkingtofriends
whowerestillinbanks.Theyweresaying
‘listen,complianceisanightmare-it’sour
biggestproblem’,”heexplains.
“Iknewitwasaproblemat
MarketInvoice.Youhavetolendmoney
topeopleyou’venevermet.Andyoualso
takemoneyfromallovertheworld.We
hadoneclientwhowantedtoinvesta
millionpoundsinaplatformfromanoffice
inJerseythroughsixlayersoftrust.Itwas
acompletenightmare.”
HisnewventureComplyAdvantage,
whichisintheprocessofrebranding
to Mimiro, helps companies including
SantanderandtheBankofAmerica
analysetheriskoffinancialcrimethrough
theuseofmachinelearningalgorithms.
Theseabsorbandscourmillionsof
structured and unstructured data
sourcestobuildasnapshotofanentity’s
riskinreal-time.
Traditionally,checkingtheveracityof
fundsisanextremelytime-consuming
andexpensiveprocess,evenwiththe
adventoftechnology.Soitcomesas
nosurprisethatDelingpole’sfirmhas
alreadypartneredwithmorethan350
customersinover45countriesandraised
$30minfundingrecently,takingitstotal
externalinvestmenttoaround$40m.
“I’dbuiltdatabasesystemsatThe
StudentRoomwhilesomeofthe
companiesIworkedwithatJPMorgandid
thisstufftoo.Iknewitfromatechnical,
commercialandbusinessperspective
reallywell,”saystheCEO.“Ialsostudied
politicsatCambridgesoIwasinterested
in terrorist groups and geopolitical
sanctions.
“Isawitasaconfluenceofallthe
knowledgeI’dbuiltup–andeverything
Ifindinteresting–inone:global,
technology,financeandalsoavery
important moral case in terms of allowing
people to send money to their families
overseas.It’snicethatthere’sasocietal
benefittoit.”
Hecontinues:“There’sanarmsrace.If
you’reamoneylaundereroraterroristor
drugdealer,thereareahundreddifferent
waysthatyoucanhidethemoney.Every
industryandeverygeographyintheworld
issusceptibletobeingusedtohidethe
proceedsofcrime,humantrafficking,
animaltrafficking...everyonetherefore
needsustoavoidmoneybeinglaundered
orterroristsbeingfinanced.”
FUTURE PLANS
The entrepreneur outlined plans to
doublethesizeofthebusiness,whichhas
seen300percentrevenuegrowthinthe
past12monthsandhasrapidlyexpanded
intheUnitedStates.
“Companieslikeusareanasset
class,”saysDelingpole.“Therearemany
SoftwareasaServicedatacompanies
thataregrowingatsimilarrates.”
London-andSanFrancisco-based
venturecapitalfirmIndexVenturesled
the recent Series B round, which drew
participationfromexistinginvestor
BaldertonCapital.“Theinvestorsexpect
ustocarryontriplingandeventuallyto
IPO.We’reawayoffthatatthemoment–
there’snotime-frame–butanycompany
thatIndexinvestsinwouldbeexpected
todothat.”
Thetechiscloud-based,negating
theneedforanyexpensiveon-premise
deployment.“We’vegot90engineers
buildinganamazingsystem.Wecould
startfromscratchbecausewedidn’thave
anylegacytechnology,whereaseveryone
inthemarkettodayhasthishorrendous
oldtechnology,”saysDelingpole.
“Ourcustomershavetointegrateinto
us.Thefutureiscloudandeveryone
integratingwithAPIslikeours.We’re
skatingtowherethepuckwillbe,rather
thanwhereitisnow.
“Theincumbentshavefailed.Sowe’re
justgoingtosolveit.”
Delingpole,whohasbackedten‘super
early-stage’start-upshimselfasanangel
investor,hasseenComplyAdvantage–
which featured on our list of ‘101 FinTech
Disrupters’lastyear–growfrom“10
people coding in my garage and two sales
guysinmylivingroom”toanorganisation
which employs 160 people in Singapore,
London,RomaniaandNewYork.
“Weshouldbe300peopleattheendof
theyear,”hereveals.“Buildingacompany
from scratch is super hard and I prefer
nottodoitagain.I’dmuchratherdouble
thesizeofthiscompanythanbuildtwo
separatecompanies.
“I’vegotnointentiontoleaveand
there’snoreasonformetodoso–unless
Igetfired!”
9
@BCLOUDUK
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
BIG INTERVIEW
The HealthTech
sector is
booming thanks
to accelerating
technologies
such as AI,
wearables & VR.
Thegovernmenthasoutlineda
ten-yearstrategytotransforma
creakingNHS,withtechcrucialto
theplantoimprovepatientservices
andsavemoneyintheprocess.
Tech is helping patients to monitor
their ongoing health issues and
flaguppotentialproblemsbefore
theyhappen.Itisalsohavingareal
impact on how we diagnose and
treatillnesses.
Fromappstohelppeopleliving
withdementiatocutting-edge
cancerresearch,3Dprintedorgans
that allow surgeons to practise on
life-likemodelsbeforeanoperation
andvideoGPconsultations,there
arethousandsofexcitingtech
companieswhicharemakingareal
differencetopeople’slives.
That is why BusinessCloud has
beenonthehuntforthenation’s
topHealthTechInnovators.
JennyBrookfieldreports.
l Dr Julian, London
AandEdoctorDrJulianNesbittcreated
theDrJulianappafterseeingthe
numberofpatientswithmentalhealth
problemswhowereplacedontowaiting
lists.Hisappconnectspeoplewith
therapists,matchingthetwobasedon
the needs of the patients, who are then
offeredconsultationsviavideolink.
l Patchwork, London
FoundedbytwoNHSdoctors,
Patchworkaimstohelphospitals
cutagencyspendingbyofferinga
placewherevacantshiftscanbefilled
byexistingstaff.Healthcareknowledge
providerBMJacquiredaminorityinterestin
thehealthtechstartupinNovember2018.
l Medic Footprints, London

DrAbeynaJonesset
up Medic Footprints
tohelpdoctorsfind
other outlets for their
talents.Herwebsite
has11,000subscribers
andshe’saimingfor
90,000by2021,with
her community aiming to cut down on the
stressanddepressionsufferedbymedics
whocouldconsideralternativecareers.
l Open Bionics, Bristol
Thereisglobaldemandforthebionic
armsproducedbyOpenBionics,in
Bristol.Theaward-winning
roboticscompanymade
theworld’sfirstmedically
approved3D-printed
bionicarmandhasa
developmentcontract
withNHSEnglandtomake
itsarmsmoreaccessible.
l Little Sparks Hospital,
London
SetupbyDrChrisEvans,LittleSparks
has a host of methods for preparing
childrenforsurgery.
Itsinnovations
includeavirtual
reality app, so
childrencanlook
around a hospital
beforetheygo
in for a procedure,
a range of superhero
Join the discussion on #HealthTech101
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
10
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
hospital gowns and an app that
giveschildrengamestoplaywhile
wearingabreathingmasktoundergo
generalanaesthetic.Ithaswonthe
HeathrowInnovationOriginality
Prize2018andvariousotherawards.
l Equivital, Cambridge
Equivitalmakeswearabletechthat
monitorsforhealthconditions.It
istheonlywearabletechbusiness
intheworldtohaveclearancefor
sensorstobeworninwarzones.
ItsLifeMonitorwaswornbyFelix
Baumgartner during his famous
RedBullStratosspacedivein2012.
l InTouch with Health,

Cirencester

InTouchwithHealth’spatientflow
managementsoftwareisusedby
morethan100UKhospitals.Itrecently
expandeditsoperationsintofive
overseasterritoriesincludingtheUAE
andAustraliaasitchasesambitious
globalgrowthtargetsthroughout2019.
l Walk with Path, Essex
MobilityspecialistWalkwithPath
makesashoeattachmentthatshines
alighttohelpthosewithParkinson’sor
MStowalk.Amultipleaward-winner,
theinnovationaimstopreventinjury
andimprovemobilitybyprovidingvisual
cluesandfeedbackforthewearer.
l Doctorpreneurs, London
Doctorpreneursisaglobalcommunity
for doctors interested in healthcare
innovation,techandentrepreneurship.
Ithas15,000members,forwhomit
organiseseventsandofferssupportin
gettingtheirentrepreneurialideasoff
theground.
l Orcha, Daresbury
GPscanprescribeappstopatients
thankstoOrcha,theDaresbury-based
techbusiness,whichcompareshealth
apps to show those
which are most
effective.It
aims to
drivewider
adoption
of digital
tech in health
and,in2018,
it was enlisted
by
NHSDigitaltoconductappevaluations
forthecentralNHSLibrary.
l Elder, London

Elderoffershealthcaremanagement
technology that matches those in need
offull-timecarewithlive-incarers.
ItwasfoundedbyPeteDowdsand
TomBrooks,whobothhaddifficult
experiencesinfindingcarefortheir
elderlygrandparents,andislooking
after hundreds of customers across
theUK.
l Invatech Health, Bristol

Invatechoffersworkflowsoftware
to pharmacies and care homes to
ensuremedicationisprescribed,
dispensed and monitored safely and
accurately.Thecarehomeplatform,
which aims to eradicate errors,
provideshomeswithadirectlinkto
pharmaciestomanageresidents’
medicationaswellasserviceslikea
hand-helddevicethatscansabarcode
asmedicationisadministered.
l Oxford Heartbeat,
London
BasedinLondon,OxfordHeartbeat’s
aimistomakesurgeriesasminimally
invasiveaspossibleusingbigdataand
AI.Itssoftwareturns2Dscansinto3D
modelstoenablesurgeonstovirtuallytest
proceduresbeforethey’reintheoperating
theatre.
l Babylon Health, London
Mobile-basedhealthcarebusiness
BabylonHealthallowsdoctorsto
diagnoseandprescribemedicationto
patients.ItsGPandHandappoffersAI-
powereddiagnosesbyrecognisingthe
wayhumansexpresstheirsymptomsand
connectspatientstoaGPviaavideocall.
Ithas48,000patientsregistered,making
itoneofbiggestGPpracticesincountry,
andthebusinessisplanningtoexpand.
l Benevolent AI, London

BenevolentAIusestechnologytospeed
upmedicaldiscoverybyanalysinglarge
scientificresearchdatasetstocreate
itsowninsights.BasedinLondon,with
officesinCambridge,NewYorkand
Antwerp,thebusinessaimstoaccelerate
thejourneyfromdatatomedicineand
iscollaboratingwithAstraZenecato
discovernewdrugsforkidneydisease.
l endoscope-i,

Birmingham
A team of two ENT surgeons and two
engineersmakeupendoscope-i,whose
deviceattachestoaniPhonetoenable
medics to photograph what they see in
patients’ears.
l Forward Health, London
Foundedbyateamofjuniordoctors,
ForwardHealthoffersasecureand
healthcarecompliantmessagingservice
fordoctorsandnurses.Itaimstoofferan
alternativetodeviceslikepagers,whichare
stillusedinhospitals,anditreceived$3.9m
fundingtoexpandin2018.
HealthTech 101
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
@BCLOUDUK
11

l OurPath, London

OurPathisasubscription-based
weight-lossappthataimstotackle
diabetesviaathree-monthonline
programme to help people change their
lifestylehabitsandbecomehealthier.
Itraised$3min2018andispartnered
withtheNHSinHumber,Bristol,North
SomersetandSouthGloucestershire,
withplanstoexpandfurther.
l uMotif, London

PatientdataplatformuMotifworks
withthelikesofAstraZenecaand
collects data generated in clinical
trialsthatwouldusuallybegathered
throughpaperwork.Thebusiness
raised$3.2min2018whichitplans
tousetoexpandoperationstothe
Asia-Pacificregions.Itcurrently
operatesmostlyintheUSandEurope.
l HomeTouch, London

HomeTouchfindslive-incarersand
reviewscareplansfordementiapatients.
SetupbyaformerNHSdoctor,the
businessisresponsiblefor40,000hours
ofcareeverymonthviacarersthatare
matchedtothepatientstheylookafter.
Ithasraised£5moffundingtodate.
l ZoomDoc, London
ZoomDocallowspatientstohaveinstant
telemedicine consultations, as well as the
abilitytoinstantlybooka
GPtoarriveattheir
preferredlocation.
Thebusiness
launched a £2m EIS
funding campaign in
2019tobringmedics
to patients within an
hour.TennisplayerAndy
Murrayisaprimaryinvestor,following
ZoomDoc’ssuccessfulcrowdfunding
campaignwhichclosedinJanuary2018.
l Mistura Informatics,
Ashington,
Northumberland
Misturamakeselectronicresourcesfor
pharmacists, medics and healthcare
professionalssotheycanadviseandinform
patients,carersandserviceusersabout
theirmedication.Itwaschosenaspartof
anacceleratorprogrammeinNewcastle’s
Biospheretoadvancedigitalprojects
toimprovethelifeofelderlypeople.

l Elucid mHealth,
Manchester
ElucidmHealthmakessmartmedicine
dispensersthatprovidesimple-to-use
access, control and monitoring of each
individualdose.Itstechnologyhastwo
patentgrantsandanumberofpending
applicationsandithasbegundiscussions
withseveraltoptierpharmaceutical
firmsonpossiblyadvancingthe
useofitsPillConnectsystem.
l Health Diagnostics,
Chester

HealthDiagnosticscreatespatient-
focusedsystemsandsoftware.It
workswithmorethan25NHStrustson
deliveringNHSHealthChecks,withthe
softwareprocessinginvites,assessing
cardiovascularriskandtransferring
healthcheckdatatopatientrecords.
l Lantum, London

Lantumenableshealthworkerstofind
locumshiftsandisusedby17,500
clinicians.ItaimstohelptheNHScut
downonagencyfeesandmakeiteasier
formedicstofindadditionalwork.
Foundedin2012,itraised£3.2mina
seriesAroundofinvestmentanda
further$7minseriesBfundingin2016.
l Sensyne Health, Oxford
SensyneHealthplcisahealthcaretechnologycompanythatcreatesvaluefrom
acceleratingthediscoveryanddevelopmentofnewmedicinesandimproving
patientcarethroughtheanalysisofreal-worldevidencefromlargedatabasesof
anonymisedpatientdataincollaborationwithNHSTrusts.Thisanonymisedpatient
dataisethicallysourcedinthatanyanalysisofit–andhencethecompany’saccess
toit–mustbepre-approvedforeachprogrammeonacase-by-casebasisbythe
relevantNHSTrusts.Thisistoensurethatthepurposeoftheanonymisationand
theproposedanalysisaresubjecttoappropriateethicaloversightandinformation
governance,includingconformancewithNHSprinciples,UKdataprotectionlaw
andapplicableregulatoryguidance.SensyneHealthisanearlysignatorytothe
DepartmentofHealthandSocialCare’s‘InitialCodeofConductfordata-driven
healthandcaretechnology’.SensyneHealthislistedontheAIMMarketofthe
LondonStockExchange(SENS.L)andisbasedintheSchrödingerBuilding,located
onOxfordSciencePark.
Join the discussion on #HealthTech101
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
12
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
l Feebris, London

London-basedAIplatformFeebris
takesmeasurementsfromwearables
andscansthemfordiseases.Targeting
conditionslikepneumoniaandasthma,
thebusinessisfocusingonelderly
communities at the moment, aiming
toavoidhospitalstaysbyidentifying
conditionsbeforetheyescalate.It
receivedfundingfromtheSocial
TechTrusttoscaleupitsoperations.
l Cera, London

Cerafindsandmanageshomecare
forelderlypeople.Ithaspartnered
with the NHS, digitalising all processes
operations,recruitmentandcarereports.
Asaresult,thehealthsectorisable
topaycarershigherwages.Cerahas
alsoreceivedsignificantVCfunding.


l PushDoctor,
Manchester

OnlineGPservicePushDoctorworks
viaasubscriptionpackageandcurrently
hasareachof1.2millionpeople.In
January2019,thebusinessannounced
adealwiththeUrbanHealthandI3
primarycarenetworksinBirmingham
-covering13practicesand88,000
patients–toenablethemtomakea
digitalappointmentwithanonlineGP
tohelpthemgetseenmorequickly.
l Doctorlink, London

GPsurgeriescanuseDoctorlink’s
tech platform to allow patients to
bookappointmentsandaccess
medicaladviceviatheirwebsite.It
offersatriageservicethatallows
patients to understand what
mightbewrongwiththembefore
theybookanappointmentwitha
doctor.Itraised£20mininvestment
during2017toexpanditsreach.
l Echo, London

Multipleaward-winningEchois
aprescriptionserviceappthat
allows patients to order repeat
medication at the touch of a
buttonandhaveitdeliveredto
theirhomefreeofcharge.It
workswithNHSprescriptionsand
sendsreminderstousersabout
whentotaketheirmedication.


l Thriva, London

Thrivaoffersat-homefingertipblood
testsfordifferenthealthconditions.
Usersarethenofferedpersonalised
onlinereportsandevidence-based
advice.Itlaunchedasaliva-based
cortisol stress test and two female
hormonetestsin2019,expandingon
thetestsitoffersandmakingiteasier
forpeopletomonitortheirownhealth.
l Andiamo, London

Andiamomakes3D-printeddevicesto
supportthespineandlimbsfordisabled
children,inspiredbytheexperienceof
foundersNaveedandSamiyaParvez
withtheirownchild.Itmakessplints
andbracesmuchquickerandeasier
thantraditionalmethods.Thebusiness
received£1.7mfundingin2018andwas
afinalistintheWeWorkCreatorAwards.


l Sano Genetics,

Cambridge

SanoGeneticsoffersaplatformthat
pools genetic information to allow people
toowntheirowndata.Itenableslarge-
scale genetic and medical research
withoutsacrificingdataprivacy,enabling
peopletotakepartinresearchandthen
owntheirresultingdata.Thebusiness
received£500,000seedfundingin2019.
l Now Healthcare Group,
Salford
NowHealthcareGroupprovides
patients with remote access to primary
careservicesthrough
app-basedvideoand
telephone consultations
thatareavailableonthego.
ServicesincludeNowGP,
for consultations with a
doctor, and NowPatient,
enablinguserstoorder
prescriptions, and there
are more than 2 million
peopleusingthemthanks
toNow’spartnerships
withbluechipclients.
l IamYiam, London

AIpersonalhealthplatformiamYiam
measures more than 400,000 genetic
markerstohighlightareasofactivity
ornutritioninusers.Itspersonalsmart
healthassistantofferspersonalised
adviceincludinglifestyleanalysis,
goalsettingandweeklyshopping
lists.Usersmakeaone-offpayment
andcantrackthemselvesagainst
theirfriendstoreceiverewards.

l Doctify, London
Doctify’splatformenablespatientsto
searchfor,compareandbookprivate
doctors.Ithashelped1mpatients
since its launch in 2015 and raised
morethan$1min2016.Co-founder
StephanieEltzwasanorthopaedic
surgeonbeforelaunchingthebusiness.
l White Lab, London
WhiteLab’sSensioAirisasmart
indoorsallergyandairquality
trackerandapp,whichlogs
symptomsandtracksallergens.It
monitorstheairqualityin320cities
across the world and won a CES
2018InnovationAwardin2018.
HealthTech 101
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
@BCLOUDUK
13
14
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
l Peek Vision,
Hertfordshire

PeekVision’ssmartphoneapp
tests and scans eyes and is used in
developingcountries.Theoptician-
styletestissimpletouse,enabling
eyecheckstobeconductedinhomes,
communities,andschools.Itsschool
eye health screening and treatment
programmeinKenyawonthe2018
AllAfricanPublicServiceInnovation
Awards(AAPSIA2018)ataceremony
heldinEthiopiainDecember2018.
l Concentric, Cardiff

Cardiff-basedConcentricprovidesa
platformtohelppatientsmakeshared
decisionswithsurgeons.Itdigitises
the paper process, which is predicted
tosavehealthboardsmoneythrough
reduced medical negligence costs
andavoidingunnecessaryoperations.
Itreceived£350,000fundingin
April2019toscaleupitsefforts.
l Elvie, London

Elviemakessmart
tech for female
care, including
breastpumps
andpelvicfloor
trainers.The
devicesofferreal-
timefeedback
viaanappanda
gamificationelementtoencourage
womentousethem.Itraisedarecord
$42minvestmentinApril2019,
whichitintendstousetodoubleits
workforcebytheendoftheyearand
spendonresearchanddevelopment.
l Femeda, London

Femedahasdevelopedarangeof
groundbreakingmedicaldevicesfor
female urinary incontinence including
apelvicfloormusclere-trainer.

l EMIS Health, Leeds
Establishedin1980,EMISHealthprovides
patient record systems and software
and has more than 40 million patient
recordsonitssystem.Ithasacquired
sevenorganisationsduringitslifeand
has60,000weeklyusers.Revenuefor
thesixmonthstotheendof2018was
£84.5m,withprofitsrecordedat£13m.
l Medopad,
London
Medopad’sappsconnect
patients and medics, using
AItopredictconditions.
Thebusinessworkswith
healthcareprovidersand
produces data collection
platforms for life sciences
partnersandinjuryanalysisfor
sportspartners,forexample.The
businesshasmadeaseriesofacquisitions
andisaimingfor1bnpatientusers.
l Orchard Therapeutics,
London
Abiopharmaceuticalbusinessfor
patients with rare diseases, Orchard
Therapeuticspartnerswiththelikes
ofGreatOrmondStreetHospitaland
UniversityCollegeLondon.Withoffices
intheUKandUS,itdevelopsinnovative
genetherapiesandhasraised$280m
funding.
l Kheiron Medical
Technologies, London
LaunchedinJanuary2019,Kherion’s
AIsoftwareoffersbreastscreening
forearlierdetectionofcancer.A
trial was launched on historic scans
inLeedsandthebusinesshas
receivedgovernmentfundingaspart
oftheNHSTestBedprogramme.
l Moodbeam, Hull
Moodbeam’swearabledeviceallows
users to monitor their
emotionalwellbeing
and log their
mood.Itlinks
to an online
andmobile
platform
andgives
insights into
how moods
changeover
time, showing
patterns and
trends that can
supportpositivechange.
Thebusinessreceived£200,000
funding from the Northern Powerhouse
InvestmentFundin2018toenable
thedevicetogointoproduction.
l Zava, London
Patientsfillinanonlinemedical
questionnaire,whichisreviewed
bydoctorsbeforemedicationis
prescribedandsentout.Zavaaimsto
offerpatientsadiscreetmedication
serviceandhasprovidedmorethan
twomilliontreatmentssince2011.It
operatesintheUK,France,Germany,
Switzerland,AustriaandIreland.
l Cell Medica, London
CellMedicaistransformingthelivesof
cancerpatientsthroughcelltherapies.
HeadquarteredinLondon,UK,italso
hasfacilitiesinHoustonandZurich.Itis
focused on transforming the treatment
of solid and hematological cancers
bydevelopingnext-generationcell
therapiesinpartnershipwithhospitals.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
Join the discussion on #HealthTech101
l Mable Therapy, Leeds
MableTherapyspecialisesinspeechand
language therapy software that uses
cuttingedgeUIanddatavisualisation
systems.Mablecliniciansdeliverthe
therapywithinschools,usinggamification
toaidlearningandcarryoutassessments.
The software, which has changed the
waytherapyisdelivered,collectsdataon
thechildandtracksprogress,whichcan
besharedwiththeschoolandparents.
l EYOTO, Birmingham
Anotheruniversityspinout,thistime
fromAstonUniversity,EYOTOis
developinghardwareandsoftware
productsusingAIforeyetesting.The
business,formerlyAstonEyeTech,
raised £5m in 2017 in a series A round led
byMerciaTechnologiesandlaunched
undertheEYOTObrandin2018.
l Autolus Therapeutics,
London
Autolus Therapeutics specialises in T
cell programming technology for the
treatmentofcancer.Itisengineering
precisely targeted, controlled and highly
activeTcelltherapiesdesignedtobetter
recognisecancercells,breakdowntheir
defencemechanismsandeliminatethem.
Foundedonadvancedcellprogramming
technologypioneeredbyDrMartin
Pule,thebusinesswasspunoutfrom
UniversityCollegeLondonin2014.
l Co-op Health (formerly
Dimec), London
DimecrebrandedtoCo-opHealthfollowing
theacquisitionledbyCo-opVentures
in2018.Thebusinessdevelopedanapp
thatenablespatientsandGPstointeract
andmanagetheirprescriptionneeds.
l Bond Digital Health,
Cardiff
BondDigitalHealthisasoftware
consultancydevelopingend-to-end
digitalconnectivitytoolsforlifesciences
andmedicaldevicesinnovators.Founder
IanBondisalong-termsuffererofCOPD
andhadbecomefrustratedathisown
experienceswithhealthservices.The
personalisedself-managementdata
recordhecreatedwasthefirstofBond’s
products.
l Proton Partners,
Newport
ProtonPartnerswasthefirstprovider
ofprotonbeamtherapyintheUK
andisintheprocessofdevelopinga
networkofoncologycentrestodeliver
it.ItsRutherfordCancerCentreSouth
WaleswasthefirstclinicintheUK
toprovidehighenergyprotonbeam
therapyandtreatedthefirstnon-NHS
patientwithhighenergyprotonbeam
therapyintheUKin2018.Ithascentres
inReadingandNorthumberlandand
oneinLiverpoolisunderconstruction.
Eachcantreatupto500patientsayear.
l Current Health,
Edinburgh
Predictiveanalyticssoftwareplatform
CurrentHealthtook$8minseed
fundingin2018.Thebusiness,formerly
knownasSnap40,identifiesinreal-
timethosewhosehealthisatriskof
deterioratingviaawearabledevice.The
fundingwastoenableUSexpansion.It
also won a £1m NHS England contract
inApriltofurtherscaleitstech.
l Care Sourcer, Edinburgh
Care matching software platform
CareSourceroffersafreematching
serviceforelderlypeople.It
raised£8.5min2018toexpand
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
@BCLOUDUK
15
l Priority Digital Health, Cambridge
PriorityDigitalHealthbuildssmartdigitalplatformswithafocusonhealth
promotionanddiseasepreventionthathelppeoplefindandbookintothemost
appropriatesupportfortheirneeds-quicklyandeasily.Itchangesbehavioursand
reduces waiting times, freeing up time for clinicians and HCPs to spend more time
withpeoplemostinneed.CommissionedbytheNHS,LocalGovernmentPublic
Healthdepartmentsandcommercialorganisations,itdeliversservicesinDiabetes
Education,IntegratedLifestyleServices,WorkplaceHealth,StopSmokingandthe
deliveryofHealthChecks.PoweredbyapowerfulCRMandhostedwithintheHSCN
network,itsproductsaredesignedtoworktogetherorstand-alone:
•priority.you-reducingdemandforGPappointmentsthroughonlinecare
navigation
•priority.me-everythingforlifestyleserviceprovidersinoneplatform
•priority.sp-geolocationplatformrespondingtosocialprescribingneeds
•priority.connect-interoperabilitythroughAPIsandintegrationswithEMISHealth,
PatientActivationMeasuresandNHSDigital
HealthTech 101
101 HealthTech Innovators
itsservicesfromEdinburghand
LondontotherestoftheUK.The
businessisalsoaimingtogrow
from20to100employeesby2020.
l Clevermed, Edinburgh
Clevermedprovidespatientdata
management systems that are used
in250UKhospitals,specifically
for maternity and neonatal care
records,aswellasinNewZealand
andAustralia.Itaimstostopthe
need for women to carry paper
recordsduringpregnancy,keeping
information in one place regardless
ofwherethepatientis.Thebusiness
wascitedinaParliamentaryReview
highlightingitsachievementsin2018.
l Damibu, Liverpool
Award-winningdigitalhealthtechnology
studioDamibuworkswithNHSclinical
commissioning groups, NHS trusts
andotherpublicsectorbodiesto
developsimpleinnovativesolutions
tocomplexproblems.Itsprojects
includeappstoimprovechildren’s
healthandforthoselivingwith
dementia.Itsworkwasrecognised
intheMedilinkNorthofEngland
HealthcareBusinessAwards2019.
l Servelec Group,
Sheffield
ServelecGroupmakes
patient management
software, which is
usedby49NHStrusts.
InJanuary2019,it
acquiredNorthwich-
basedC:Vision,whichhad
40staffandprovidescase
management and information
tolocalgovernmentchildren’s
andyoungpeople’sservicesteams.
l Vision, London
Visionmakesintelligentsoftware
foruseinGPpracticesthatallows
medicalrecordstobeviewedremotely,
appointmentstobebookedonline
andhealthteamstocollaborate.
l Positive Solutions,
Chorley
PositiveSolutionsspecialises
in pharmacy management
tools for order management,
dispensingandEPOS.Italsooffers
care home dispensing solutions,
pharmacydesignandshopfitting,
retailandmerchandisingservices,
websitedesignandacomprehensive
portfolioofpartnerproducts.
l Silverlink Software,
Newcastle
Silverlink’spatientadminsystemsare
usedby13NHSacutetrustsinthe
UK,covering45hospitals.InFebruary
2019,itlaunchedabedmanagement
systematLiverpoolHeartandChest
Hospital,allowingbedstobemanaged
usingintuitivetouchscreensthathave
replacedwhiteboards.Itenablesstaff
to create a graphical representation of
theirward,allocateandmovepatients
betweenbedsusinga‘draganddrop’
systemandmanagecleaningstatus.
l 3D LifePrints, Liverpool
3DLifePrintsworks
with hospital trusts
across the UK
including Alder
HeyChildren’s
Hospital.It3D
prints models
for surgical
training,
models for
demonstrating
to patients,
medical software
andmedicaldevices.
l Baby2Body, London
AppBaby2Bodyisusedduring
pregnancy for coaching in health
andwellbeingandpersonalisesthe
informationitsendstousers.Founder
MelindaNicci,anex-sportspsychologist
andfitnesstrainer,islisted
as one of the most
influentialwomenintech.
l Vitaccess,
Oxford
Digitalhealthcareresearch
scale-upandstrategicconsultancy
Vitaccess was named a Tech Nation
RisingStarfor2019.ItsMyRealWorldapp
enablespatientstotracktheirdiseases
andtreatments,producingreal-timedata
onhowtheyimpacttheireverydaylives.
l Unmind, London
Unmind produces mental health
toolsandtrainingforworkforces,with
clientsincludingWilliamHill,Yorkshire
BankandJustEatusingitsplatform.
Foundedin2016,thebusinessworks
with organisations with more than 1,000
employees and the system can direct users
toappropriatementalhealthservicesif
necessary.
l Big Health, London
Big Health creates automated and
personalisedmentalhealthprogrammes.
It has partnered with the NHS to
provideonlinesleepimprovement
programmeSleepiotopatients.
DevelopedbyProfessorColinEspie
fromOxfordUniversityandCEOPeter
Hames, the programmes are now
availableto12millionpeopleworldwide.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
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BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
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COVER STORY
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
@BCLOUDUK
17
in
KM Capital is a tech-focused
investment fund looking to
identify scalable and disruptive
early-stage businesses. We
are headed by Adam Kamani,
who co-founded one of the
world’s fastest growing fashion
brands, prettylittlething.com
We create lasting
relationships
We back exceptional teams
with the ambition to grow big
businesses, our focus is on
identifying entrepreneurs that
can scale explosively to
create, transform or dominate
an industry.
GET IN TOUCH:
invest@km-capital.co.uk
www.km-capital.co.uk
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KM Capital
l Creo Medical, Chepstow
AIM-listedCreoMedicalisaworld
leaderinnon-invasivesurgerymedical
devices.Itraised£50min2018to
enableittotargettheUSmarket.The
company’smissionistoimprovepatient
outcomesbyapplyingmicrowaveand
radiowaveenergytosurgicalendoscopy.
l Zesty, London
Zestyisanappallowingpatientsto
find,compareandbookhealthservices.
Theonlinehealthcarebookingservice
isbackedbyInnovationCapital,
MangroveCapitalPartners,TAVenture
andABRTVentureFundandhas
receivedmorethan$10minvestment.
l Antidote, London
Antidoteenablespeopletosearchfor
clinicaltrialssuitableforthemand
helpresearchersfindsuitable
candidates.Itsgoalistoslash
thefigureof80pcoftrials
beingdelayedorcancelled
throughlackofparticipation.
Thebusinessraised$11min2017.
l Signum Health,
Caerphilly
SignumHealthhasdevelopedanAI
andcloud-basedplatformtoenable
healthcare professionals to remotely
diagnoseandmanagepatients.The
businesstooksix-figureinvestment
in2017.Itsintegrateddigitalplatform
enablesprofessionalstoelectronically
and remotely, diagnose, triage and
referpatientstoavarietyofhealth,
socialcareandwellbeingproviders.
l HealthUnlocked, London
Akindofsocialnetworkforhealth,
HealthUnlockedaimstoconnectpeople
with the same health conditions so that
theycansharetheirexperiences.Ithas
onemillionmembersworldwidewho
use the community, which is moderated
byexpertsfromorganisationssuchas
the British Heart Foundation to ensure
thequalityandreliabilityofthecontent.
l Howz, Manchester
HowzispartneredwithEDF
Energytodevelopitshome
monitoring system for
the elderly and those
with dementia, which is
in hundreds of homes and
beingtrialledbytheNHS.
Howzlearnsroutineswithin
the home and spots changes
early,helpingyoutoactquickly.The
system uses sensors that alert family
membersifchangesinusualactivityare
detected.
l Ieso Digital Health,
Cambridge
Award-winningIesoDigitalHealth
offersfreeonlinecognitivebehavioural
therapy to treat mental health
conditions.ADeloitteFast50Awards
winnerduring2018,thebusinessraised
£18min2017todevelopitsservice,
whichisofferedfreeontheNHS.
l Fertility Focus,
Warwick
FertilityFocusisadeviceand
smartphoneappthatenablesusers
topredictfertility,saidtobetheonly
monitorcapableofpredictingovulation
upto24hoursinadvanceandconfirming
theexactdateofovulationwith99pc
clinically-provenaccuracy.Itraiseda
seriesAroundof$2.9minJanuary2019
to further commercialise its product,
Ovusense,inNorthAmericaand
Europeandfundadditionalclinicaltrials.
l Healthera, Cambridge
Healthera is an app that connects patients
topharmaciesandGPs,allowingthemto
orderprescriptions,accessclinicalservices
andmonitortheirmedicationintake.The
businessraised£3minseriesAfundingin
2018.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
18
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
l Vapour Cloud, Elland
DigitaltransformationspecialistVapourCloudisthebrainsbehindTeleDOC–the
firstvideotoolofitskindfortheUKhealthcaresector,poweredbyafree,simple
SMS.Withcutting-edgeWebRTCtechnologyatitsheart,TeleDOCenablesGPs
andothermedicalprofessionalstoholdsecure,encrypted,recordable,geo-tagged
videocallswiththeirpatients,wherevertheyarelocated,onanydevice,and
regardlessofthetechnicalliteracy.Theresultistheabilitytoefficientlydiscussand
diagnosehealthissuesremotely,beforestoringtheencryptedvideofileinasecure
vault.And,becauseTeleDOCworksbysendingthepatientaone-time-useSMSor
email,withhyperlink,whichautomaticallyactivatesthevideoconsultation,thereis
nocosttotheuser.Withnousername,passwordorapprequired–onlytwoclicksto
authorisethecamera–theresultismaximumeaseofuse,beforetheappointment
iscarriedoutinmuchthesamewayasaface-to-facescenario.Thepatientalso
‘meets’withtheirownGP,ratherthanastranger.
Join the discussion on #HealthTech101
l Oxehealth, Oxford
Oxehealth’sdigitalcareassistantuses
sensors and infrared technology to
monitor patients when healthcare
assistantscan’tbethere.Itmeasures
pulserateandbreathingrate,and
detectsactivity,sendinganalert
ifsomethingisamiss.Itsecured
‘world-first’accreditationforits
opticalvitalsignstechnologyin2018.
l Vida, London
HomecareserviceVidamatchescarers
topatientsanddeliverspersonalised
careprogrammes.Formercancer
researchscientistDevikaWood
workedatGooglebeforefoundingthe
business,whichturnedover£1.5m
initsfirsttenmonthsoftrading.
l Perfect Ward, London
PerfectWard’ssmartdocumentanalyser
captures healthcare inspections onto
phonesortabletsandprovidesreal-
timereportingonanyissues.Itaims
tohalveinspectiontimeandcutdown
ontheneedforpaperwork,while
enablingissuestobequicklyidentified.
l Jellagen, Cardiff
MarinebiotechbusinessJellagenextracts
jellyfishcollagenformedicalusesand
was commercialised for research in
2018.Sinceitwasfoundedin2013,
thebusinesshassecuredconsiderable
investmentfrombothprivateinvestors
andpublicsourcestodevelopitsproduct
for use in the food, cosmetic, medical
deviceandpharmaceuticalindustries.
Itlaunchedinresponsetoexploding
jellyfishpopulationsandsafetyconcerns
aroundmammal-derivedcollagens.
l Virti, London
VirtiusesAIandVRtotransport
usersintorealistic,hard-to-access
environmentstosafelyassess
themunderpressure.Theaward-
winningbusinessaimstoimprove
human performance and reduce
anxiety.ItjoinedtheNHSInnovation
AcceleratorProgrammein2019.
l SurePulse, Nottingham
UniversityofNottinghamspinoutSurePulse
aimstosavethelivesofbabiesborn
notbreathing.Itsheartratemonitor,a
sensorbuiltintoahat,givesclinicians
an accurate reading when resuscitating
babies.Thedevicewascertifiedin
2019,makingitavailabletoclinicians.
l C the Signs, London
‘C the Signs is a digital tool that uses AI and
thelatestevidencetohelpGPsidentify
patients with cancer at the earliest and
mostcurablestage.Itusesadvanced
algorithmscombinedwithoptimisation
andprioritisationsystemstoreflect
thenaturaldecision-makingprocessof
doctors,translatingcomplexresearchand
guidelines into a simple process for the
user.Itiscurrentlyworkingwithseveral
NHSclinicalcommissioninggroups.
l Dietary Assessment
Ltd (myfood24), Leeds
myfood24 is a dietary assessment
apptosupportacademicresearch.It
providesreal-timefeedbackonfood
andnutritionintake,whichisthenused
byteaching,researchandhealthcare
professionals.Originallycreatedasa
UniversityofLeedsresearchgroup,the
spinoutcompany,DietaryAssessment
Ltd, was created in 2017 to respond
togrowingcustomerrequirements.
l MeeTwo, London
MeeTwo is a free mental health social
media platform that helps teenagers
toopenupabouttheirmentalhealth,
usingpicturesorwordstoexpress
themselves.ListedintheNHSApps
Libraryandamultipleawardwinner,it’s
curatedbyqualifiedpsychologistsand
everypostismoderatedbeforebeing
published.Itofferspeersupportfrom
otherteenagersaswellasexperthelp,
andthedataisusedtoprovideinsights
intoteenagementalhealth.
l Ingenica Solutions,
Hampshire
IngenicaSolutionshasatrackrecord
indeliveringsignificantreturnson
investmentsforNHStruststhrough
itsITsolutions.Itworkswithanumber
ofNHSfoundationtruststoenable
dramaticimprovementsinbackoffice
efficiencyinthehealthcareenvironment.
l Sky Medical Technology,
Daresbury
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
@BCLOUDUK
19
HealthTech 101
SkyMedicalTechnologyisthe
parentcompanyofFirstkind,which
developedtheOnPulsetechnology
platformandgekowearablemedical
device.Thedeviceandtechplatform
stimulateimprovedbloodflowfor
woundhealingandthepreventionof
otherconditions.Itwonaninnovation
awardin2019foritsapproach
totechnologyandpartnerships.
l Steeper Group, Leeds
SteeperGrouphasbeenworkingin
thefieldofprostheticssince1921.
Todayitcombinesitsartificiallimbs
withassistivetechnology,including
home control, communication and
environmentcontroldevices.Ithas
aclinicinLeeds,aprivateprosthetic
centreinLondonandaUSbase.
l Medicalchain, London
Medicalchainusesblockchain
technology to securely store health
records and maintain a
singleversionofthe
truth.Different
organisations
such as doctors,
hospitals,
laboratories,
pharmacists
and health
insurerscanrequest
permission to access
apatient’srecordtoservetheir
purpose and record transactions on
thedistributedledger.Itannounced
itsfirstpartnership,withTheGroves
MedicalGroup,inLondon,in2018.
l Oviva UK, London
OvivaUKisahealthimprovementtool
thatcombinesexpertadvicefrom
dietitians with digital tools to help people
withconditionssuchastype2diabetes
improvetheirhealth.Itpartnerswiththe
NHSandhaswonanumberofawards.
l Raremark, London
Raremarkwaslaunchedin2016for
familiesaffectedbyraredisease,
an online community where people
canlearnaboutacondition,take
partinresearchandhavetheirsayin
howtreatmentsaredeveloped.The
company’sworkhaswonmultiple
awards, including the UK Business Angels
Association’sEntrepreneuroftheYear,
anditwasnamedasachangemaker
atthe2018LondonTechWeek.
l Tunstall Healthcare,
Whitley Bridge, North
Yorkshire
TunstallHealthcareaimstoprovide
‘connectedhealthcare’,including
connecteddevicesandservicesthat
monitorthehealthandwellbeingof
peopleincare.Foundedin1957,it
operatesinmorethan30countries
and employs around 2,000 people
globally–around615oftheseinthe
UK.Aconsumerarm,IndeMe,gives
carersandfamilymemberspeace
of mind through pendant alarm
servicesandfall-detectiondevices.
l Mendelian,
London
Mendelian diagnoses rare diseases
using machine learning, which
helps specialists narrow down
possiblecausesofsymptoms.
It has more than 50,000 users in
150 countries and aims to cut down
thetimetakentodiagnosepatients.
l Cardiocity, Lancaster
Cardiocitybuildsmedicaldevicesthat
makeiteasierforpeopletomeasuretheir
physiologicalperformance.Established
in 2011, it uses the concepts of telemetry
fromtopflightmotorsportintheworldof
mobilehealth,exportingproductsincluding
itsRhythmPad,whichmakesscreeningfor
cardiacarrhythmiasextremelysimpleand
canbeusedattachedtotheclinician’sPC
orinreceptionasawhile-you-waitsystem.
l Salve Technologies,
London
SalveTechnologiesmakesamobile-
firstpatientengagementplatform
thatautomatesclinicworkflowsand
guidespatientsthroughtreatment.
ItisliveinclinicsacrossEuropeand
thousandsofpatientshaveusedthe
productsinceitslaunchinOctober2017.
l Feedback Medical,
Cambridge
FeedbackMedicalhasglobalcustomers
for its medical imaging technology,
whichadvancestheworkofradiologists,
clinicians and medical researchers
byimprovingworkflowsandgiving
uniqueinsightsintodiseases,such
ascancer.ItsTexRADproducthas
featured in more than 100 academic
publications,wonnumerousawards
and is currently used in more than 50
prestigiousinstitutionsworldwide.
l MedShr, London
MedShrisasocialmedia-styleplatform
toenablecliniciansandhealthcare
professionals to discuss cases and
medicalimages.Ithas850,000
membersinmorethan190countries.
l Mindmate, Glasgow
An app for those with dementia and
Alzheimer’s,Mindmatewasfoundedby
universitygraduateswhohadexperienceof
caringforthosewiththeconditions.Used
bymorethan1mpeople,itaimstohelp
sufferersstayactive,havesomewhereto
collect their memories and stimulate their
brains.Itreceived$2mfromUSinvestors
in2018.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
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theirhindlegsoffforfiveyears.Itfeltso
unfair.Ididn’tparticularlylikeinvestment
bankersafterthat.Itfeltlikesellingyour
soul...theyweremakingallthemoney
whileweweredoingallthework.”
TheflotationvaluedPlusNetataround
£35millionandCTOSadlerfound
himselfsweptintoariverofnumbers
alongsideCEOLeeStraffordandCFO
NeilComer.“Whenyou’rebuildinga
businessyouknowthepeopleyou’re
workingwith-eventheirspouse’sand
children’snames,”heexplains.“Following
a period of fast growth, you suddenly
hit200peopleandbegintoforgetsome
ofthosenames.It’simpossibletoknow
everybody.
“Yougetintojustnumbers,then
whenyoufloatyouhaveanumberthat
changeseverysecondofthedayand
itbecomeshypnotic.Youforgetwhat
therealbusinessisabout:employing
He was the
technical whizz
behind PlusNet
but also knows
a thing or two
about running
a business.
DeanSadlerhasbeenthroughstock
marketflotations,tradesalesand
managementbuyouts.Sowhenhewarns
thatthe‘hypnotic’effectofmoney
canblindmanagementtowhatismost
important-thepeoplewithinabusiness
andhavingfun-youknowheisspeaking
fromexperience.
NowCEOofaward-winning
recruitmentdisrupterTribePad,Sadler’s
careerbeganbackin1999whenhe
appliedforajobatForce9Internet.He
wrotetheback-endoperatingsystem
fortheSheffieldcompanywhichwould
rebrandasPlusNetandbetheUK’ssixth-
largestinternetserviceproviderwhenit
floatedontheAIMin2004.
“The process leading up to the IPO
wasexciting,”Sadler,whohailsfrom
Gloucestershire,tellsBusinessCloud.
“It was enticing, the London scene, the
moneyandthefancyoffices.Butthen
yourealisethatsomeoftheguysyou’re
dealingwithhaveearnedmoremoneyin
aweekbyhelpingusfloatthebusiness
thanyourguyshaveearnedbyworking
people,makingsurethey’regotagreat
set of opportunities in front of them and
havingfun.Whenmoneyistheprimary
motivator,youlosealotofthatfun.”
TRADE SALE
WhenBTboughtallPlusNet’ssharesin
2007,thefirmwasworthapproximately
£67m.Despitebeingoperatedasa
standalonebusiness,Straffordand
Comerweresoondismissedbythe
parent company after they were accused
ofplanningtolauncharivalbusiness.
Sadlerhandedinhisnotice.
“Whenyou’rerunningabusinessand
makingthedecisions,Ijustwasn’table
tothensay‘allofthathasmovedoverto
you,MrCorporate-tellmewhattodo
andI’lljump’.It’snotinmyDNA,”hesays.
Atthetimehedescribedtheprocessof
leavingPlusNetasanecessary“divorce”.
Hefoundhimselfinthepubwondering
whattodonext.“OneminuteI’mCTOat
a company which is on the TV and radio
andeverybody’sheardof-andthenext
I’munemployedand,moreimportantly,
unemployable!Nobody’sgoingtorecruit
me:Idon’twearashirtandtie.Itypically
wearflip-flops,”hesays,laughing.
“I said ‘right, I need to do something
becauseI’mmarriedwiththreedaughters
andthey’regoingtospendallmymoney
ifIdon’tdosomethinginthenextcouple
ofyears’.
WE SOLD
OUR SOUL
IN PLUSNET
IPO
Dean Sadler helped to float the
internet service provider and was later
involved in its headline-making trade
sale to BT. Now CEO of Sheffield-based
TribePad, he tells Jonathan Symcox
that running a business should be
about fun rather than money.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
BIG INTERVIEW
23
@BCLOUDUK
“Threepintsofbeersin,weasked
ourselves‘whatwasthebiggestproblem
wehadatPlusNet?Recruitingpeople.
Let’sdosomethingonrecruitment’.
“Itwasthebeertalking!ButIalways
knewIwantedtostartsomething.”
HURDLES
Sadler was part of the team which
foundedTribePad,aplatformwhich
connectsemployersandjobseekers,in
2008.Howeverduringtheearlymonths
theywerefrustratedbytheirinabilityto
selltheconceptofvideointerviewing“as
thetechwasyettocatchup”.
“There were so many hurdles,” he
reflects.“Afterninemonthsoftrying
tobuildthattechnologyandsellit
wepivotedthebusinessandasked
companieswhattheirpainpointswere.”
Heapproachedsomeoftheworld’s
biggestcompanies,includingUSgiant
Walmart.“Bydoingthatweremained
aboutayearaheadofthecurveinterms
ofbuildingtechnologywhichbusinesses
actuallywanted,”hecontinues.“Wewere
demand-drivenfromthenon:wedidn’t
definewhatweweregoingtobuild;we
weretechnologistssolvingtheproblem
broughttousbythemarket.”
Howeverithasnotallbeenplainsailing
sincethenatTribePad,whichcarriesout
psychometricprofilingofcandidates.
InJuly2016Sadlerandtheboardof
directors led an MBO in order to put in
place a scaling strategy which is now
reapingdividends.“Partofthebusiness
wasownedbysomebodywhohadmaxed
outintermsoftheircapabilitybutalso
theirdesiretomovethebusinessforward
atpace,”Sadlerexplains.“Theywere
moreinterestedinalifestylebusiness
thanagrowthbusiness.Therewasno
animosity: it was a decision that the
individualneededtomakefortheirfamily
andwejusthavetomoveon.”
SCALING STRATEGY
The newly formed management team
doubledtheworkforcewithin12months
and focused on areas which were
previouslynotconsideredapriority.“We
wentfromapurelytechnical-oriented
business,where95percentofour
employeesweresoftwaredevelopers,to
just60percentdevs,”saysSadler.“We
recruited account managers, support
managers,salesandmarketingstaff.We
recruitedgoodpeoplewhocouldmove
thebusinessforwardatafasterpaceand
fillinthegapswehad.”
TribePadhasgoneontoaddanother30
percentstaffandthebusinesshasbeen
growingatabout28percentyear-on-
yearsince,withrevenueinsevenfigures
andfive-figureprofit.Thestaffofaround
40processesoveramillioncandidates
per calendar month for clients including
theBBC,TescoandKFC,whileitserves
clientsin127countriesand17languages.
The company has also now gone
backtoitsrootsbydevelopingvideo
technologywhichiscapableofrecording
theresponsesofintervieweesandalso
readingtheiremotionalreactions.“We
canworkoutyourreadingage,the
grammaticalsyntaxofthewordsyou’re
usingandyourpersonalityprofile–
whetheryou’reextrovertorintrovert,for
example,”saysSadler.“Weknowifyou’re
smiling,frowning,whereyou’relooking
andwhatyou’resayingasyou’redoing
thesethings.
“We’retryingtolookaftertwopeople:
thebusinessownerandthecandidate.By
buildingupawholepictureofsomebody,
wecanfindpeoplewhoseCVswould
beunimpressiveifarecruiterlooked
throughthemfor30seconds[butwho
aretheperfectfitforarole].
“IfyoulookedatmyCV,itwouldbevery
sparse:wenttouni,travelledtheworld,
wenttoPlusNetthenstartedabusiness.
Howeveralotofexperience,skilland
expertisehasbeengathered.Wewantto
findthediamondsintherough.”
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
BIG INTERVIEW
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Whilst we all may dream of overnight
success as business leaders, just like
driving, the faster you do it, the more
difficult it becomes.
Whenyou’redrivingacarat30mph,
youfeelincontrol.Itcornerswellandthe
likelihoodofacatastropheislow.Compare
thattodrivingat130mphandyouhavejust
increasedtherisksofcrashingsignificantly.
Abusinessisverymuchlikeamovingvehicle:
theyaredifficulttomanoeuvreatspeed.
Changingthedirectionofafast-moving
businesscanbetricky.
Thebiggestchallengewhengrowinga
businessispreservingthekeyingredients
thatmadeitspecialinthefirstplace.The
most important and often misunderstood
ofthesecomponentsisculture.Onpage5,
BusinessCloudspeakswithenergycompany
Bulb,whichhashadanextraordinarygrowth
trajectory.
It’ssimpletocreateandkeepapositive
culture in the early years when you are a
smallteam.Start-upsareoftenexciting
environmentsandwitheveryoneinthesame
roomorbuilding,communicationcouldn’t
beeasier.AteverystageofUKFast’sgrowth,
people told me that the challenge was to
maintainthatculture.WhenIlookatUKFast
now,itisclearjusthowimportantourculture
isandtheroleitplaysinoursuccess.It’s
ourculturethatmakesuswhoandwhatwe
aretoday.Itstartedbyaccident20years
ago.Wewererecruitingpeopleonattitude
aswehadlimitedknowledgeofwhatskills
weweregoingtorequire!Ironicallyitwas
thebestthingwecouldeverhavedoneand
it’ssomethingstillattheheartofallour
recruitmenttoday.
Thoseearlyteam-mates,Gail,Neil,Rich,
myselfincluded,whilstalittleolder(and
hopefullywiser)wearetheguardiansand
custodiansofourculture.Whilstmany
people still tell us we are doing it wrong and
thatweshouldhirewithafocusonskills,I’d
saywedothingsalittledifferently.
Skillscanbetaught,butcultureand
creatinganenvironmentwhereeveryone
fitsinandenjoyscomingtoworkhastoplay
asignificantroleinhowwehire.Atitsmost
simple,culturecomesdowntorecruitment.
Who you employ has to add to the culture,
ratherthandilutingit.It’ssomethingthatwe
alltakeincrediblyseriously.Ourrecruitment
process includes psychometric testing which
givesusapictureofhowapersonwouldfit
withtheexistingcultureofthebusiness,as
wellaslearnanddevelop.It’safascinating
toolthathelpsustobuildonthestrengthsof
ourpeopleandsteersusawayfromdilutingit.
That’snottosaythatit’sallbeenplain
sailing.We’vemademistakesandit’susually
whenwearetryingtoexpandatspeed.We’ve
definitelyfallenfoulofgrowingtooquicklyat
times.Weonce,manyyearsago,outsourced
ourrecruitmenttobringinalargegroupof
newrecruitsveryquickly.Whilstitwasagreat
ideainprincipal,itdidn’tworkatall.We’d
unwittingly changed a winning formula and
outsourced an integral function of what made
uswhoweare.Notonesinglepersonfrom
thatintakeiswithustoday,fiveyearson.It
wasacostlymistake.Ontheonehanditwas
an unmitigated disaster, on the other hand
itprovedthatourprocessworksandwe’ve
stucktoitlikeglueeversince.
Culturecannotsolelybewordsonthe
officewall,dreamtupbytheCEOoreven
worsethemarketingdepartment.Your
colleaguesarewaytoosavvytofallforthat
andtheyneedtobeinvolvedinformingthe
cultureyouagreeupon.Onceyouhaveit,you
needtoeat,liveandbreatheyourculture.
People are smart and if one of your core
valuesisKINDandyouknowthatpeoplein
yourbusinessareoccasionallyabruptwith
customers,youwon’tjustlosethecustomer,
youwillloseyourteam-matestoo.
Brandsarebuiltonwhoweare,whatwe
believeinandhowwemakepeoplefeel.Ifyou
wanttohavethebestcustomerservicein
your industry, you need a culture of nurturing,
supportivepeoplewhogenuinelycarefor
thosearoundthem.Itiscommonsense,but
somethingfewbusinessownersexecutewell.
So if you want to accelerate fast, get your
cultureright.Therearemorefailuresin
businessthansuccessesandIdon’tknowone
thatnailsitsculturebutfailselsewhere.The
twogohandinhand.
Sohowdoyoubuildyourculture?Think
aboutwhatyouwanttoachieve,your“why”
asSimonSinekcallsit.What’stheultimate
reasonyoudowhatyoudo?Whyhaveyou
chosenthebusinessyouarecurrentlyin?
Writedownthevaluesthatareimportant
toyou.Geteveryonetodothisinthe
businessandtheninvolvetheminaprocess
ofelimination.Distilitdowntojustfourorfive
‘corevalues’-thosethatresonatewithand
exciteeveryone.
I’ddefinitelyrecommendSimonSinekand
JimCollinsastworeferencepointsforthis
exercisetokickstartyourprocess.
Lawrence Jones
MBE is the
co-founder and
CEO of managed
hosting and cloud
firm UKFast. In
his latest column
he looks at
maintaining culture
in a fast-growing
business.
The Culture Club
COLUMN: LAWRENCE JONES MBE
www.lawrencejones.co.uk/
/LawrenceJonesCEOUKFast
lawrencejonesmbe
@lawrence_jones
@BCLOUDUK
25
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
26
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
There’s one
photo from Gary
Parkinson’s
football career
that has pride of
place in his house.
Takenin1994,itshowshimholdingthe
DivisionTwoplay-offtrophyaloftat
WembleywithhisbestmateDavidEyres
aftertheirgoalshadsecuredafamous2-1
winforBurnleyagainstStockportCounty.
Fast forward 25 years and the two pals
arereminiscingaboutwhatwasprobably
the greatest day of their careers in the
kitchenofParkinson’simmaculatelytidy
homeinBolton.“ItwastheworstgoalI’ve
everseentowinagamebutprobablythe
mostimportant,”ishowEyresdescribes
hisformerteam-mate’sdeflectedstrike.
Forasplitsecondit’sjustlikethe
CAN TECHNOLOGY
UNLOCK EX-
FOOTBALLER’S
CONDITION?
FormerMiddlesbrough,BurnleyandPrestondefenderGaryParkinsonisunabletomoveortalkaftera
strokein2010lefthimwithlocked-insyndrome.Hisfamilyhopetechnologymayfindthesolution.
ChrisMaguirereports.
olddays–butsomethingisdifferent.
Parkinsonsufferedalife-changingstroke
in2010thatnearlyclaimedhislife.
Diagnosedwitharareconditioncalled
locked-insyndrome,he’sunabletomove
ortalkbutiscompletelyawareofwhat’s
goingonaroundhim.Hecommunicates
byblinkinghiseyesandusingapieceof
eye-trackingtechnologycalledTobii.
HisdevotedwifeDeborah,whohas
beenhischildhoodsweetheartsince
meetinginMiddlesbroughattheage
of16,ishopingadvancesintechnology
mayfindthesolutionforthecondition.
“Medical science is changing all the time,”
saysthemother-of-three.“Researchis
beingdone.Whoknowswhetheritwillbe
inGary’slifetime–butIbelievetherewill
besomethingoutthere.Garyhasnever
givenuponanything.”
Herfamily’slifechangedforeverone
TuesdayinSeptember2010.Herhusband
was42andworkingasayouthteam
coachatBlackpoolFCwithaspirationsof
onedaybeingamanager.Deborahrecalls
howherhusbandhadbeenhisnormalself
whenhereturnedfromworkandthepair
enjoyedaglassofredwineeachbefore
goingtobed.“Intheearlyhoursofthe
morningGarysaidhehadaheadache.
Heaskedforsomepainkillers.Iwent
downstairsforaglassofwaterandbythe
timeIgotbackupstairsIcouldseethe
coordination had gone from his face and
hishands.”
He also struggled to open his eyes so
at6amshecalledanambulance.“Ididn’t
suspecthe’dhadastroke.Ithoughthe’d
hadareactiontosomething.”
Parkinsonwasabletowalktothe
ambulance,whichtookhimtoRoyal
BoltonHospital.Initiallyitwasthought
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
BIG INTERVIEW
27
@BCLOUDUK
GarywithwifeDeborah.
Parkinson,right,withEyresatWembley.
heonlyhadanearinfection.“Helosthis
feeling in his left side and that was when
Iknewitwassomethingmoreserious,”
saysDeborah.Shewenthometopick
upsomepossessionsandcheckonher
childrenastheirsonLuke,then17,was
lookingafterhisyoungersistersChloe
andSophie.Bythetimeshereturnedto
thehospitalanhourlaterherhusband’s
conditionhadtakenadramaticturnfor
theworse.“He’dbeentakentointensive
care and was induced into a coma and
wasonlifesupport,”shesays.“Hewasso
gravelyillhewasgivenlastritestwice.”
DIAGNOSIS
Ittookthreescansbeforehewas
diagnosedwithhavinghadastroke–but
thenewsgotevenworse.Whenhewas
takenoffoneofthemachines,hisbody
wascompletelyunresponsiveandhewas
foundtohavelocked-insyndrome–a
rare neurological disorder which causes
completeparalysisofallvoluntary
musclesexceptfortheonesthatcontrol
themovementsoftheeyes.
Deborahsaystheeasiestwayto
describelocked-insyndromeisto
imagineallthenervesarewires,travelling
upthespinetothebrainandthengoing
offindifferentdirectionstocontrol
movement.Thestrokedamagesthe
brainstemandpreventsmessages
gettingtothebrain.Herhusbandalso
hasatracheotomytoassisthisbreathing
andisfedthroughhisstomach.“Weknow
peoplewhohavecomeoutoflocked-in
syndrome,”saysDeborah,althoughshe
acceptstheoddsaren’tencouraging.“If
youlookinthemedicalbooksitsays2-3
monthslifeexpectancy.Herewearemore
thaneightyearslater.”
IntotalParkinsonspenttwoyearsin
hospitalbutwasabletoleaveafterhis
housewasspeciallyadapted.“Itwas
difficultforGarytocometotermswith,”
admitshiswife,wholooksafterhim
alongsideateamofdedicatedcarers.“He
worriedabouteverybodyelse.Hewanted
everybodyelsetobehappy.”
Garycommunicatesthroughblinking.
“Hiseyeslookupfora‘yes’anddownfor
a‘no’,”shesays.“Hewillblinkhiseyesto
indicatehewantstotellussomething.”
Garybuildsupwords,oneletteratatime,
byblinkingacertainnumberoftimesto
indicateeachletter.
Parkinson,whoisakeenhorseracing
fan, also uses a sophisticated piece of
eye-trackingtechnologycalledTobii.
“Garyusesapieceofequipmentcalled
abrainfinger,”explainsDeborah.“It’sa
bitlikeaheadbandthatstrapsontohis
headandithadlittleprobesanditcan
pickupmuscleandfacialmovement.Gary
willtwitchhismouthanditwillmovethe
cursoronthescreen.It’samazingbut
Garygetsfrustratedwithit.”
Parkinsonbeganhiscareerasan
apprenticeatEvertonin1985but
wasbestknownforhisspellsat
Middlesbrough,Burnley,PrestonNorth
EndandBlackpool,beforeacruciate
ligamentinjuryforcedhimtoretirein
hisearly30s.“Asaplayerthereprobably
wasn’tabetterstrikeroftheballwithhis
rightfoot,”ishowEyresdescribesthe
defender.
Hehasaclosenetworkofformer
footballerfriendswhovisithim,including
BernieSlaven,exEvertonandManchester
UnitedmanagerDavidMoyes,Lee
Turnbull,EyresandcurrentBlackburn
managerTonyMowbray.Eyres,whocalls
hisformerteam-mate‘TweetiePie’on
accountofhisblondhairinhisyouth,isa
regularandwelcomevisitor.
“Garyusedtocallme‘BigEars’,”he
recalls.“Assoonassomebodyshouted
‘BigEars’IknewitwasParky.”
Despitetheirfriendship,thetwowere
ultra-competitivewhentheycameup
against each other later in their career,
playingforOldhamandBlackpool
respectively.“Hewasoneofmymates
andhesaid‘I’mgoingtokickyouBig
Ears’,”recallsEyreswithasmile.
FIGHTER
IaskParkinsonifitfeelslikebeingbackin
the changing room when his old Burnley
team-mateturnsup.Hiseyeslookupto
indicateyes.“HasDavidgotanyfunnier?”
Iask.Garylooksdowntoindicate‘no’.Of
thestroke,Eyressays:“Garyhasalways
beenafighter.”
Deborahsaysthefootballworld
couldn’thavebeenanynicerandpraises
theroleoftheProfessionalFootballers’
Association and especially its chief
executiveGordonTaylor,whocameto
seeherhusbandsoonafterhisstroke.
“Theyhavebeenverysupportive,”says
Deborah.“GordonsendsaChristmas
cardtoGaryeveryyear.”
AgainstalltheoddsParkinsonrecently
celebratedhis50thbirthdayandlikes
spendingtimewithhischildrenLuke,26,
Chloe,22,andSophie15.Lukerunsthe
GaryParkinsonTrustTwitteraccount@
GaryParkyTrust.
Deborahisaremarkablepersonbutis
quicktodownplayherselflessness.She
saysthe‘loveofGary’andherfamilykeep
hergoingbutadmitsthatfundingextra
serviceslikeherhusband’sweeklytripto
thehydrotherapypoolandshortbreaks
tospecialdisabled-friendlycottagesnear
BlackpoolatBrickhouseFarm,aredifficult
butessential.
Fornow,she’shopingthattechnology
canunlockherhusband’scondition.
“If you look in the medical books
it says 2-3 months life expectancy.
Here we are more than eight years
later.”
Deborah Parkinson
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A LABOUR
OF LOVE
HannahFeldmanbuiltupfamilyleisureplatform
Kidadlwhilepregnantthennursinghernewbornbaby.
AformercolleagueofDragons’DenstarJamesCaan
CBE, the London entrepreneur draws comparisons
betweenmotherhoodandentrepreneurshipin
conversationwithJonathanSymcox.
Most
entrepreneurs
would agree that
building a business
is incredibly
difficult.
Addingchildrenintothemixcanfurther
complicate the process – yet the story of
entrepreneurHannahFeldmantakesthis
narrativetosomethingofanextreme.
Alreadyamothertothree-year-old
twins–nowagedsix–shediscoveredshe
waspregnantjustweeksafterfounding
family leisure platform Kidadl in London
withSophieOrman.
Feldman’sbackgroundwasinlawand
corporatefinanceandshealsoworked
closely with recruitment entrepreneur
andformerDragons’DenstarJames
CaanCBEonhisinvestmentdealflowat
HamiltonBradshaw.
Havinglongharbouredanambitionto
startherownbusiness,shewasn’tgoing
to let the prospect of another child throw
heroffcourse.“IfoundoutIwaspregnant
eightweeksafterIquitmyjob,”shetells
BusinessCloud.
“Beingverycandid,I’dhadIVFforthe
twinssoitwasn’tinanywayalikelihood
thatthiswouldhappen!I’dchangedmy
mindset,knowingIwasgoingtostarta
business,somaybeeverythingrelaxed...
“I felt so ill that I went to see the
doctor,whotoldmeIwaspregnant.For
onceinmylife,Iwasspeechless!Itwas
anincrediblemiracle,andanincredible
surprise.
“I went straight to see Sophie and she
said‘that’sgreat-you’rethepostergirl
forthebusiness!’”
Therewerenovisiblerolemodelsfor
Feldman to follow and she is pleased that
pregnancyisnowenteringthenarrative
aroundstart-upbusinesses.“Westarted
ourpre-seedfundraisethreemonths
later.Ihadalargepashminaandabig
smile!Itwasn’t‘wearalycradressand
talkaboutmybump’–itwasn’treally
discussed.Iwasjustawomanwhowas
pregnantwhowasfundraising.
“Pregnancy is not a challenge unless
you’reoneoftheunfortunatewomen
whohaveterriblesickness.You’rejust
aliveandpregnant.Itmakesnodifference
toyourmentalcapacity.
“I did the entire fundraise for the
businesspregnantandIclosedthe
moneywithanewborn.”
COMMITMENT
Shesaysbuildingacommunityof120,000
parents in the capital – who use the Kidadl
platformtodiscoverandbookfamilydays
out – demanded a similar commitment to
thatofraisingachild.
“It’sevenworsewhenyou’rewalking
aroundLondonwithabreastpump,let
metellyou!Youhaveatinybabywhose
life is dependent on you – if you choose
tobreastfeed–andyetyouhavea
businesswhichabsolutelyisthesame
responsibilityashavingachild.
“Youcan’tleaveithangingonacliff:you
havetotryandjuggletheballsandmakea
meaningfuloutcomefromthesituation.”
Havingstartedhercareeratlawfirm
Linklaters,Feldmanspentfiveyears
asaninvestmentbankeratUBSwhere
she managed the personal money and
tradingportfoliosofseveraloftheUK
andEurope’stopbusinesspeople.She
describesgettingtoknowtheirstoriesas
“anexcitingtime”.
HoweveritwasafterjoiningCaanat
Hamilton Bradshaw that the dormant
seedofherdesiretobuildherown
businessbegantogerminate.“Jameswas
fantasticandcompletelyinspirational.
Everydayyouwouldseethecoalfaceof
businessthatIhadneverseeninprior
roles,”shereveals.
“He’sacompletestrategicthinkerand
is always a few steps ahead when it comes
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
tomappingoutadeal.
“Heinvolvedmeineverythingatboard
level,soIgothugeexposuretothekinds
ofdealsthatwerebeingdone.Heinspired
metothinkitwassomethingIcould
legitimatelypursue.I’dseenfirst-hand
howaddictiveitistobuildsomethingthat
doesn’texist.
“I’vewantedtobeanentrepreneur
sinceIwasateenagerbutIdidn’thavethe
confidencetopursueapathsodifferent
to my peers until I got older and realised
youjusthavetotaketheleap.Nooneis
going to tap you on the shoulder and say
‘goandbeanentrepreneurtoday’–you
havetodecidethatthisopportunityin
frontofyouistoogreattopassup.
“Youhavetobehappytotakeallthe
painthatgoeswiththat,andsacrificein
income and a degree of comfort in your
life,becauseyou’resocompelledtogo
anddoit.”
In the meantime Feldman was
appointed head of strategic partnerships
atCaan’sportfoliocompanyBluebox
CorporateFinanceGroup.Sheturned
downthreeofferstoco-foundstart-
ups in those years as she did not feel
passionateenoughabouttheproblems
theysoughttosolve.“IfIwasgoingto
quitmyjobandpursuesomething,ithad
topullatmyheart-strings.”
COMMON PROBLEM
When she met Orman, who had
previouslybuiltandscaledglobalevents
businessSMiGroup,sherealisedthey
sharedacommonproblem:finding
affordableandage-appropriateactivities
forfamilydaysout.Theydecidedtotake
theplungetogether.
“Sophie had an older child who was ten
yearsofageandalsohadthisproblem,”
saysFeldman.“Ithinkit’saricher
tapestry of life to see the world through
yourkids’eyesandtogetoutandexplore
lifeasafamily.
“Ididn’tthinkthattechnologyoffered
methetoolstodothat.Ithelpedmeto
getmyshirtlaundered,domybanking,
networkwithmyfriends-butitdidn’t
offermetechattherightsophistication
tohelpwiththemostimportantjobofall,
which is raising my children and getting
outandmakingthekindofmemoriesthat
childhoodisallabout.”
Asafathertotwoboyswhoareof
similaragetoFeldman’stwins,Ihaveto
agree.AtweekendsItendtofallbackon
establishedactivitiessuchasmoorland
walksandvisitstocastleruins,which
palebycomparisonwiththefancydress
sleepoveronaTudorboatsherecently
triedoutwithherkids.
“Iwasabsolutelyinthemidstofthe
pain point which continues as your
childrengrowandevolve:PeppaPigand
PawPatrolsoongivewaytoLaserQuest
andbowling,thenadventuresportsand
canoeing.It’samoveablefeast,”she
says.“Mykidshaven’tstoppedtalking
aboutthesleepover.Therewereanimals
on the ship and they were taught how to
fireacannon!Itbroughtthatwholeperiod
ofhistorytolife.”
HOUSEHOLD NAMES
Kidadlworkswithhouseholdnameslike
DisneyonIceandWembleyaswellas
topLondontheatresandattractions.
It will now launch its Android, iOS and
webplatformsglobally.Formerlong-
timeEurostarcommercialdirectorNick
Mercer, who was also part of the founding
teamatAirMiles,recentlyjoinedasa
non-executivedirector.
“We’vegrownexponentiallywith
prettymuchzeromarketingspendas
parentstellotherparentsaboutus,”
saysFeldman.“Youhavesomeboroughs
whereyouhavealmosteveryparent
usingtheproduct.Wewantthattogo
outacrosseveryLondonboroughand
GreaterLondonboroughinrequisite
depth.
“Thenwe’llgointokeyhubsthathave
the right concentration of parents who
canconsumeandenjoytheinventory
weekin,weekout,inadditionto
touristswhoarelookingforthekindof
experiencestolivelikealocal.It’sthat
blendthatmakesacityaKidadlcity.
“Wewantedlastyeartobetheone
wherewebuiltandlaunchedtheproduct
andthisyeartobetheonewherewetake
ittoscale.Wearenowingrowthmode
movingthebusinesstowardsaSeriesA.
Parentstheworldoverwantbettertools
togetoutandaboutwiththeirkids.”
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
30
“No one is going to tap you on
the shoulder and say ‘go and be an
entrepreneur today’ – you have
to decide that this opportunity in
front of you is too great to pass up.
You have to be happy to take all
the pain that goes with that, and
sacrifice in income and a degree of
comfort in your life, because you’re
so compelled to go and do it.”
Hannah Feldman
Don’t miss out on this exclusive event – register now!
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Join us for Unlocked 2019: the
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Our experts will delve into the burning
issues in cybersecurity, from the rise in
cyber-terrorism and mobile malware to
the advantages of ethical hacking and
the future of AI and the IoT.
The volume of cyberattacks on UK
companies grew more than a quarter
in 2018, surging to over 1,500 attacks
a day on average. It’s no longer a case
of wondering if it will happen to your
business, the question is now when it
happens, is your business protected
and equipped to deal with the
situation?
F C
CEO, Hacker, Social
Engineer
John Noble
Director at the National Cyber
Security Centre (NCSC) 2016-18
Wednesday 17th
July 2019
Wednesday 24th
July 2019
UKFast Campus
Manchester M15 5QJ
The Shard
London SE1 9SG
9am - 1pm
9am - 1pm
Manchester
London
young–withouttheneedtonavigate
theexpansiveandever-changingsocial
medialandscapethemselves.
Thekeyisreachinginfluencerswho
arerelevanttothebrand.“Forbrands
whosuitinfluencersasalifestyle,for
example,FMCG(fast-movingconsumer
goods)products,orfashionbrands,
it’sreallyeasytofindinfluencers,”
PostforRentCEOGergoCsiszartells
BusinessCloud.“Forothercompanies,
suchaspharmacies,it’smuchmore
difficult.Whatwouldaprivatehospitaldo
THE
INVISIBLE
WORLD OF
THE MICRO-
INFLUENCER
Hidden inside young people’s smartphones is a booming multi-billion-
dollar market which Swindon-based Post for Rent is harnessing for
brands. Alistair Hardaker speaks to its CEO Gergo Csiszar.
At first glance
they resemble
any other social
media user on
Instagram, Twitter
or YouTube.
Howevertheriseofthe‘micro-influencer’
hasresultedinaboomingmulti-billion-
dollarmarketwhichshowsnosignsof
slowingdown.
To anyone not regularly engaging with
them,theeffectisinvisible.Yetbrands
arerecognisingmicro-influencersas
aneffectivenewchannelforincreasing
awareness at a fraction of the cost of
traditionalalternatives.
More and more seemingly normal
people are endorsing products, sharing
brandmessagesandtriallingcompanies’
servicesinfrontoftheirhighly-engaged
socialmediafollowing.In2017,
influencersonInstagramalonewere
collectivelyvaluedat$1.07bn,afigure
whichhasnowgrownto$1.38bnand
showsnosignsofslowingdown.
PostforRentwassetupin2015
asamarketplaceallowingbrandsto
connectwiththeseinfluencers–who
are,liketheiraudiences,predominantly
withinfluencermarketing?
“Youhavetohaveyourmessage
transformed into something good
enoughforinfluencermarketing,and
traditionalbusinessesmightneeda
creativeagencytogetthebriefout.”
HeadquarteredinSwindon,withoffices
in the US, Hong Kong and Hungary,
PostForRentnowhasaround37,000
influencersonitsplatformwhichit
connectstobrandsbothlargeandsmall.
INVESTMENT
Thefirmhasraisedmorethan$2mto
date and is opening another funding
roundafteritreceivedsignificantlevels
ofinterest.Thereareplanstomove
“aggressively”intotheUSandAfrica
withinthenext12months.
Withsomanyinfluencerscarvingout
largeaudiencesfromspecificinterests,
HungarianCsiszarsaysdataisnowcrucial
whenorganisingpartnerships.“We
believeinthefuturetherewillbesomany
influencersthatyouwon’treallyhave
timetohandpickthem,”hesays.“The
onlylimitationistheworld’spopulation.
Everysingleyearwegetmoresocial
mediausers,sothereisstillroom.”
Socialmediaisnowaviablecareerfor
SOCIAL MEDIA
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DON’T PLAY WITH FYRE
young people, with the occupation of
influencernowanespeciallyattractive
one.Thatmeanscompetitionisfiercer
thanever.“It’saroughride,”saysCsiszar.
“Theadviceisthesamethatyouwould
havegiven20yearsagotosomeone
whowantedtobeaTVpresenter:itisa
legitimaterole,butyouhavetodoitthe
rightway.
“Ittakesalotoftimetocreatereally
goodqualitycontent.It’sgettingmore
difficultday-by-day.Ifaspiring
influencershaveaplanand
aspecificareatheywant
tofocusonlikefashion,
food,travelorgaming
–ifthey’vefound
their passion – then
it’sagoodidea.”
Unlikeacelebrity
agency which deals
withwell-knownnames,
the company uses data
tofindandauthenticate
influencersacrossallthemajor
platformsineverynicheareaofinterest.
Itthenanalysestheirfollowing,filtering
out‘fake’followers,toauthenticatethem
asanopportunityworththebrand’s
investment.
Thecompany’ssoftwarethenhelps
tocategoriseinfluencersandrank
them,beforelettingbrandstapintothat
database.Thecompanyalsopromisesto
payinfluencersfortheirendorsements
withinthreedays,eveniftheclientisyet
topayout.
Technology is at the heart of the
company,butdespitetheitsrelianceon
data,Csiszarknowsthatbrandswant
morethanfiguresbeforeworkingwith
thisnewbreedofonlinestar.“Even
thereallyradicalinfluencershaveto
transform and change in order to get
brandcollaborationsbecausebrands
havebrandpolicies.Theywon’treach
outtopeoplejustgoingafterviewsand
followers,”hesays.
REPUTATION
Therisktoabrand’sreputationisof
obviousconcern.Mainstreaminfluencers
suchasPewdiepie,with95million
YouTubesubscribers,facesverylittle
regulationoverwhathepublishes
comparedwithadvertisingontelevision.
PewDiePiehasmorethanoncehit
the headlines after causing outrage
andoffence,resultinginlostbrand
sponsorshipsincludingadealwithDisney.
Buttheriskofworkingwithsemi-
professionalonlinestarssuchasmicro-
influencersissmaller,andaccording
toCsiszarisoutweighedbythe
inexpensivenessoftheengaged
audienceswhichtheyhold.“Itisnot
easy to compare how much cheaper
thisdigitalwayofadvertisingisthan
something which is outdoor, TV or
radio,”hesays.
Thecompanyalsooffersa‘success
pricingmodel’,inwhichinfluencers
are paid per referral, among its
criteria for measuring
performance and return
forbrands.
Itsmicro-
influencersmay
notevenbe
real.Csiszar
highlights the Lil
Miquelaaccount
–a3D-rendered
model of a teenage
girl posed in real world
locationswhichhas1.5
millionfollowers(mainimage,
oppositepage)–andShudu,the
‘world’sfirstdigitalsupermodel’,
whichmodelsreal-worldclothes.
There is also the challenge of
theever-changingplatformson
whichthesemicro-influencerslive.
SnapChat,onceamarketleader,
hasbeenusurpedinfeaturesby
Instagram.Itwon’tbeaplatform
PostforRentconsidersinfuture,
saysCsiszar.
Insteadhehasmovedhisfocusto
TikTok,asocialmediaplatformwith
morethan500millionmonthlyactive
usersglobally.
“Theengagementsandnumbers
thatweseewithTikTokinfluencers
is so much higher and so much
more popular than someone from
YouTube.Theaudienceisextremely
young and they react and interact
witheverything.It’sanextremely
valuableplatformforanybrandthat
wantstotargetaudiencesbelow18
yearsofage.”
The company is now gearing up to
release a new application focused on
buildingtheinfluencercommunity.
“We really see that as the future of
influencermarketing:tocreateareal
hubwheretheycaneducateeach
otherandfindarticlesonhowtobe
aninfluencer,howtobeauthentic
andoriginalintheirfield,”says
Csiszar.
HayleySewellsayspeopleshouldonlybe
allowedtopushproductsthattheyhave
fullytriedandapprovedthemselves.
ThisyearNetflixdocumentaryFyre:TheGreatest
PartyThatNeverHappenedshowedhowdamaging
irresponsiblesocialmediamarketingcanbe.
TheluxurymusicfestivalfoundedbyFyreMedia
CEOBillyMcFarlandandrapperJaRule(pictured)
wassettotakeplaceintheBahamasin2017and
promotedheavilybypaidinfluencersincluding
KendallJenner.Howeverpeoplewhoshelledout
thousandsweregreetedbytentsandpre-packed
sandwichesratherthanluxuryvillasandgourmet
food.Therewerealsomoreseriousproblems.Last
yearMcFarlandwassentencedtosixyearsinprison
andorderedtoforfeit$26million.
Ihaveaproblemwithinfluencerswhoadvertise
productstheydon’tbelievein.Womenwith
‘idealistic’bodiespromotingdietteaswhenthey
havepersonaltrainersandmealplansontheside;
teenswearinghigh-endtrainersthattheycan’t
affordwhentheywouldprefertothrowontheir
Converseinstead.Likefakenews,fakelivescanbe
extremelydamaging–topeople’sconfidenceas
wellastheirpursesandwallets.
Weknowadvertisingcanbemisleading,
butputtingafacetoaproductgivesitmore
authenticity – which is why reaching an audience on
socialmediahasbecomesopopularwithbrands.
Unfortunately there is pressure on young people
tolookorbeacertainway,andtheiraspirationsare
boundupwithimagesofonlinestars.Tonotlook
likethem,orhavewhattheyhave,iscrushing.
Wehavetounderstandtheresponsibilitythat
the internet holds, and that portraying false images
ofalifestylecanbeharmfultoothers.
Whilstbecominganinfluencercanleadto
anexcitingandrewardingcareer,itshouldbe
approachedwithcaution.Ibelievethatinfluencers
shouldn’thavetherighttoadvertiseaproduct
unlessithasbeenfullytriedandapprovedbythem
–andaimedatanappropriateaudience.Unless
theinfluenceriswillingtousetheproduct,why
shouldtheyencourageotherstobuyit?Andlet’s
behonest–noonewantsanotherFyreFestival
situation.
34
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
TRANSPORT
Buoyed by a landmark General Motors deal, wejo founder Richard Barlow
says the sky’s the limit for his UK tech firm. Chris Maguire reports.
CONNECTED CAR START-UP
EYES GLOBAL STAGE
Entrepreneur
Richard Barlow
is thinking big –
and with good
reason.

The entrepreneur is the founder of UK
‘connectedcar’techstart-upwejo,
whichstruckaneye-catchingdealwith
USautomotivegiantGeneralMotors
earlierthisyear.Underthetermsof
thedealGMtooka35percentstake
inthebusiness,whichvaluedwejoat
£213millionandincludeda$25mcash
injectionandlong-termdata-sharing
agreementbetweenthetwocompanies.
FoundedbyBarlow
in2014,wejoprovides
informationtoavariety
ofend-usersincluding
insurers, local authorities
andbreakdownrecovery
servicesbytracking
sevenmillionconnected
cars.Thehugeamounts
ofdatanowbeing
generated is hugely
valuableforbusinesses
buthasremainedlargely
untapped.
The entrepreneur
setupwejotobring
telematics to the mass
marketandthecompany’stechnology
is already processing more than one
milliondatapointseverysecond.“More
andmorecarsarebeingconnectedwhen
theyleavethefactory,”hesays.“The
ideaisthatonedaydriverswillseethe
wejobrandintheircarsandsatnavsand
knowtheycantrustwheretheirdatais
headed.”
Barlowsaysdrivershaveachoice
aboutwhethertosharetheirdataornot.
“Ifthedriverisn’thappytoshareany
data,thenitwillgonowhere,”hesays.
“Ifyou’vegivenconsent,wehavelocal
councils and transport departments
instatesintheUSthatarebuyingthat
data.
“Youmayseerubberstripsacross
theroadconnectedtoabox,whichare
countingtrafficandonlyprovidelimited
information.We’reworkingwithcouncils
toreplacetheseheavyinstallationsand
use connected car data instead as it has
much richer information such as the
numberofoccupantsinthevehicleand
thevehicleweight,make,modeland
speed.”
Barlowsayswejoisnowworkingwitha
numberofOEMs–original
equipmentmanufacturers,
which produce parts
thatmaybemarketedby
another manufacturer –
aroundtheworld.
1,000 SENSORS
“WehaveOEMswhose
carsaresharingover1,000
sensorsaseverybutton
inyourcarwillhavea
sensor: your window will
haveasensorifthere’s
something stopping it
fromclosing[forexample]
whileanenginemaywellhave60
sensors.
“Everymotormanufactureris
different.We’venowworkedwith15
OEMsgloballywherewe’vetakentheir
dataandshownhowitcanbeusedto
thebenefitofdriversonananonymised
basis.We’renowdealingwithlocal
authorities, cities and councils in the
US,butwe’renotdoingthatintheUK
yet.Althoughwe’reaUKcompany,the
majorityofourincomeisgeneratedin
theUS.
“We’resharingliveavailabilityparking
spacessoyoucanseewhereparkingis
availableinacitywithinanapp.”
BarlowwelcomesGM’sinvestment
butalsopraisestheconsistentsupport
ofotherinvestorslikeSenecaPartners.
“IwasveryluckythatI’vebeenableto
buildanetworkofpeoplewhofundedus,
includingSeneca,aNorthWest-based
firm,whohaveinvestedthreetimes,”he
says.
Wejocurrentlyemploys150people
buthasplanstoaddanother100.The
techstart-upcurrentlyhastwooffices
in the UK and one in Silicon Valley, with
plansforasecondUSofficeinAustinand
afurtherofficeinEurope.
“Wehavegotagreatgroupofpeople
whohavejoinedmeoverthelastfew
yearsinChester,”saysBarlow.“I’vegot
noreasontobelievewhywewouldn’t
stayinChester.Wearethegloballeader
inthissectoratthemoment;wedohave
competitioninAsia,IsraelandtheUS.
“Weprocessoveramilliondata
pointseverysecondandthat’sactually
quiteabarriertoentryforanyone.The
architecturewe’vedeveloped,the
researchanddevelopment,buildingthe
OEMrelationships,takesahugeamount
oftime.”
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
35
@BCLOUDUK
TRANSPORT
CHARGING BUSINESS
IS SIMPLY ELECTRIC
SerialentrepreneurDavidSimpsonsoldanelectricvehiclecharging
businesstoGeneralMotorsandisnowshakingupthechargepoint
marketwithAndersenEV,whichisbackedbyseniorexecsinthecar
industry.JonathanSymcoxreports.
Even the most
innovative tech
may not result in
a successful
business, as
David Simpson
knows only too
well.
Theserialentrepreneur’sfirstcompany
sold specialist PCs while his second,
EvolveMedia,manufacturedmedia
serversforluxuryyachts.Howevercritical
acclaimandsuper-richclientsdidnot
makeitintoaprofitableventure.
“We won awards and sold to clients
allovertheworld,butthatbusiness
failedbecausethetechnologydid
toomuch,”hereflectsinaninterview
withBusinessCloud.“Thereweretoo
manyvariablessowecouldn’tscaleour
businessmodel.
“With technology simplicity is really
important: when you sell something, you
cansellathousandveryeasilyratherthan
takingontoomuchinternalexpense[for
onlyafewproducts].”
SimpsonfollowedEvolveMediawitha
moresuccessfulelectricvehiclecharging
softwarebusiness,whichhesoldto
GeneralMotorsforhalfamillionpounds.
AftermeetingFrenchmanJerome
FaissatwhileworkingasanITcontractor
atLloydsDigital,heheadedbackinto
theproductmarketwithAndersenEV,
which manufactures smart chargepoints
forelectricvehicles.FaissatisCEOand
Simpsontechnicaldirector.
After founding the company in 2015,
they spent nine months researching
themarketandrealisedtherewaslittle
innovationinthehomechargingsector.
Andersen’sstate-of-the-artunitsallow
the user to control, monitor and manage
thechargingprocessviathefreeKønnect
app.Italsoallowsremotelockingand
unlockingoftheScandinavian-inspired
units,whichareavailableinarangeof
stylishfinishesfrom£850,and
canbeconnectedtosolar
panelsandpowerwalls.
ECO-BRAND
“Achargepointisn’ta
caraccessory–it’san
architecture accessory,”
explainsSimpson.“Itshouldbe
verydiscreetandbuilttolast.Wecan’t
competeatthelowerendofthemarket
–youmightaswellleavethattothe
Chinese–butwecanindoingthemore
bespokepremium-typeproducts.There
is less competition in that area and more
sustainabilityasabusiness.”
Butdidn’tEvolveMediafalldown
becauseitmadebespoke,premium
products,Iask?“WithAndersen
we’veadoptedtheconceptofmass
customisation which Mini championed
reallywell,”heanswers.“Thereare
thousandsofcombinationsonaMini,
from wing mirrors to rear lights and
theroofdesign.We’vealsotaken
inspirationfromIkeaandhowyou
mightbuyakitchen:therearecore
standardcomponentsandyouclickthe
otherthingsonsoyoucanstilloffera
verycustomisedsolution,butforthe
massmarketswhichmakeitscalable
internationally.”
Therewillbemorethana
millionEVsinuseby2020,
whichwillrequire100,000
chargingpoints.Currently
thereareonly16,500public
pointsintheUK.
Andersen, which is in
conversationswithaluxury
carmanufacturer,attracted901
investorsduringits£750,000seed
fundingroundonCrowdcube,withsenior
executivesinthecarindustryamong
thosebackingthestart-up.“Oneofour
non-execdirectorsistheex-chairman
ofNissaninEurope,”revealsSimpson.
“We’vealsobeenbackedbytheex-
chiefexecofCreditSuisse:he’sgota
Teslaandhadabadexperiencewithhis
chargepoint so he understood what we
weretryingtoachievewithourbusiness
andproducts.
“Asasocietywemustbemuchmore
‘energysmart’,managethepeaksand
troughs.That’stherealpowerbehind
smartcharging:doingitwhenit’smore
efficientforyourselfandthenetworkas
awhole.
“Thefutureisadaptivecharging,
whenyourchargelevelsareadapted
dynamically using certain algorithms and
rules.”
The company has sold around 500
unitstodateandhasjustbegunselling
intoEurope.Itforecastsgrowingits
teamfrom20to120by2021andshifting
21,000unitsayear.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
GaryRohloffspent18yearsatthehelmofthreeofNewZealand’sbiggestretailbrandsbutisnowcementing
‘buynow,paylater’start-upLaybuyintheUKafterachievinghugemarketshareDownUnder.
HetellsJonathanSymcox:“IdecidedIwasn’tgoingtodiewondering.”
Rivalling Visa is
as big, hairy and
audacious a goal
as a start-up could
have – but that’s
what Gary Rohloff
is aiming for.
Injusttwoyearstheformerbig-name
retailCEOhasconvertedeightpercent
ofthepopulationinhisnativeNew
ZealandtohisLaybuyplatform,which
allows consumers to spread the cost
ofpurchasesoversixinterest-free
payments.
LaybuyhasnowlaunchedintheUK-
withfashionretailerFootasylumitsfirst
big-namepartner-andistargetingtwo
and a half million customers on these
shoreswhileitaimstobeliveinother
European countries and the United States
bytheendoftheyear.
Garyhopesthatsigningup375,000
peopleinNewZealandisjustthefirst
chapterforthefamilybusinesswhich
heco-foundedwithwifeRobynandalso
employssonsAlex(picturedwithGary,
top)andJames.
“Ourdreamwastoestablisha
ubiquitousglobalbrand:whenpeopletalk
inthefuture,theywillsay‘youGoogle
it,youUberit,youLaybuyit’,”hetells
BusinessCloud.“It’sabouthavingabig,
hairyaudaciousgoalandgoingforit.
“Visa and Mastercard are the traditional
payment methods and we sit alongside
themnow.WhenVisaandMastercard
wereintroducedandchequeswere
phased out, retailers were loath to accept
it–butthereisn’taretailerontheplanet
thatdoesn’tacceptacreditordebitcard
today,especiallyintheWesternworld.
“Ourdreamistobethechosen
paymentmethodforconsumersbecause
it’sabetterwaytopay.”
FAMILY FIRM
ManagingdirectorGary,globalbrand
directorRobynandAlexarenowbased
in the UK as part of a team of eight, while
JamesworksinitsNewZealandoffice,
whichemploys18,withafurthertwo
peoplebasedinAustralia.Thecompany
raisedeightfiguresofprivateequity
fundinginNewZealanddollarslastyear.
TheoptiontopaybyLaybuyisnow
availabletoFootasylumcustomersonits
onlinestore,withthein-storepayment
optionbeinglaunchedinits70UKhigh
streetstoreslaterthisyear.MDGaryis
alsokeentogetthetechintegratedinto
eBayandAmazon.
“Footasylumtookaboutfourmonths
togetdonebutthey’reagreatbrandfor
us.We’venowgotalotofotherbig-name
retailers in the pipeline who now see the
validityofwhatwe’redoing,”Garysays.
He says that spreading the word in
theUKhasbeenharderthanitwasin
NewZealandandAustralia,wherehe
hadextensivenetworksofbusiness
leaderskeentosupporttheconcept.
Thatcontactbookwasbuiltduring18
yearsasCEOatthreeofNewZealand’s
biggestretailbrands:NumberOneShoes,
WarehouseStationeryandEziBuy.
“IwasrunningEziBuy,Australasia’s
largestcataloguebusiness-whichback
thenwasmorphingintoonline-back
intheearly2000s,”herecounts.“Isaid
‘look–there’sgottobeabetterwayof
doingthis,wherecustomerscantakethe
producttodayandpayitoffinterest-free.
“Themerchantabsorbsasmallcostbut
they’vesoldthestockupfront–andthe
RETAIL
START-
UP LIFE IS
ADRENALINE
RUSHFOR
FORMERCEO
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
38
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
consumerisn’tgettingintoanydebtspiral
becausethere’snointerestandit’sover
ashortperiodoftime.That’sthepremise
ofLaybuy.
“I’mveryfamiliarwiththechallenges
thatretailershavetoday.Oneofthe
thingswe’retryingtogetretailersto
understandisthatofferingcustomers
choiceforpaymentisgoingtobecome
somethingyouhavetodo.Consumerswill
choosehowtheywanttopayandifyou’re
notofferingthemavarietyofoptions,
they’llgoandfindsomeonewhois.
“Everyone’salsogotintothisspiral
ofdiscountingtowoothecustomer-a
‘diveforthebottom’approach.Butwhen
peoplehaveawayofaffordingwhatthey
wanttodaywithouthavingtowaitforitto
go on special, they do that: the purchase
decisionona£120itemthat’sonlygoing
tocostyou£20todayisverysimple.
“When a customer goes shopping and
says‘I’vegot£60tospend’,ifthat£60
canbuythemthreedifferentpurchasesat
£20apiece,thatcreatesanaverageorder
valueandconversionupliftfortheretailer
that’sprettymind-blowinginpercentage
terms.”
UPLIFT
Onaverage,retailerspartneringwith
Laybuyhaveseenanincreaseinorder
valueof60percent,anincreaseinonline
andin-storeconversionratesof50per
cent and an increase in new customer
acquisitionsof30percent.
“OneofourmerchantsinNewZealand
isatravelcompany.Theyoffer24-and
48-hourspecialsforweekendtripsto
SydneyorFiji.IfitcostsNZ$300,people
don’thavethatmoneythereandthento
takeadvantage-butthey’vegotNZ$50
whichtheycanpaytoday.
“Wehaveanumberofticketing
companies on the platform in Australasia
andwearetalkingtoanumberof
ticketingagencieshere.Theapplication
acrossdifferentindustries[isenormous]:
if you replace the tyres on your car,
invariablyit’snotone,it’stwo,sothat’s
abigcost.Thentherearegeneralcar
repairs,hairdressers...”
Describingpaydaylendersas“pretty
irresponsible”,Garygivestwoexamples
ofwhyLaybuybenefitsconsumersaswell
asbusinesses.
“Amumemailedustothankusbecause
she’dbeenabletobuyherchildrena
raincoateachatthestartofthewinter.
Shecouldn’taffordNZ$120fortwo
raincoatsbutcouldaffordNZ$20forsix
weeks,”hereveals.“Therewasalsoadad
whotoldushewasoverjoyedbecause
hecouldbuyhisboysrugbybootsatthe
startoftheseasonforthefirsttime.
“Likeyou,I’mfortunatetohavebeen
abletoaffordtobuythingsformykids
asandwhentheyneededthem,butthe
harshrealityisweliveinabubble,youand
I...mostpeopleintheUKbudgettheir
financesweekly–andthesecondmost
popularisdaily.
“Lifeisexpensive;addsomelittle
childrentothemixanditgetsworse.”
Laybuyabsorbsallcreditriskonany
transaction, safeguarding its retail
partners, and also handles all foreign
exchangefeesonaretailer’sbehalf.Users
mustgothroughanExperiancreditcheck
whileLaybuysaysitprotectsshoppers
fromself-imposeddebtbyfreezingthe
accountsofthosewhofallbehindontheir
paymentschedule.
START-UP LIFE
Thetemptationtostrikeupan
entrepreneurialcareerprovedtoogreat
forGary,whoisnow57,aftertheCEO
failedtobuyNumberOneShoesandits
sistercompanyHannahswithprivate
equitymoney.
“Havingbeenturneddownonpricefor
thethirdtime,IdecidedIwasn’tgoing
to die wondering and would go and do
myownthinganyway,”hereveals.“Ilike
tothinkthatthroughoutmycareerasa
CEOItreatedthebusinessesasifIowned
themanyway,butwhenyou’rewritingthe
chequesoutofyourownbankaccount
and putting your own assets on the line
thatyou’veworkedforfor30-oddyears,
itisatotallydifferentkettleoffish.
“I’vehadtolearnthatinatraditional
corporate-typebusinessthereisacertain
frameworkthateveryoneunderstands,
butwhenyou’reinafamilybusiness,your
sonsdon’tgiveas***thatyou’vegot
CEOinyourtitle.You’redad-andifthey
don’tlikeit,they’lltellyou.Theyjustwant
togetstuffdone.Thatwasthebiggest
thingtogetmyheadaround.Ihadto
adjusttothat.
“Everydaycounts.Weworkedseven
daysaweekforthefirst18monthsof
ourbusinessbecausethat’swhatittook.
That’swhatdrivesyou:it’sallontheline.
If we could create a legacy I could tell my
grandchildrenaboutoneday,I’dbeavery
happyguy.
“We’renotgoingtoachieveourgoals
bysittingonourbumsdrinkingbeer.
I’vegotenoughgasinmytanktokeep
runninghardandI’lldothat.It’sexciting–
it’sanadrenalinerush.”
RETAIL
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
39
@BCLOUDUK
40
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
SOCIAL MEDIA
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
Meet the
hottest
name in
music
LorenzoBreweristheco-founderofsubscriptionapp
nkodaandisquiteliterallymakingsheetmusicthrough
technology.ChrisMaguirereports.
Lorenzo Brewer
is arguably the
hottest name
in music you’ve
never heard of.
The23-year-oldisthesonofaworld
famous author and a renowned academic,
hasbeencomparedtoSteveJobsandhas
attracted around £10 million funding from
aclutchofbig-nameinvestorsincluding
formerDragons’DenstarNickJenkins
andPinkFloyddrummerNickMason.
KMCapital,whichisheadedupby
AdamKamani,co-founderofonline
fashionretailerprettylittlething.com,has
alsoinvestedanundisclosedsum.
Atalentedpianist,Brewerwasstruck
athowexpensiveandinconvenientitwas
tobuysheetmusic.Atthesametimehe
recognised how Spotify had opened up
music–andsotheseedsofabusiness
ideawereplanted.TodayhisLondon-
basedstart-upnkodahaspartnerships
withover90leadingpublishers,giving
users access to 110,000 titles from
MozarttoAdeleand30millionpagesof
music–allfor£9.99amonth.
Thecompany’ssearchtoolsaredriven
byartificialintelligenceandtheapphas
beencomparedtoSpotifyandNetflix.
Availablein11differentlanguages,it
hasbeendownloadedin135countries.
MusicalAmerica included Brewer in their
Top30ProfessionalsoftheYearlist,
describinghimasthe‘SteveJobsof
musicpublishing’.
“Myambitionforthecompanyistobe
abletosaywehaveprovidedaresource
for the whole world where people
can play, practise and perform music
wherevertheyareandwhereverthey
comefrom,”hetellsBusinessCloud.
“Idon’tthinkthere’salimit.Weknow
there are 100 million people who play
musicintheworld.Weseenkodaasan
accessbusinessthatisempoweredby
technology.”
Brewer is the son of two academics
whometatHarvardUniversity.Hismum
StellaTillyardisafamousauthorbest-
knownforherworkAristocrats–which
wasmadeintoaBBCmini-series–while
hisfatherJohnBrewerisaretiredhistory
professor.“WhenIgrewupIthoughtall
adultswrotebooksbecauseeveryadult
I met and came into contact with did
that,”herecalls.“Itwasaveryacademic
background.
“I come from a space where the
interestsinmyfamilytendedtobe
literaryorartistic.Musichasalwaysbeen
aspacethathasbeenmine.”
EMPOWERING
Brewer was educated at a North London
comprehensiveandwassettogoto
universitytostudymusicandapossible
career as a composer when he suddenly
sawabusinessopportunity.“Spotifywas
empoweringbecauseitmeantyoucould
listentoallthemusicyouwantedto.It
meant the only limitation you had was the
amount of time you were willing to spend
tolearnnewthings.Youcouldstart,asI
did,listeningtojazzandenduplistening
to hardcore contemporary and classic
music.Youweren’tlimitedandthatwas
theexperienceIwantedtobring.
“Theideaofpayingformusicisfolly.
Beingbornin1995,theideathatIwould
evercontributemoneytothemusic
industrywashardtofathom.I’venever
boughtarecord.Ineverwantedtobean
entrepreneur.Ineverhadthatambition.
It’soneofthereasonswhyIfeelvery
lucky.”
Brewer was introduced to Sundar
Venkitachalam,whobecamehisco-
founderatnkodaandCTO.Theaimatthe
outsetwastoanswertwokeyquestions.
“Doyouhaveenoughcontentforit
tobevaluable?”heasks.“Andareyou
deliveringitinsuchawaythattheservice
youareprovidingisvaluable?
“Thereareplentyofbeautiful
subscriptionservicesthatdon’thave
enoughcontentandthey’reprobably
goingtofail.Thereareplentyofservices
thathavelotsofcontentthatarepoorly
organisedandhardtouseandthey’re
goingtofailtoo.Thekeyistomeshthese
twothingstogether.”
(you’ve never heard of!)
MUSIC
41
@BCLOUDUK
MILLENNIAL INVESTMENT MAKES
AN IMPACT
SOCIAL MEDIA
InvestorTomMcGillycuddylaunchedhisTickrapptohelpsolve
globalenvironmentalandsocialproblemswhileencouragingyounger
generationstotakeupinvesting.AlistairHardakerreports.
Swedish teen
Greta Thunberg
has made
headlines around
the world for her
activism around
climate change.
Theleaderofthe‘schoolstrikefor
climate’movementhasmobilisedmillions
of school students to protest against a
perceivedlackofactiontocounterglobal
warmingbytheauthorities.Shewaseven
granted an audience with our politicians
during the recent protests
inLondon.Itisclearthat
youngergenerationshave
a strong sense of social
conscience – which is where
Tickrcomesin.
FounderTomMcGillycuddy
beganhiscareerasan
‘impactinvestor’,driving
investmentcapitaltobusinesseswhich
solveenvironmentalandsocialproblems,
beforedecidingtocreateanappto
helpmakethatglobalchangewhilealso
encouragingmillennialstoinvest.
Theteenswhohaveralliedbehind
ThunbergmaybetooyoungtouseTickr
–fornow–butthereare17millionUK
millennials,aged22-37,whosharetheir
passionforglobalchangeandimpact.
Withaminimuminvestmentof£5,new
userspickfromaportfolioofwhatthe
companyreferstoas‘impactthemes’–
collectionsofbusinessesattemptingto
solvethesameissue.Itcurrentlyoffers
‘climatechange’,‘equality’,‘disruptive
technology’,andacombinationofthe
threeasoptions.
“Eachthemehasaseriesof‘sub-
themes’andisdiversifiedglobally,”
McGillycuddyexplainstoBusinessCloud.
“Climate change includes clean water and
cleanenergybusinesses,forexample.
Whatwe’retryingtobuildshouldengage
first-timeinvestors.Theaudienceisat
least90percentmillennial.Assoonas
you’veexplainedwhattheappdoesto
millennialsthey’redownloadingitbefore
you’vefinished!”
NORTHERNERS
McGillycuddy(pictured,
left)metco-founderMatt
Latham(right)nineyears
agoafterjoiningtheBarclays
impactinvestmentgraduate
scheme.Astheonlytwo
northerners in the cohort
“theyobviouslyputustogetherina
sharedflat”,hejokes.
In2014heleftBarclaystojoin
independentinvestmentmanagement
firmWellingtonManagement.Working
withtheIndiancompaniesinthefirm’s
portfolio,hehadhisrevelation:“Ifwe
havesuccessfulcompaniesinpartsofthe
worldsolvingproblems,theycanalsodo
itatamuchbigger(global)scale.”
McGillycuddy,whowouldbemanaging
abilliondollarsofpensionfund
investmentsbytheendofhistimeat
Wellington,visitedanaffordablehousing
companyinIndiaandspoketooneofthe
familiesinside.“Theyexplainedthatthe
companyhadchangedtheirlives–andI
knewthatanyonecouldunderstandthat
story.Youdon’thavetobeinfinanceand
investingtogetwhythat’sagoodidea.”
McGillycuddymetupwithhisold
flatmateLatham,whowasatasimilar
pointinhiscareer,tofleshouttheidea.By
the end of last year they were struggling
tofindenoughtimetokeeptheproject
afloat,andsohandedintheirnotices.
ThefirstprototypeofTickrwasbuiltin
summer2018,byOctoberfundingwas
securedandthepairlaunchedafully-
operationalversionoftheappfortrial
use.
“We’regivingpeopleanadditional
reasontoinvest,”saysMcGillycuddy.
“Theframingoftraditionalinvestment
is so foreign that they feel disconnected
fromit.Ifyoucanreframeitandmakeit
aboutthingspeoplecareabout,thatwill
bringpeoplein.”
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
RETAILERSWHO
DON’TINVESTWILL
DISAPPEAR -EX-FTSECEO
AngelaSpindlersteppeddownaschiefexecutiveofNBrownGroupin2018afterfiveyearsincharge.Inan
exclusiveinterviewwithChrisMaguireshereflectsonthecontinuingimpactoftechnologyontheretailsector.
Former N Brown
boss Angela
Spindler has
enjoyed a stellar
30-year career
in retail.
Hercareerhastakeninseniorrolesat
Coca-Cola,Mars,Asda,Debenhamsand
theOriginalFactory.In2018shestepped
downasCEOofFTSE-listedNBrown
Groupafteroverseeingthecompany’s
transitionfromacatalogue-based
businesstoanonlineretailer.
Sowhenshesharesherviewson
the future of retail and the impact
oftechnology,yousitupandlisten.
“Technologyisfundamentallyableto
replacestores,”shetellsBusinessCloud.
“Retailwasallaboutgoingintoshops,
whereasnowit’smuchmoreaboutbuying
things,how,when,whereyouwantto.
Whilst the shop is an important part of
themix,itcanbereplaced.”
Theretailgraveyardisfullofbignames
thatfailedtoembracetechnologyand
Spindleraccusedsomebusinessesof
sleepwalkingintothetechfuture.“A
lotofretailershavebeentooslowto
respondtotheobviouschallenges.It’s
understandablebecausethey’reso
heavilyinvestedintheirphysicalstore
infrastructure, land, property, space,
people and the whole supply chain,”
shesays.“Tosuddenlystartselling
yourproductsinacompletelydifferent
waywhichdoesn’teventouchthat
infrastructure…Ithinktheresistancewas
partlydowntohard-facedeconomics
andreallytryingtomaintainlevelsof
profitabilitythataresoimportantif
businessesaregoingtoinvestandgrow.
“Timewilltellifit’sexcusable,
defensible…thereareopportunities
ifyouembracethemthattechnology
offersintermsoftheirrelationshipswith
customers.
WINNERS AND LOSERS
“Therewillalwaysbewinnersand
losers.Retailisfundamentallyabout
theproductsthatwewanttobuyatthe
priceswe’repreparedtopaysoretailers
whohaveuniqueproducts,whogetthe
right products to satisfy the needs of
theirconsumerbaseandwhopresent
themandsellthemwellandoffergood
service,willcontinuetothrive.
“Butthoseretailerswhodon’tinvestin
theserviceexperience,whodon’tinvest
inthedigitalexperience,whocontinue
to allow their stores and their store
experiencetodeteriorateandbecome
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NickSpeakmanpresentingatTEDx.
ChrisMaguire,left,witheventspeakers.
irrelevant,willofcoursedisappear.”
Reflectingonhercareer,Spindler
saysshefirstsawthegrowingimpact
oftechnologyatAsdainthelate1990s
whenitwasboughtbyWalmart.“It
touchedeverysingleaspectofwhatwe
did.Irealisedhowfundamentaltorunning
aretailbusinesstechnologywas,”she
says.“Butitdidn’ttouchthecustomer
andbecomepartoftheshopping
experiencetillquiteabitlater.
“Iwasoneofthefirstexecutives
runningthedot.combusinessfromAsda
–groceriespickedandpackedinstores
thendelivereddirecttothehome–andI
guessthatwasstartedintheearly2000s.
Peoplehavebeenabletoshoponlinefor
groceriesfor15-16yearsyetitstillonly
representssevenoreightpercentof
groceryrevenue–it’sbeenavery,very
slowburn.
“HoweverIcanrememberpeople
sayinghomewaresandfashionwillnever
sell online – how wrong were they? The
homeware and fashion world is now
nearly a third online, and growing at a
much faster rate than store shopping
generally.”
TRANSFORMATION
ReflectingonherstintinthehotseatatN
Brown,Spindlersaysshehadtomovethe
businessawayfromcatalogues.
“Itwasnotatechbusinesswhen
Ijoinedanditwasatechbusiness
whenIleft,”shesays.“Thecompany
is still pretty much the same in terms
ofturnoverandprofitabilitybutit’s
adigitalbusinessandthereforehas
thefoundationsforfuturegrowth.It’s
relevantanddifferentiatedbyitsproduct.
“Catalogueshoppingisaverydated
andunfashionableproposition.Weturned
itintoadigitalbusinesswithoutupsetting
theprofitabilityapplecart.Ifyoulookat
the operating margin of that company,
it’sgonefromabout11or12percentto
9or10percentwhichmakesitoneofthe
mostprofitableonlinefashionretailers.”
Spindlerslashedthenumberofbrands
atNBrowntoaroundsix,focusingmainly
onthree:JDWilliams,SimplyBeand
Jacamo.“Becauseretailisalow-margin
business,andverycompetitive,ifyou
don’tembracetechnologyandtheroutes
tomarketitcanbring,thenyouwillfail.”
SpindlerisdelightedthatSteve
JohnsonsucceededherasCEOand
spokeofthetalentedteamhehasaround
him.“Theroutetosuccessforbusinesses
isburiedindata,”sheexplains.“It’sno
goodhavingaloadofdataifyou’vegotno
insight.Soyouneedtohavepeoplewho
candrawouttherelevantconclusions
fromthedatabutyoualsoneedpeople
whocanimplementthechanges.”
ShesaidtheHolyGrailforretailersis
knowingwhy,what,when,whereandat
whatcostconsumersbuy.
“Ifyou’vegot£20aweekthatyoucan
spend discretionary, where do you spend
it?”sheasks.“Thepersonthatgetsmost
ofthatistheretailertowhomyou’re
mostloyal.Loyaltyisareallyimportant
measurebecauseit
meansyou’regettingit
right consistently – and
using data to secure
loyaltyreallydrivesthe
economics of a retail
business.”
AMAZON
SpindlersaysAmazon’s
successisimpossible
toignorebutfeelsit
appeals more to men
thanwomen.“Amazon
isaveryfunctional
shoppingexperience,”shesays.“It’s
notpleasant,it’snotinspiring,itdoesn’t
makemebuythingsthatIwasn’tgoingto
buy–itdoeswhatitsaysonthetinandit
deliversfast.
“Thisisprobablyshowingmy
unconsciousorconsciousbiases,butI
woulddescribethatasamaleshopping
experience.Whenmengointoashop,
theydon’twantyoutoputoutfits
together, only to show them where the
trousers are and where the shirts are –
nottomixthemup.Butwomendon’t
shoplikethat.Theysay‘howwouldIwear
thisasanoutfit?’‘Whatwouldgowith
what?’
“Alotofpeople,whenthey’rebuying
fashion,justenjoylookingatproducts
andoutfitsandhowtheyarestyledand
worn.Unlessyourwebsiteoffersthat,
Ithinkyou’llnotgettheloyaltyofthe
fashion shopper in the way that ASOS,
boohooorSimplyBedoes.”
SpindlerhighlightsManchester-
headquarteredboohoo–setupby
entrepreneurs Mahmud Kamani and
CarolKane–astheperfectexampleofa
retailerthatknowsitsaudience.
“Whatthey’redoingiscreatinga
businessthatpeoplerelateto,”she
says.“Boohooisverymuchaboutteens,
students,20-somethingsonabudget,
whowanttolookfabulous,don’twantto
spend a lot of money on it, want it now,
wanttobuy20thingsandreturnthemall
andhaveaseamlessshoppingexperience
offthebackofthat.
“Boohoo is not only
aboutaffordableedgy
fashionbutit’salsoabrand
thatspeakstothetrends.
Itusesinfluenceand
marketinganditcreates
compelling imagery that
peoplejustbuyinto.”
ButboohooandNBrown
aren’ttheonlyretailersthat
Spindlerpraises.“ASOS
are doing great things and
ofcourseIadmireAmazon
–they’vedoneanincredible
job.IntermsofphysicalshopsI’mstilla
fanofJohnLewis.Iknowthey’vebeen
throughsomechallengingtimesbut
theyknowwhotheircustomerisandI
lovetheirvaluesandattitudetoservice.
They’reabusinessthat’sworkinghard
toreinventitself,understandingthatit
needstoembracetechnologytomove
forward.”
•
Spindler spoke to Maguire at
a special event at Regent’s University
London called ‘Trials and Triumphs in
My Career: Lessons for Tomorrow’s
Business Leaders’. The other speakers
were entrepreneur Julie Meyer ;
Stephanie Segoura, general manager,
Marriott International in London; and
Tamara Gillan, CEO of Cherry London.
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43
“Retail is a low-margin business
and very competitive. If you don’t
embrace tech and the routes to
market it can bring, you will fail.”
Angela Spindler
@BCLOUDUK
From its origins selling clothing on the streets in
1875tobecomingamulti-channelretailerwith
morethanfourmillioncustomersandaturnover
of£914m,NBrownhasbeentransformedby
technology.ChrisMaguirereports.
Everyone is
looking at the
real-time info
displayed on the
giant flatscreen
TVs in the
operations centre.
The screens are awash with graphs,
numbersanddifferentcoloursshowing
everythingfromwebsitespeed,
customerlocationandtradingfigures.
Fromadistancetherisingblockslook
likeaManhattanskyline.Intheworldof
eCommerce,timeismoney.Asplit-
second delay in page uploads will cause a
dropinconversionrates.Everyone
inthebusinesshasthesame
access to the information so
theycantakeimmediate
steps to rectify any
problem.
Welcome to the modern
world of N Brown, which
has transitioned from a
catalogue-basedbusinesstoan
online fashion retailer with data insight
teams,apps,VR/ARand,imminently,5G.
NBrown’ssuccessisbuiltontheback
ofbrandsincludingJDWilliams,High
&Mighty,JacamoandSimplyBe.The
businessdatesbackaround150yearsbut
the seismic change has happened in the
lastfiveyears.Chiefinformationofficer
AdamWarne,whopreviouslyspentten
yearsatAOWorld,says:“We’reonthe
vergeofbeingan80percentonline
business.Ofthat80percent,another
80percentareshoppingwithmobile
devices.”
AroundafifthofNBrown’s2,000staff
arenowworkingintech.In2018the
company decided to shut down 20 stores
asitfocuseditseffortsonline,which
is one of the reasons why it reported a
statutorylossof£57.5minitslatest
setofaccounts.Warne(pictured
left)says:“Wedecidedit
wasn’trightforthebusiness
wewantedtobe,whichis
fundamentallydigital.Forus
it’showcanwebringbetter
technologiesinthatbenefit
thecustomerandmakeit
easier and faster for them to
shop with us?”
With this is mind, N Brown
startedinvestinginappswith
the launch of a prototype
twoyearsago.Directorof
technologyTimPrice(right)
picksupthestory.“The
thoughtwasweprobablydidn’t
needonebecauseourwebsites
weregoodenoughbutwedidanMVP
(minimumviableproduct)withsome
small seed capital and the early signs
wereitoutperformedourwebsite,”he
says.“Ourcustomerspreferredshopping
onanapp.”
APP SQUAD
NBrownnowhasa‘squad’of18people
workingonitsapps.“We’retryingto
createanappthatisnotjustashopping
platform.Givetheuserareasontogo
there and engage with content,” says
Warne.Thebigchangeonthehorizon
is5Gtechnology.“It’saboutcreating
somethingthatisflexiblesothatwhen
technologylandsintheconsumer’s
handwecanflexourtechtodelivera
betterexperience,”heexplains.“It’sall
aboutcontent.5Gunlocksalotof
potentialtodeliveramuchbetter
experiencetocustomersand
itprobablychangessomeof
the things that we do as a
business.”
N Brown is currently doing
pilotswithVRandARand
Warnebelievesthatsomeof
thetechwillbebest-suitedto5G
networks.“We’verecentlyinvestedina
state-of-the-artphotographystudiothat
takes360-degreeimagesofproducts
andthemodels.Wecanevenanimate
onthewebsite,”heexplains.“Ontoday’s
networksit’sprobablythewrongthing.
Whenthecustomerhas5Gwhynot
havethelistingpageofproductswhere
everythingismoving?”
Another priority for N Brown is
interpreting data to personalise the
customeroffer.“Weareadata-rich
businessbutwehavetobeinsight-rich
aswell.Wehavetoturnthatdatainto
somethingwecanuseforthebenefitof
thecustomers.
“Lotsofpeopletalkabout
personalisation.Ithinkthepeoplewho
personalise well are those who are going
towin.”
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TAMING
the IT Monster
46
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
MAKING
THE SWITCH
WhenLeicesterTigerslegendLeonLloyd’s
rugbycareerended,hefoundhimself
marooned without any idea of how to
transitiontotherealworld.NowtheCEOof
SwitchthePlayisworkingtoprepareathletes
ofallagesforthemomenttheyleavethe
sportingbubble.JonathanSymcoxmethim.
Leon Lloyd threw
out his arm to
clutch at an
arrowing Austin
Healey pass, aware
it was Leicester’s
last chance.
Itwasthefinalminuteofthe2001
HeinekenCupfinal,rugbyunion’s
ChampionsLeague.Threepointsdown
to Stade Francais in Paris, Lloyd managed
tograspholdoftheballandfinishinthe
corner.Itwasafamoustrythatcrowned
thelegendaryTigersteamledbyMartin
JohnsonasEuropeanchampionsforthe
firsttime.
“WhenIwasakid,Idreamedofscoring
thewinninggoalforCoventryCityinthe
FACupfinal.Thiswasthatmoment:I
couldn’thavewrittenitanybetter,”he
tellsBusinessCloud.“Thatputusonthe
map.”ThatLeicestersidewonfourleague
titlesback-to-backandwentontodefend
theHeinekenCupthefollowingyear.
Now41,father-of-threeLloydis
studying an MBA through Manchester
MetropolitanUniversity’sapprenticeship
schemeandisaprolificmotivational
speaker.Howeverthetransitionfrom
rugbystartobusinessguruhasbeen
anythingbutsmoothfortheSwitchthe
PlayCEO–whichispreciselythepoint.
He is using technology to help athletes
of all ages prepare for the moment they
leavethesportingbubblebycreating
‘digitalCVs’usinghighly-ratedplatform
Wakelet.
Lloydenjoyedasuccessful12-year
playingcareerbutwas13yearsofage
whenhefirstpickeduparugbyball.
Within three years he was representing
EnglandSchoolboysatTwickenhamand
found himself signing a professional
contractforLeicesterin1996–theyear
thatrugbyunionleftbehinditsamateur
days.Hisfirsthousematewasnoneother
thanEngland’sfutureWorldCup-winning
captainJohnsonandhecountsformer
Tigersteam-matesincluding‘Jonno’,
HealeyandNeilBackamonghisclosest
friends.“Alotofotherplayersmyage
wouldbeoutdoingstudentthings,but
beingwiththoseseniorinternational
players put me in a great spot,” says
Lloyd.
“Onedaytheyinvitedmealongtoa
tracksession.Wewereabouttoleaveand
Iwaseatingthistinnedcurry.Iwasoutof
theblocksfasttostartwith...thenthey
changedtomakethelegslongerdistance
– and after a few more I threw up at the
sideofthetrack!Theywantedtoteach
mealessonaboutnutrition.Although
theyhadn’tbeenprofessionaluntilthat
point,thoseguyssawthesacrificesyou
havetomaketoplayforyourcountry.”
RETIREMENT
Lloyd went on to represent England at all
levels,includingfiveseniorcaps.After11
yearsatLeicesterhejoinedGloucester
but,despiteapromisingstarttothe
season,foundhiscareercutshortbya
kneeinjury.After266clubappearances,
itallcametoanabruptend.“Whenyou
leavethegame,youthinkthisbigthing
willhappen,”hesays.“Buttherewasa
storyaboutmeretiringonTeletext–and
thatwasit.Itwasquitedifficulttotake,
satthereaged30withtwoknackered
kneesandaknackeredshoulder.
“For a year I literally stayed at home,
drankabitandfeltsorryformyself.Itwas
SPORT
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
I
.
.
47
@BCLOUDUK
SwitchedOnplatformonWakelet.
horrendous.Rugbyissuchastructured
life:fromtheageof16IknewwhereI
wasgoingtobeandwhatIwasgoingto
bewearing,eatinganddoingatleastsix
weeksinadvance.There’snorealscope
tostepoutsidethoseparameters.
“Elite sport is not dissimilar to the
military:withSwitchthePlay,we’ve
seencrossoverthere.Youbecome
institutionalised.”
ThesurprisingthingaboutLloyd’sstory
is that he had gone to great lengths to
prepareforlifeoutsiderugbyincluding
financialplansandambassadorial
workforThePrince’sTrust.“Iwas
alwaysnetworking.Myteam-mates
alwaysthoughtIwouldbetheonethat
transitionedseamlessly,”heexplains.“I
struggled to come out and say ‘actually
lads,I’mnotactuallydoingthatwell’.
“Iwasn’tawareoftheconceptof
‘athleticidentity’.Iwasn’tLeonthe
husband,thedad,whowasatrusteefor
charity,workedforthePrince’sTrust,all
thosethings.Inmymind,IwasLeonthe
rugbyplayer.Ireallystruggledwithtrying
tofindapurposeandfulfilment.”
Anotherformerteam-mateand
England legend would help pull Lloyd
outofhisslump.“LewisMoodytoldme
aboutthisjobthatwasgoingathisold
schoolOakham.ThankfullyIgotitand
that helped me start the process of
integratingintotherealworld.”
TRANSITION
Asfoundationdirectorheledtheschool’s
fundraisingactivitiesandbeganto
understandthathehadpickedupskills
whichweretransferabletothebusiness
world,amessagethathedeliversto
athletes today through Switch the
Play.Heservedontheboardofathlete
agencies Key Sports Management
and Legion Sports Management, and
publishedbook‘LifeAfterSport:From
bootroomtoboardroom’in2015after
realising that many other former athletes
werefacingsimilarchallenges.“The
longestthingI’dwrittenbeforethatwas
probablyatextoratweet!Therewere
5,000 copies in my garage and I thought
‘ifnoonebuysit,noonewilleverknow
–I’lljustburnthem!’Luckilyitgotreal
tractioninthebusinessworld.People
werecomingtometoaskifIwouldspeak
to their sales or senior
management teams
aboutresilience,success
and leadership – all of
thosethingsyoutakefor
grantedinelitesport.”
Lloydwasinvited
tojointheboardof
Switch the Play, a social
enterprise founded in
2014 which focuses on
helpingathletesfulfiltheir
potential through and
beyondsport.“Switch
the Play was founded on the forgotten
majorityinsport,nottheremembered
few.ForeveryPaulGascoigneorClarke
Carlisleyoureadaboutinthenewspaper
who’sstruggling,therearethousandsof
peoplewhoaresufferinginsilence,”says
Lloyd.
“Thosewhodropoutoffootball’s
academysystemdon’ttryandmakeit
atanotheracademy:becauseofallthe
hypethat’sbeenbuiltupintothemfrom
theageof13,theydon’twanttoadmit
toanyoneelsethattheyhaven’tmade
it,sotheyjustpackin.Wewentinto
Arsenal and held a series of sessions
aroundtransitionandpersonalbranding.
We’vegoneintoeverySuperLeague
(rugbyleague)clubanddelivereda
financialwellbeingsessionwithour
partnersStJames’sPlace.Wealso
holdmasterclassesinmediaskillsand
networking.
“Athleteshaveuniquetransferable
skills,butdon’tknowit.Ourjobis
showingthemwhytheyareanattractive
propositiontoberecruitedandthethings
theyshouldbeworkingonwhilethey’re
stillcompeting.We’renotlifeaftersport–
we’relifeoutsideofsport.”
LloydbecameCEOoftheorganisation,
whichcountsmultiplegoldmedal-
winning gymnast Beth Tweddle among its
directors,18monthsago.
DIGITAL CV
Switch the Play has partnered
withWakelettohelpathletes
puttogethera‘digitalCV’.One
playerwhobenefitedfromthis
wasPaulReid,whocaptained
Barnsley FC to promotion from
LeagueOnein2006.
I was in the crowd at the
Millennium Stadium that day
butconfessthatIhaven’t
givenReidasecondthought
sincehewasreleasedbytheclubin2008.
“Asuccessful20-yearfootballcareer,
squasheddown,isjustaparagraphon
aCV,”saysLloyd.“Heapproachedus
and we set him up with our ‘Switched
On’platformonWakelet.Nowheis
showcasingwhoheisasaperson.
“We put him on a pathway with a
businessmentorandhesignedupfora
Mastersinsportingdirectorship.Now
he’sheadofacademyatSunderlandand
absolutelyflying.”
LloyddescribesusingWakeletas
a“game-changer”.“Ifyou’regoodat
interviewingandwantacareerinmedia,
ithelpsyoucaptureit.If,aspartofyour
contractasanathlete,youhavetodo
coachingandcommunitywork,wehelp
you capture that to show your future
employer.
“Showcasingwhotheyarewhenthey’re
notcompetingisreallypowerful.”
SPORT
BethTweddleisaSTPdirector.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
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BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
atfacevalue,”isherview.
ManagingassociateCarlyGulliver
fromlawfirmAddleshawGoddard
saysinvestorshatesurprises,suchas
problemswithIP.“Investorswantto
havetrustinyouandtheminutethey
findasurprise,therelationshipwill
starttowaver,”shesays.“Ithinkfrom
entrepreneurs’andgrowingcompanies’
perspective,it’saboutreceiving
investmentattherighttimeintheir
journeyandasthey’retryingtoscalethe
business.
“[Investors]havetobemorecertain
aboutwhatthey’reinvestinginsoIthink
theirriskappetitehasgonedownwhich
from a company and entrepreneurial side,
makesitabitmorechallengingbecause
they’llbeundermorescrutinyand
investorsarelesslikelytotakerisks.”
InvestmentdirectorLouiseRigby
(picturedbelow)ofeventsponsor
PraeturaVentureshasoverseenthe
company’saimtobridgetheestimated
£300millionventurecapitalfundinggap
forscalingbusinessesintheNorthWest
ofEngland.Thecompanyhasinvested
in25companiesinsevenyearsincluding
PeakAI,SortedandInspireEnergy.
Shesaysbusinesspitchesshouldgrab
attentionandgettothepoint.“Yourpitch
FUNDING
MONEYONLY
ONE PIECE OF
THEJIGSAW
Securingthewronginvestmentcanbeasbad
asnotgettinganyatall.Prominentinvestors
andentrepreneurssharedtheirknowledgeat
BusinessCloud’s‘Techinvestment’breakfast.
HayleySewellreports.
Starting up and
scaling a
business is a
puzzle for even
the most
entrepreneurial
of individuals.
When it comes to piecing together the
elementsneededtomakeasuccess
ofyourventure,oneoftheuppermost
priorities is naturally securing access
tomoney.Butwhenventuringintothe
investmentworld,findingsomeone
willingtohandovercashisonlyoneofthe
considerationsyoushouldhave.
ApadmiVenturesworkswithearly-
stagetechstart-upslikeadvertisingtech
firmBidoohandmusicstreamingstart-up
Beatstream.
Its CEO Howard Simms says that if
thewronginvestoriswillingtoofferyou
£200,000thenthere’snoreasonwhythe
rightbackerwon’tdothesame.
“Moneyisonlyonepieceofthejigsaw
whenitcomestofindingtheright
investor,”ishisadvice.“Youholdhandsto
startwith.Youmighteventuallygiveeach
otherakiss–butyoudon’tgetmarried
untilyouareabsolutelycertain.Whytreat
investmentanydifferently?
“Poisonousinvestorshavetheirown
self-interestatheart.”
Simmswasspeakingbefore
an audience of 110 people at
BusinessCloud’s‘Techinvestment’
breakfast.EntrepreneurElizabethClark
echoed his words after her company
DreamAgilitywentintoadministration
duetosufferingfrominvestorrelation
issues.“Doyourhomeworkproperly
aboutinvestors–anddon’ttakeanyone
deckneedstobeclearaboutwhatyou’re
doingbutwedon’thavethetimetolook
througha100-pagedocumentorwatch
a20-minutevideo.Anddon’tputemojis
onit.”
Theeventaimedtogiveinsightinto
businessesseekinginvestmentandheard
fromcompaniessuchasRichardHayes’
MojoMortgagesandMikeAnderson’s
eventplanningmobileappPadoq.
The importance of demonstrating
self-efficiency,onlyraisingasmuch
moneyasyouneedandneverover-or
under-promisingtoinvestorswasalso
highlighted.
“Investorsarenaturallyoptimisticbut
raisinginvestmentisdifficult,”isthe
opinionofPaulBillingham(above),the
director of Knight Corporate Finance and
advisoryboardmemberoffund:tmt.
”Thefirstinvestmentisalwaysthe
hardestyou’llhavetoworkfor-make
sureyoutakeitseriouslyandplan
properlyforit.Thereisarangeoffunding
options out there, choosing the right
optionforyouandyourbusinessisthe
challenge.”
OtherspeakersincludedMarkFinlay
ofMoneypenny,SteveKellyofSmartkem
andNorthStarAdvisors,andPaul
HaydockofFounderFundraising.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
IPUTMYFOOT
ONTHEGAS
TOOEARLY
AdministratorswerecalledintoManchester-basedDueCoursein
2017justayearaftera£6.25millionfundraise.FormerCEOPaul
Haydockbreakshistwo-yearsilencetotellChrisMaguirethat
theyscaledtheFinTechbusinesstooquickly.
Tech
entrepreneur
Paul Haydock
seemed destined
for great things
with DueCourse
back in 2016.
Theinvoicesoftwarestart-uphadjust
raised£6.25millioninfunding,oneofthe
largest rounds for a UK FinTech outside
London,withbackersincludingfounders
andinvestorsinZoopla,LoveFilm,
TransferWiseandLinkedIn.
HoweverinJuly2017therewere
shockwaveswhenthefirmcalledinthe
administrators.Untilnowco-founder
Haydockhasstayedsilent–butfeels
thetimeisrighttotellthefullstory.“We
tookthedecisiontoputDueCourse
intoadministrationwhenitbecame
clearwecouldn’tcontinuewiththe
businessinitscurrentform,”Haydock
tellsBusinessCloud.“Itranintotrouble…
we made a conscious decision to shut it
down.
“Wetookallthelessonslearnedand
createdanewversionoftheproduct
calledAutopaid.Autopaidhasjustraised
a fresh round of VC funding, so I felt now
itwastherighttimetospeakandshare
somelessonslearntwithotherfounders.”
Bolton-bornHaydockbeganhiscareer
astheco-founderofmyparceldelivery.
com, a courier comparison site for
SMEsnowknownasSortedGroup,with
DavidGrimes.In2014heco-founded
DueCourseafteridentifyingaproblem
SMEshadwithlatepaymentofinvoices.
DueCoursewasasoftwareplatform
that allowed SMEs to get paid within
hoursaftersendinganinvoiceratherthan
waitingupto90days–unlockingmoney
tiedupinunpaidinvoices.Hesays:“We
builtsoftwarethatconnectedwithcloud
accountsystems,likeZeroandSageOne.
Youcouldcreateyouraccountsystemin
twoclicks.Wewouldofferyouanadvance
againstanyoutstandinginvoiceatany
time.
“Forexampleifyouhadanoutstanding
£1,000invoice,we’dgiveyou£850of
itwithinanhour.Whenyougotpaid
youreimbursedusplusanyfeesyou
incurred.”
HaydockwenttoLondoninsearch
offunding.“Ididover100pitchesand
acceptedanofferofacombination
ofVCfundingandangelinvestment,”
heexplains.“Wegot£1.25minequity
investmentand£5mindebt.”
The£5mdebtfacilityallowedthem
topayapercentageofcustomers’
invoiceswhiletheywerewaitingtobe
paid.“Raisingmoneyisn’ttheendgame,
buildinganamazingbusinessistheend
game,”saysHaydock.“Raisingfundingis
justastepalongthatjourneysowedidn’t
particularlycelebrate.”
MISTAKE
Theentrepreneuradmittedhisbiggest
mistakewasgrowingtoofast,tooquickly.
“Iholdmyhandsup,”hesays.“Iam
ultimatelyresponsible.Ithinkweput
thefootonthegastooearly.Ithinkthe
expectationwastogrowataphenomenal
rate and I was complicit in that and
executedthat.
“Inhindsightweweren’tready,Ithink
wetriedtoprematurescale,wewerevery
closebutwedidn’tquitenailit.Wescaled
veryquicklyandIthinkintheendwehad
tosortstuffout.It’soneofthethingsyou
learnthroughexperiences.”
Haydocksaystheydidn’tforeseethe
numberofclientswhodidn’tinformthem
whentheiroutstandinginvoicehadbeen
paid–effectivelymeaningtheywerepaid
twice.“Whenwedidtheaudit,abouta
thirdhadbeenpaidandtheyhadn’ttold
us, so we had to go out and reclaim all
thatmoney,”hesays.“Asasmallteam
thisputalotofoperationalstrainonus.”
Autopaid has prioritised sorting out
anyglitchesbeforeseekingfunding.
Althoughheremainsamajorshareholder,
Haydock’sco-founderNicolaWeedallis
now the CEO as he focuses on his other
businessFounderFundraising,which
matchestechstart-upswithinvestors.
“Givenmyexperienceofraisingmoney
multipletimesandhavingbuiltupa
masterinvestornetwork,Ijustknow
howpainfulraisingmoneycanbefor
founders,”hesays.“You’retryingtobuild
theproduct,buildtheteam,getnew
customers,serviceexistingcustomers,
thenyou’vegottobeoutontheroad
meetingnewinvestorsdoingpitchesfor
three-sixmonths.
“I wanted to help founders, especially in
the North, raise the money they need to
acceleratetheirbusinesses.”
FUNDING
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
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@BCLOUDUK
KISSING
THE RIGHT
INVESTMENT
FROG
Theinvestmentworldcanbeahazardous
place.SteveKellyrevealshowstart-upscan
ensuretheyarepuckeringupforfunding
princes rather than those who might ruin
theirhappyending.HayleySewellreports.
For a fairytale
happily-ever-
after, it is
sometimes
necessary for a
princess to kiss
a frog.
Butintheinvestmentworld,notall
smoochingfrogsturnintoprinces.Serial
entrepreneurSteveKellybelievesthat
manystart-upbusinesseshaveto“kissa
lotoffrogs”togaintherightinvestment-
andheshouldknow.
Havingraisedmorethan£50millionin
his25-yearcareer,hehasdealtwithmany
investorsthroughhisinvolvement
infourbusinesses.Nowan
advisortoflexiblescreen
manufacturerSmartkem,he
has created his own informal
guidetotakinginvestment,
identifyingwhatinvestors
arelookingforinreturn.
Kellybeganhisstoryin1986
astechnicalservicesmanager
forindustrialcoatingscompanyQC
Colours,beforemakinganearly-1990s
exittojoinanti-counterfeitingtechfirm
KromacorpInternationalasCTO.He
laterfoundedDatalase,adigitalprinting
company that could print without the use
ofink,beforemovingtoSmartkem.
Since2009hehasraised£30mfor
theManchester-basedcompany,which
manufactures screens for electronics
tocreatefoldablephonesandsmart
watches.SpeakingatBusinessCloud’s
TechInvestmentbreakfast,sponsored
byPraeturaVentures,hejoinedFounder
FundraisingCEOPaulHaydockintelling
an audience of 110 people what can
happenwithbadinvestment.
“Youhavetokissalotoffrogs,”is
Kelly’sadvice.“Mytoptipsaredoyour
research,makesurethatyouareableto
conciselypitch[youroffer]bystarting
withthepainyou’regoingtosolveand
demonstratetheinspirationthat’sdriven
youtocometoraisefinancials.Really
workhardondemonstratingthetangible
resultsyoucanachievewithinthatround
offunding.
“I’vealwaysbeeninvolvedinhardand
deeptechandthesearebusinessesthat
don’tscalelikedigital,soyoucan’t
judgethescalingofhardtech
byusernumbers.Theyhave
uglythingslikesupplychains
andproductsandquality
systems.Ittakeslonger
to scale, which means you
havetokissalotmorefrogs
in the deep tech and hard tech
sector.”
Takinginvestmentatthewrong
timecanalsobeofdetrimenttoanew
business,andtakingtoomuchcanover-
promisetoinvestors.Kellysaysnew
businessesshouldtakeinvestmentwhen
theyhave‘proofofconceptandsome
formofearlydemonstration’;equally
start-upsshouldbepreparedandshow
theyhavetheabilitytosurvive.
“Alotofsmallbusinessesdon’tdo
themselvesanyjusticebynotpreparing
properlyforinvestmentandit’sno
surprisethere’sahighattritionratefor
start-upswhoarenotabletofindany
kindoffinancing,”heexplains.“I’malways
lookingatwhatproblemthey’regoing
tosolve-isitgoingtochangetheworld,
is it going to change a small part of the
market,andhowmuchpainisthere?
“Ilookattheresultsthattheyclaim
theyaregoingtoachieve:aretheyover-
promisingorunder-promising?Then
lastly,lookingatevidencethatthey’ve
gotthetoolstosurvive-havetheygot
theabilities,aretheyentrepreneurialin
nature,andhavetheyusedabitoftheir
owncashtotakesomerisks?”
HORSES FOR COURSES
Hebelievesthereisa‘horsesforcourses’
approachastheearlierthebusiness,the
riskiertheinvestment-sobusinesses
shouldformrelationshipswithinvestors
thatare“alignedtoyourworldview”.
“Thedoomsdayscenariosarebad
investmentcankillacompanybecause
you’vegotunmatchedexpectations
betweenthefoundingteamandthe
investors-investmentcanmakeallthe
differencebetweensuccessandextreme
success,”hesays.
“Soagoodinvestorisworthitsweight
ingold,andill-timedinvestmentcankilla
company.Youwanttodoyourowndue-
diligencewhenyoulookforinvestment
andinvestpropertimetoresearchwho
therightaudienceis.
“Sometimesit’sbettertohavealower
valuationwiththerightinvestorsthanitis
tohaveahighvaluation,lessdilutionand
thewronginvestor.”
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FUNDING
LEVELLING
THEPLAYING
FIELD
From his childhood on a Birmingham council estate
tobecomingastart-upentrepreneur,AdamPritchard
hasspenthislifesmashingthroughglassceilings.
JonathanSymcoxreports.
Adam Pritchard
has never
considered his
background to
be relevant to his
business – until
now.
Atschoolhelaunchedamagazinetogive
studentsavoice–evensecuring£10
investmentfromaleadingbank–whilethe
councilestatefootballclubheestablished
inWintonnearSalfordnowhas19teams.
However,reflectingonhispast
throughthelensofnewventureShopit,it
seemsarecentrevelationtothesoftly-
spokenentrepreneur.“Ihadawonderful
childhood.Manylovelypeoplelivedon
ourestate,butitwasrundownandthere
were also some dodgy types,” he tells
BusinessCloud,citinganexampleofa
friendwholaterbecameadrugaddictand
went to prison for one of the most heinous
ofcrimes.“ItwasarealSlidingDoors
momentwhenIheardaboutthat.
“It’sdifferentforthoseontheother
side.LookatformerChelseastriker
GianlucaVialli:hegrewupinacastlebut
hadtobattleagainsthissuccess,finddrive
and commitment within him when he had
thingssomucheasier.”
At the age of 11, Pritchard won a place
atgrammarschool.“Theotherkidstook
regularskiingtripsandmusiclessons
forgranted.IwasluckyifIgot£5pocket
money,”hesmiles.
He earned the ire of teachers when
heusedhismagazineOutbursttocall
forthecreationofastudentcouncil.
“Ithoughtthekidswere
underrepresented in a lot of
the decisions that were made in
school.Severalteacherswouldwalk
pastmeandgivemethe‘eye’!Butitgot
implemented–andit’sstilltheretothis
day.
“It feels natural to me: I saw something
thatwaswrongandwantedtomakea
changetorepresenttheseotherpeople.”
Aftergraduatingfromuniversityhe
workedat3M,whereapsychometric
reporthighlightedhimasapeople’s
champion.Thiswasborneoutwhen
helaunchedWintonWanderers.“While
myuniversityandgrammarschool
experiencemademeabitdifferentto
thosepeople,myrootswereabsolutely
thesame,”hereflects.
“Intheunder-11swehadaposhkid
calledAlistair.Hisparentsbroughthim
alongtoroughenhisedges.Thepitch
was in the middle of the estate and there
wereliterallykidskickedoutofthedoors
at8ambyparentswithabeercanstillin
theirhandfromthenightbefore,saying
‘goandsortyourselfout–I’llseeyou
backfordinneratsixo’clock’.
“Theywerefromcompletelydifferent
backgrounds,butthey’dplayfootball
togetherintheparkanddidn’tnoticeall
thosedifferences.”
Itwasareallabouroflovebeforehe
handedoverthereinsandsteppedaway.
“Iwasoutraisingmoneyfortheclub,
mowingthepitch,designingthekit...the
ideaofbuildingmyownfootballclubwas
amazing!Andrunningmyownbusinessat
thesametime.”
Thatbusinesswasagency
ProjectOcto,establishedin
2012.Pritchardhasjustwound
itdownashesaysitwastakinghis
focus away from Shopit, which is where his
heartclearlylies.
“It’stheworld’sfirstpay-as-you-grow
eCommerceplatform,”hesays.
“ThewayI’veinadvertentlybuiltit
and priced it, it helps out the younger
businesses,thepeoplewhohaven’t
gotmoneyintheirpocket.Itlevelsthe
playingfield.Mywifesaidtome:‘you’re
buildingthebusinessinthesamewaythat
you’rebuildingthefootballclub’.Wegive
everythingtoeverybodyfromdayone.
There’snotieredpricing.
“In tech, and eCommerce in particular,
everythingisgearedtowardshaving
moneyupfront.TobuildaMagentosite
youneed20grandtostartoffwith.
“Our pricing normally starts at around
£8amonth,dirtcheap,buttheypayforit
astheyuseit.Iftheygetathousandora
millionvisitors,theserversgetusedand
thecostcomesintoit.
“They can spend their early money on
marketingcampaigns,drivingpeopleto
theproduct.Itgiveseverybodywith£8in
theirpocketeverymonththeopportunity
tobesuccessful.”
As for Pritchard, now 42, he feels that
theculminationofhisexperiencecould
seehisownventuresucceed.
“Aninvestoraskedme‘whydoyoudo
it?’Yes,Iwanttomakemoney–butwhen
I’monmydeathbedIwanttoknowI’ve
madeabitofdifferenceintheworld,”he
said.
ECOMMERCE
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
@BCLOUDUK
51
52
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
PROPERTY
MORTGAGES
CAN BE HELL
ORHABITO
DanielHegartyalmostlosthisdreamfirsthomeduetomistakesmade
byhismortgagebroker.HetellsHayleySewellhowtheexperience
causedhimtosetupdisrupterHabitofromhiskitchentable.
Applying for a
mortgage can
be a hellish
experience –
but a UK tech
entrepreneur
believes he has
the answer.
DanielHegartyisCEOofHabito,a
LondonPropTechstart-upwhichhas
grownto160staffinjustthreeyearsand
istransformingthemortgageprocess.
Hefoundedthebusinessfromhiskitchen
tableafterhealmostlosthisdreamfirst
home due to repeated errors on forms
submittedbyhismortgagebroker.
Firsttheyputhiswife’snamedowntwice
alongside his own; after this held up the
process for 10 days, they deleted his
nameratherthanoneofthoseofhiswife.
Thankfullythe“terrible”experiencedid
notresultinthemlosingthehouse.
Fromhisnewkitchenhegathereda
teamoffivepeopletocreateabusiness
todemystifythejargonofmortgages
andscraptheheftyfees.“Ittookussix
toninemonthstobuildtheproduct,
whichdefinitelyfeltslowbecauseyou
don’tknowifanyoneisgoingtoshowup
andusethethingyou’vebuilt,”hetells
BusinessCloud.“Themortgageindustry
asawholehasverylittleinterestinthe
customers–asyoulookacrossthe
landscape of mortgage products and hear
alloftheridiculousjargon,yourealise
quitequicklythatthecustomersarenot
attheforefrontofeveryone’sminds.
“Building the company with the
customeratthecoreofeverythingwedo
–that’spartofourDNA.”
Theonlinemortgagebrokerservices
theUKandcreatedtheworld’sfirst
robo-adviserforregulatedmortgage
advice,meaningconsumerscanfindand
apply for a mortgage entirely through the
internet.Itsalgorithmanalyses
over90differentlendersin
seconds then applies on your
behalffreeofcharge,with
thelenderspickingupthe
feeforasuccessfulmatch.
In 2017 the company raised
£18.5millioninaninvestment
roundledbyAtomico,the
Londoninvestmentfirmestablished
bySkypefounderNiklasZennstrom.
CARTOONS
Mortgagesaren’ttheonlyareaofthe
marketthatHabitoisaddressingwitha
uniqueapproach.Cartoonadvertising
styledonRickandMortyshowsanimated
characterssufferingtothepointofdeath
under long mortgage applications or
monsterhandstakingeverypennyfrom
theirperson.
Although grim in nature, Hegarty said
the ads were meant to show the true
experienceofapplyingforastandard
mortgage–andhowtheHabitobrand
representsacalm,heaven-likepresence
toahome-buyer.Theaccompanying
sloganis‘HellorHabito’.“Thetruthis
wefindfinancialservicesmarketing
incrediblyboring,”heexplains.“[Other
companies]aredesperatelytryingtoearn
trust and will show you a happy
familyatthekitchentable
payingtheirbills.
“I understand where it
comesfrom,butwefelt
liketherealityofgetting
a mortgage is a much
more intense and emotional
experience,andnoneofthis
advertisingreflectsthat.Wetriedto
empathisemoredirectlywiththem.”
WithBrexitlooming,themortgage
marketisinaperiodofuncertaintyas
homeowners wait in anticipation of how
priceswillbeaffected.Hegartysaysthe
situationmaynotaffectthenumberof
applicationsformortgages,butthey
haveseenaslowdownonthepurchase
sideofthemarket.“About40percentof
all mortgages are remortgages and so
theycarryonregardless.Inthehouse-
movermarket,there’ssomefundamental
driverslikepeopledying,getting
divorced,gettingintodebt,whichmeans
peoplecontinuetomoveinallsituations.
“There is this discretionary 20 per
centofthemarketwhoisthinkingabout
movingbut,giventheuncertaintyfor
housepricesaroundsomethinglike
Brexit,mightwaittoseewhathappens.”
53
@BCLOUDUK
mortgagerecommendationsgive
customersmorecertaintyaroundeligibility
and ensures they get the cheapest deal
nowandinthefuture.
It’scompletelyfreetothecustomer,
withMojogettingpaidbytheprovider.
The company is also engaging with larger
digitalbusinessestowhitelabeltheirown
mortgagejourneys.
“IntermsofvalueIgenuinelybelievewe
couldbeahalf-a-billion-poundbusiness,”
saysHayes.
PROPERTY
“At our core we are technology
focused, we’re a mission led
business and we are genuinely
focused on creating a better
mortgage experience.”
Richard Hayes
Richard Hayes could have been an actor or a pop star but found his calling as an entrepreneur.
Now he’s shaking up the mortgage industry. He spoke to Chris Maguire.
Hayes finds his Mojo
in mortgages
Richard Hayes
gives the
impression of
being one of life’s
natural disrupters.
Between the ages of 11 and 16 he
attended theatre school and after
appearinginlotsofTVadvertsandtwo
fleetingpartsinEastEnders,hereturned
home unsure of what he wanted to do
next.
Attheageof18hesignedarecord
dealwithEMIbuttheall-boygrouphe
sangin,365,neverreleasedanysongs.
“Ididn’tseeeye-to-eyewithanybody,
primarilyatthelabel,”headmits.“I’m
quiteastrongpersonality.”
In2008hesetupanonlinecarfinance
businessbutsaysthecreditcrunch
camealongandhelostallhislenders.
Bruisedbutfarfrombroken,Hayes
reinventedhimselfandit’sinhis
currentroleasco-founderofonline
mortgagebrokerMojoMortgagesthat
he is threatening to cause the most
disruption.
The entrepreneur says the mortgage
marketisbrokenandhewantsto
shakeitupasmuchashecan.Mojo
–or‘mortgagejourney’–usesan
algorithmtomatchthespecificneeds
of customers against more than 20,000
mortgageproductstofindtherightone.
ItwasonlylaunchedinApril2018
byHayesandNickSherrattbuthas
alreadyhelped50,000peopleandsaved
customers£4minbrokerfees.
The early performance is the reason
whytheMacclesfield-basedcompany
recently attracted £7m in funding from
NVMPrivateEquityandMavenCapital
Partnersalongsideprivateequityand
otherinvestors.
The Series A funding was one the
biggestraisesreportedoutsideof
Londoninthelast12months.
BROKEN SYSTEM
The £7m is on top of an earlier round
of£800,000inseedfunding.“Mojoisa
mortgagejourney-ifabusinessiswilling
tocallitselfMojothentheyaredefinitely
doingsomethingabitdifferentinour
opinion,”HayestellsBusinessCloud.
“The old mortgage system was
convolutedandbrokenwithnoend-
to-endexperience.Ithadmultiple
differentpeoplethatyouhavetospeak
to,multipledifferentrelationshipsthat
you had to manage, inaccurate pricing,
inaccuratecomparisontables,alackof
insight into the right product for you,
andadistinctlackoftransparencythat
isprobablyprevalentinallfinancial
servicesintheUK.
“TheUKmortgagemarketisthat
massivethatwe’vegotabigpieceofpie
togoafterhere,we’vegotamassive
problemtosolveandwecansolvethe
problemofmillionsofUKcustomersby
stayingintheUK.”
MojoMortgageshasaworkforce
of 66 and currently has a run rate of
£1.3m.Hayesadds:“It’sgrowingquite
significantlysoourannualrunrateby
January2020willbeabout£6m.”
Hayes’previousiterationofthe
businesssoldmortgages,income
protectionandlifeinsurancebefore
theyfocusedsolelyonmortgages.
“Weareexceptionallyagileinour
thinkingandinourwaythatwe
buildtechnology-genuinely
speakingweareafully-fledged
FinTech,”hesays.
“At our core we are
technologyfocused,we’rea
missionledbusinessandwe
are genuinely focused on
creatingabettermortgage
experience.We’refocused
onabetterexperiencefor
the customers that come to
MojoMortgages.”
Mojo’salgorithm-powered
Cloud technology is changing the world
around us and having an impact upon every
industry, even if you aren’t aware of it.
Thetraditionalmethodofdigitalservices
isbeingdisplacedbysystemswhichcanbe
updatedautomaticallyandatscale.
Whereyouusedtofindapplications
runninglocallywithinbusinessessuchas
accountancysoftwarelikeSage,peopleare
movingtousesoftwareasaserviceinthe
cloud.Tobeabletoprovidethissoftwareas
aservicetypemodel,yourbusinessneeds
tobeabletoreacttocustomerdemandata
moment’snotice.
Inthepastwebsitesthatexperienced
suddenhighdemandusedtocrash,butthe
cloudenablescompaniestospinup‘virtual
machines’tocopewiththeinfluxofvisitors.
Ifoneofourclientswasabouttohaveabig
sale,withtraditionallegacyserversthey
wouldhaveneededenoughcapacitytodeal
withthatincreaseintrafficfromdayone;but
withcloudtheycan‘burst’upanddownas
andwhentheyneedto.
Assoonastheyapproachthemaximum
threshold, using APIs they can automatically
spinupanothervirtualmachinetocopewith
thedemand;foreveryXnumberofusers
beyondthat,itwilladdanother,andsoon.All
thistakesplacewithouthavingtogothrough
any sales or account management channels
–itjustgetsdeployed.
OurclientLateRooms.comisagreat
exampleofthis.Theymakeconstant
changestotheirwebsite,perhapstweaking
something 50 times a day and monitoring
theresults–andeverytimeachangeis
made, that code is pushed out automatically,
spinningupanewvirtualmachineandkilling
theoldoneoffacrosstheentireestate
untilthatcodehasbeendeployedtoall
virtualmachinesandisnowrunninglivein
production.
So how do we help push that out for
them? Welcome to the world of APIs – or
Application Programming Interfaces, as no
onecallsthem.
An API is sort of a sales and account
managementengine.Theyallowcompanies
totapintotechnologycreatedbyothers
andadaptitfortheirownends.It’sliterally
a gateway into the infrastructure of a
companylikeUKFast:itgivesourclientsthe
groundworktobuildtheirsystemsusingour
products.Theycanpickandchoosewhich
featuresandservicestheywantwithout
beingdictatedtobyasetrangeofproducts.
TheLateRooms.comsystemwilltalktoour
APIandwhateveritinstructsittodo,itcarries
out.Itmeansthatratherthanexperiencing
delayswhendeployingchangestowebsites,
theclienthasfullcontroloverwhathappens
and when – they dictate this to us through
the APIs and, through automation on our
side,thoserequestsprovisioneverythingas
quicklyaspossible.
AtUKFastwearetakingwhatwecallan
‘API-first’approach.Inthepast,newproducts
hadtobedeliveredintooursalesandaccount
managers’productpipelinesbeforethey
wentlive.
We’retryingtoflipthatonitshead:once
theproductorfeatureisbuilt,wemake
itautomatablefromdayone,wrapanAPI
arounditand,assoonasthatAPIgoeslive,
theproductisreadyforpeopletouse.
Itmeanswecandeliverproductsand
servicesandfeaturesquickerthanwehave
donebeforewithouthavingtowaitforthat
fullend-to-endprocesstobecompleted.
Wealsowanttomakeitaseasyaspossible
forourclients’developerstoconsume
theseproducts.Fulldocumentationonhow
to implement our APIs sits in our UKFast
DeveloperCentre.
OurSDKs–SoftwareDevelopmentKits
–canbedownloadedandembeddedintoa
company’sprojectcodebasemakingiteasier
toconsumetheseAPIsandgetstarted.
It is the way the industry is going:
everybodyismovingtobeabletoconsume
servicesascode.
In a new column,
UKFast CTO
Neil Lathwood
explains how
cloud technology
is enabling
companies to
deploy new
features as soon
as they are ready.
The importance of an
API-first approach
laf.io/
@neillathwood
COLUMN: NEIL LATHWOOD
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
54
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
Practical learning
for resilience
and wellbeing
Accredited
courses
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And Wellbeing
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Activity
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Educational
Needs
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and Care
Courses
Flexible
Learning
Understanding the
fundamentals
Learn at a time,
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that suits you
Charter
Wellbeing Policy
Accredited e-learning
Wellbeing Audit
Andy Lord is an
unlikely-looking
superhero – but if
he can fix the UK’s
digital skills crisis
the only thing he’ll
be missing is a
cape and a mask.
CiteslikeLondon,Leeds,Birminghamand
Manchesterarebuildingalargechunkof
their future around the digital tech sector
butfacetherealandpresentdangerof
notbeingabletofindthepeoplethey
needtomakeithappen.
ThisiswhereLordcomesin.He
recognisedthewideningproblemafew
years ago and set up Code Nation, which
teachespeoplehowtocodebutalsohow
togetajobbytrainingtheminlifeskills.
Asitworksdirectlywithbusinesses,
companiescanwalkaroundCodeNation’s
NorthWestofficesand,iftheyseethe
persontheywant,signthemup.The
strategyisworking:around93percent
ofthepaidstudentswhohavepassed
throughthesystemhavebeenoffereda
jobwithinthreedays.
Sowhoistheunlikelysuperhero–and
what’shissecret?Lordistheyoungestof
threebrothersfromBury.Hisdadworked
asaplumberandhismuminatraditional
Lancashiremill.Hisdadwantedhimto
jointhefamilybusinessbutLordquickly
decidedhedidn’twanttobeaplumber
andrecognisedhewasrubbishatDIY.
Hedidn’tfaremuchbetteratschool,
leavingwithoutasinglequalification.
“Ifoundschooltobethesinglemost
Can superhero
fix the digital
skills crisis?
uninspiringplacethatIcouldeverturnup
to,”hetellsBusinessCloud.“Itwasaplace
forbatteryhens,itdidn’tfitwiththeway
Ilearn.”
Despitehislackofacademicsuccess,
Lordsayshisexperiencesatschool
taughthimthatpeoplelearnindifferent
ways.“Ifyoucantapintoadifferentstyle
ofteachingyougetadifferentlevelof
learning,”hesays.
MARKET
LordgotajobonBurymarketandended
uprunningaflagshipstallatBolton
market.Hethenhadspellsofselling
insurance,workinginthekitchenof
a French restaurant and setting up a
windowcleaningroundattheageof23.
Herecalls:“Ilearnedthat‘cashisking’
becauseeveryonepaidcash[tohave
theirwindowscleaned]soyouhadtobe
hardcoreandknockonpeople’sdoorson
aThursdaynight,otherwiseyoucouldn’t
affordtogoandcleanthewindowsthe
weekafter.You’vegottoworkreallyhard
tomakeanymoney.MypatchwasinBury,
thousandsofterracedhousesat£1.50
perhouse.Cleanthemslowlyandyou
don’tmakeanymoney;cleanthemfast
andyoumakeafortune.”
Lord‘stumbled’intotechnical
recruitment and admits his attitude at the
startwasawful.“I’vestillgotmywritten
warningthatsays‘you’llneveramountto
AndyLordbelieveshiscompanyCodeNation
hasthesolutiontothegrowingdigitalskills
gap.ChrisMaguirespoketohim.
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BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
SKILLS GAP
anything,youthinkyouknoweverything,
you’rearrogant,you’rerude’,”herecalls.
“ThosewerethedayswhenHRdidn’t
mindifthatwasinaletter.Idon’tthink
youcoulddothatnow.Ilookbacknow
andthinktheguythatwroteitwas100
percentcorrect.Ispentayearbeing
rubbishbecauseIwouldn’tlistenand
thoughtIkneweverything–andthen
foundoutIknewnothingandlistenedand
learned.Ibecamereallygoodatteaching
others.”
AtemplateemergedofLord’s
approachtolife.“Giveamanafishand
he’lleatforaday,teachhimhowtofish
andhe’lleatforever,”hesays.Hisbig
breakwassettinguphisownrecruitment
businesscalledRethinkGroupwithsome
friendsin2005.Lordisstillashareholder
inRethinkGroup,whichhasaturnoverof
£130m.
SKILLS CRISIS
Howeverattheageof48herealised
something was missing in his life so he
setupCodeNationin2017withalong-
termcustomercalledDavidMuir.“He’s
agenius,”saysLord.“Hismemoryand
retentionfordataandstats,hisability
to forward calculate things in an instant
ismindblowing.Itmakesagreatfoilfor
mebecauseIdon’tlikethedetail,Ilike
thebigstuff.Weweretalkingaboutthe
digitalskillscrisisandIwasthinking‘What
canIdointheRethinkGroupthatisn’t
justdoingwhateveryotherrecruitment
companyintheworldisdoing?’
“Wedecidedwe’dsetupacoding
schoolinsidetherecruitmentbusiness
andRethinkGroupgavemesome
latitudetogoanddothat.Theycouldsee
itwasaprojectofpassion.Wecouldgo
andknockonanytechcompanydoorand
say‘ifyougiveusthismid-seniorbitof
work,we’lldothejuniorrecruitmentfor
free–andwe’llmakethem[job-ready]for
you,we’llgiveyouabespokepathway’.”
OurinterviewtakesplaceatCode
Nation’sManchesteroffice.Lord’sdesk
is sparsely decorated, with nothing on
his walls, which is at odds with the idea
machineinhishead.Realisinghecouldn’t
combinethetworoles,heresignedhis
RethinkroleandbecameCEOofCode
Nation.Lordsaysthevisionhasalways
beensimple–thinkbig.“Tomakea
differenceyoucan’ttrain100people,
youneedtotrainthousands,”hesays.
“Therewillbeatleastonemillionpeople
extraneededwithdigitalskillstocope
withthedemandasit’sdescribedtoday.
InManchestereverybusinessIspeakto
wants10or20andit’sgettingworse–or
better,dependingonwhichsideofthe
tableyou’reon.
“I’mgoingtodotherightthingfor
as many people that I can and access
fundingsopeopledon’thavetopay,and
makemoneyoutofdoingit.Soit’sstill
thevision–anationwidebusinessthat
has multiple classrooms and multiple
curriculums.Wedocyberandsoftware
now,we’llprobablydodatascience.And
blockchain:it’sthenumberoneskillin
America now with 56 per cent growth in
one year in demand for people with those
skills.”
relationshipswithanimpressiveline-
upofcompaniesincludingAO.com,N
BrownandEMISHeath.“We’reinthe
techindustry:ifyouwanttocherrypick
oneofourstudentsyouhavetocome
anddoa‘dayinthelife’talkandshare
someknowledgewithourstudents,not
onlyaboutwhatit’sliketoworkinyour
organisation,butalsowhatthenextbig
techthingis,”explainsLord.
“Thebusinessesthatwecallpledgers
whosupportussendtheirjuniorand
aspiringmanagersintoleadprojectswith
ourstudentssoit’sabitYinandYang.”
Visitingbusinessescaninterview
astudentandofferthemajob.Code
Nationalsotakesadvantageofthe
JOURNEY
CodeNationworksoutofaseries
ofclassroomsinSpringGardens,
Manchester,whichtakesstudentsona
‘journey’.Oneroomisdevotedtoathree-
weekcybersecuritycoursefollowedby
athree-weekcodingcourse.Thenext
twoclassroomsaredevotedto12-week
coursesandthere’sasmuchafocuson
teachingpeopleskillsaswellasacademic
ones.Around95percentofthestudents
onthethree-weekdevelopercourseare
unemployedwhentheyjoinCodeNation.
Studentscanpayprivately,withcourses
costing£6,000.Lordisalsoabigfanof
upskillingexistingstaff.
CodeNationhasalreadybuilt
ApprenticeshipLevy,whichalotof
companiesaren’texploitingfully.
Employing18-20full-timestaffwith
80students,ithasopenedasimilar
classroom in Chester, with plans to launch
otherfacilitiesincitiesallovertheUK.
Leedsisverymuchontheagendaandit’s
takingspaceatNuneatonandCambridge.
LordbelievesCodeNationcanteach
5,000studentsayearandbecomea
primarytrainingproviderforthedigital
skillssector.Ifthathappens,Lordwill
deservehissuperherocapeandmask.
57
@BCLOUDUK
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
SKILLS GAP
The Digital Entrepreneur Awards are the longest-standing national tech awards in
the UK.
The DEAs have been a springboard to success for many of the web’s pioneers
and cutting-edge creatives such as PrettyLittleThing, Missguided, Laterooms.
com, Social Chain and Shop Direct.
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21st November, The Principal Hotel
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IN ASSOCIATION WITH:
How do you
monetise30
million users?
Noveltime-savingcalendarappDoodlecounts
someoftheworld’smostsuccessfulfirmsamong
itshugeactivecustomerbase-andCEOGabriele
Ottinoisdreamingofabillion-dollarvaluationand
potentialIPO.AlistairHardakerreports.
How do you
monetise a
product which has
30 million users
per month and
no intellectual
property?
ThatisthepuzzlebeingsolvedatDoodle,
ameetingschedulingtooltakingthe
worldbystorm.Itsnovelsolutionswaps
longconversationsandemailchainsfor
asingle‘poll’oftimeswhichagroupcan
voteon.Theapproachhasbeenaviralhit:
forevery‘Doodlepoll’createdonline,an
averageofsixnewinviteesareintroduced
totheserviceviathesharedlink.The
resultingmillions-stronguserbaseisnow
madeupofbusyfriendslookingtomeet
up,interestgroupsorganisingevents
andincreasinglybusinesspeoplelooking
tospeedupadminintheworld’smost
successfulcompanies.
“Weareusedinabout80percentof
theFortune500,”CEOGabrieleOttino
tellsBusinessCloud.“Weseetheproblem
asbeingmuchlargerandthatgives
enoughrunwayforbuildingabigbusiness
thatcanbeindependent,beabillion-
dollarbusiness,gopublic,andallofthe
dreamsthateveryentrepreneurhas.”
Thenow65-strongcompanybegan
lifein2007andsevenyearslaterwas
acquiredbySwissmediagiantTamedia.
Twoyearson,Ottinowouldmovefromits
newparentcompanytoDoodle,tasked
with formulating the growth strategy of
thecompanyanditsthen20-strongstaff.
“Wewanttobetheschedulingtoolsfor
thepoorsoulsinmiddle-management
whohavemyriadmeetingseveryweek
andarelefttotheirowndevicesto
schedulebecausetheycan’thavean
assistant,”hesays.
Doodleisnow
buildingandreadying
new products with
consideration for
the entire ‘meeting
lifecycle’.“It’snotonly
aboutscheduling,but
it’salsoaboutsitting
in the right meeting
with the right people
and getting a result,”
Ottinohints.
The CEO agrees
thatsolvingone
problemeffectivelyratherthantargeting
severalhasbeenkeytoitsrapidgrowth.
“IfyoulookatwhatGoogle,Microsoft
orAppleisdoing,they’retryingtosolve
anyproblemwiththesameintelligent
assistant,”hesays.“That’sahard
problem,butsoisscheduling.Byfocusing
onthatproblemwecanbuildsomething
reallyvaluable.”
HepointstoGrammarly,adedicated
spellingandgrammarchecker.
“Grammarlyshouldtotallybeafeature
builtintoGoogleorMicrosoft.They’ve
donethisintheirtexteditorsforages,but
Grammarlyhasanedgebyfocusingon
thelanguageandonstyle,”hesays.
WhenaskedifDoodleissimilarlyripe
foracquisitionbyatechgiant,Ottino
says:“Inthelongterm,youneverknow
whatwillhappen.”
Healsoacknowledgesthatsmartideas
whicharen’tacquiredaresometimes
stolen.“Ourbiggestadvantageisbeing
smallbuthavingabiguserbase,which
meanswecanmove
fast.Whentheycopy
our latest feature,
weneedtobe
workingonthenext
onealready.”Heis
now approaching its
millions of users as
adedicatedrevenue
stream.Currently
supportedby
advertising,Doodle’s
goalistobecome
subscription-based.
Ottinosaysthestaffwhohavebrought
Doodleintotheirbusinesses‘through
thebackdoor’areabeaconofthingsto
come.“Thephilosophyincompanieshas
changed.YearsagotheITdepartment
wouldblockyouandsay‘you’renot
allowedtousethis’.Todaythey’remuch
more aware that if a tool is useful and
peoplearebringingitintotheworkplace,
theymightaswellacceptitand,ifit’s
usefulenough,payforit.”
Ottinosaidthecompanyischiefly
interested in the US, where software as a
serviceiscommonplace.“Weseeahuge
opportunityintheUSbothinincreased
usageandmoresubscriptionsales.”
59
@BCLOUDUK
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
PRODUCTIVITY
Tech developed
by world-leading
academics could
grab a slice of a
market set to be
worth $22 billion
within three years.
That is the tantalising carrot dangling in
frontofUKstart-upMetaboardsasthe
mobilephoneindustrybracesitselfforthe
mass-adoptionofwirelesscharging.
TheOxfordUniversityspin-out’s
prototypeproductisbasedona
dynamic new area of science called
metamaterials – new types of materials
made up of compounds such as plastics
or metals that are arranged in ‘geometric
structures’thathavepropertiesnotfound
innature–andoffersamorepractical
charging solution than the chargers
currentlyonthemarket.
NedkoIvanov,whoasCEOengineered
the sale of audio and haptics company
THEFUTUREOF
WIRELESSCHARGING
Ground-breakingtechnologydevelopedatOxfordUniversitycouldsoonseeanynon-metal
surfacetransformedintoachargingportalthankstoaCEOwhoengineeredRedux’ssaleto
Google.JonathanSymcoxreports.
ReduxtoGoogleinAugust2017,
is hoping to persuade smartphone
manufacturerstoembracethenew
technology.
“We are addressing a challenge that
the wireless charging industry is facing:
toimprovetheuserexperience,”CEO
IvanovtellsBusinessCloud.“Onecharger
perdevicedoesn’tsolveanything.It’s
ridiculous.Itisalsolimitedbecausethey
needtobepreciselyaligned.Ifyouget
amessageandyourphonevibrates,it
mightstopcharging–andyouaren’t
awarethathashappened.
“Lookingatmydeskatthemoment
Ihavealaptop,aphoneandamonitor.
Otherpeoplemayhavesmartwatches,
earbudsorgamesconsoles.Iwantall
thesethingstobechargedseamlessly
–thatiswhatismissingforittobemass-
adopted.”
Qistandardchargers,seeninthelikes
ofAppleandSamsungphones,require
precisealignmentbetweeninternalcoils
insideboththechargerandthedevice.
Metaboards’tech,demonstratedrecently
atMobileWorldCongressinBarcelona,
isbasedontheAirFuelstandardandwill
chargedevicesplacedcasuallyupona
non-metalsurfacesuchasatable.
Metaboardsattracted$5millionof
investmentlastyearinaroundledby
scienceequityinvestorOxfordSciences
Innovation.Itsboardscanbeanysizeand
fittedunderneathworktops,tablesor
desks.Infutureitcouldbeincorporated
into furniture, should the company gain
tractioninthemarketplace.
SMALL COST
Ivanovhassignedacontractwithoneof
thebiggestsmartphonemanufacturers
toproduceaproof-of-conceptand
hopestogettwomoreonboardbythe
endoftheyear.“It’searlydays,butI
remaincautiouslyoptimistic,”hesays.
“Iftheyliketheimplementation,they
cantakealicencetoadoptitintotheir
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
60
CHARGING
JOININGTHE
ELECTRICCAR
REVOLUTION
JonathanSymcoxfindsthatEVs
areaviableandcost-effective
alternativetopetrol-guzzling
commutingvehicles.
portfolio and that will hopefully result in
someproductionordersfornextyear.All
whoevermakesthechargeddeviceneeds
todoistoputadual-modereceiverinside
whichcosts$2extra.Isthat$2aprice
worthpayingfortheuserexperience?
Thatisthequestionthemobilephone
companieshavetoanswer.Anditisone
consumerswillunderstand.
“AQichargercosts£25,buta
metamaterialsbasecouldactuallybea
lotcheaperbecausethematerialsare
printed on to PCBs as opposed to what
wehaveintheQichargers,wirecoils,
whicharevery,veryexpensive.”
Ivanovjoinedthecompanyin2018
following the appointment of Pete
Hutton-aformerpresidentofproduct
groupatchipmanufacturinggiantARM
-aschairman.“WhenIjoined,theteam
was coming out of academia and saying
theyhadthisthingworkinginthelab,
butaddedupitcost£4,000,whichis
completelynotviable,”hereveals.
“Andwhenyoucombinethingsthat
generatemagneticfieldsandputthem
closetoelectronics,quitealotof
unexpectedthingshappen!Overthe
last12monthswehavecomethrough
thatandbuiltprototypesthatlooklikea
productwhichcostlessthan£200.That
willcomedown–itisnotthefinalcost-
optimisedversion.
“Inacademiatheydevelopsomething
thatisinterestingandthenextquestion
theyneedtoanswerasabusinessis‘how
dowemakethisthingintoaproduct?
Howdowedevelopitsuniqueselling
pointforconsumerstobuyit?’The
challengeforusistobuildaproductthat
actuallysolvesasignificantproblem
whichpeoplearehappytopaymoneyfor.
Ibelievewearedoingthat.”
START-UP
Ivanov,alsoaformerCEOofPCsecurity
firmBullGuard,saysthathereceived
severaloffersfromcompaniesfollowing
thesaleofRedux–butMetaboards
stoodout.“Oneofthemwasfora
profitablebusinesswhichrequiredabit
ofrestructuring.Iwantedtogetinvolved
withsomethingwhereIdidn’thavetocut
costs,”hesays.“Theothercompanywas
growingbuthadmarketriskasopposed
toproductrisk:theyhadaproductand
itwasinthemarket,butIcouldnotsee
howitwouldscaleandremainaviable
business.
“WithMetaboards,ontheotherhand,
themarketwasthere,theproblem
wastheretobesolved–butithada
technologyrisk.That’swhatpeopledoin
techstart-ups,theysolvethisrisk...it’sa
loteasiertosolveatechnologyriskthana
marketrisk.”
Workingwithuniversityspin-outsisa
newexperienceforhim.“Whatgetsme
outofbedinamorningisgettinginvolved
withsomethingwhereIcanhavean
impact.That’swhatI’vebeendoingforI
don’tknowhowmanyyears,”hesays.
“Iwouldnotgetinvolvedinacompany
thatisjusttheretomaintainthestatus
quo.Imightaswellretire!
“Ihadthisvisionthatwecoulddeliver
something that ultimately can change
people’slives.
“Yougoonajourney,tryyourbestand
if the technology does not get adopted,
noharmdone.
“Butit’simportanttohaveavisionand
tryandmakeanimpact.”
Metaboards CEO Nedko Ivanov.
I’vethoughtaboutgettinganelectric
carforayearnowandfinallytookthe
plungelastweek.
Withmyhatchbackwingingitsway
tothegreatscrapyardinthesky,I
wasfacedwithastarkchoice:join
theelectricrevolutionorconsign
myselftoanotherfiveyearsofpetrol-
poweredcommuting.Whilethe‘Zero
Emission’statusisamassiveplusfor
megiventhepotentialcatastrophe
awaiting our planet, in all honesty it
wasn’tmyprimarymotivation.
Itmainlycamedowntocost.My
weeklycommutehascostmeupto
£300amonthinpetrol,whereasmy
Nissan Leaf should only come out at
50quid,ifthe£2-3achargeclaimis
correct.Itcostsmethesametorun
the Leaf for a month as it did my old
Chevroletforbarelyaweek.
The down side is the range is only
84miles,farlowerthanthenewer
models.I’vegot20-oddmileslefton
thebatterywhenIgethome,soas
longasIremembertoplugitin,that’s
justaboutenough.
Trafficonthejourneyhomefrom
Manchester is always a nightmare,
butthatactuallyworksinthecar’s
favour.Regenerativebrakingputs
energybackintothebatteryinthose
annoyingstop-startsituations,
meaningyoucanmakeitformiles
acrosstownwhilebarelydrainingit.
So far, so good – at least until my
wifepointedoutthatIwon’tmakeit
toBarnsleyandbackwhenthefootball
seasonstarts!
@BCLOUDUK
TRANSPORT
goonlineandgetthefinanceinplace
beforevisitingthedealership.Atleast53
per cent of applications to the site are
approvedwithin30secondstoaminute,
aresultofthefirm’sinvestmentintech.
“80percentofourapplicationstodayare
generatedonmobilephones,”explains
Reg,whorecruitedtechheavyweight
RyanBryersasCIOandCTOearlierthis
year.“Onceyourapplicationhasbeen
approvedyouareassigned
anaccountmanager.
They’llengagewithyou
andmaketheprocess
offindingacaraseasy
aspossible.Inthevast
majorityofoccasions
thedealershipisjustthe
collectionpointforthecar.
We’vedonealltheheavy
lifting.”
Car Finance 247 has
around 150,000 used
carslistedonitswebsite.
Aroundsixmillionpeople
accessitswebsiteayear.
Thebrothershavehadnoshortageof
offersofinvestmentbutturnedthem
down.“We’relookingtogrowourmarket
share,”saysReg.“Wehave4-5percent
andwewanttodoubleinsizeinthenext
sixyears.There’ssomuchgrowthinthe
UKwedon’twanttotakeoureyeoffthe
ball.”
AstheinterviewdrawstoacloseIhit
Regwiththekillerquestion.“Whatwould
yousayifIofferedtobuyyourbusiness?”
Iask.
“I’dsay‘I’mokaythanks’,”ishisreply.
RegRixishisownman.
financemarket,itgivescustomers
accesstoapanelofapprovedtrusted
lendersandarangeoffinancialproducts.
Thebusinesshasalotofsimilaritiesto
anotherNorthWest-basedfirm,Zuto,
which was originally called Car Loan
4Uwhenitwaslaunchedin2006by
entrepreneursJamesWilkinsonand
RyanDignan.Thepairworkedwiththe
Rixbrothersbeforegoingtheirseparate
ways and setting up
CarLoan4U.Iget
the impression there
aresomeunresolved
issues with what
happenedbutReg
deflectsmyquestions
withastraightbat.
“Jameswasmymate,”
explainsReg.“Hewas
a couple of years older
thanmebutwewent
to the same secondary
school.”
TOP TEAM
Reg,36,andLouis,34,areagood
teameveniftheydon’tsupportthe
samefootballclub,withLouisbacking
ManchesterUnitedandRegsupporting
arch-rivalsLiverpool.Registhe
‘visionary’whileLouisisthe‘integrator’
whopullsthingstogetheroperationally.
“Webothwantthebestforthe
business,”saysReg.“There’savery
strongbond.It’sbeensteady,sustained,
organicgrowthandallwe’vedoneis
reinvesttheprofits.Allourwealthis
wrappedupinthebusiness.”
The appeal for customers is they
WHO IS
REGRIXIII?
RegRixistheco-founder
offast-growingCarFinance
247andoneoftheUK’s
brightestentrepreneurs.
ChrisMaguiremethim.
Reg Rix might
share the name
of his father and
his father before
him – but he is his
own man.
Theco-founderofManchester-based
CarFinance 247 left school at 16, founded
hisfirstcompanyat17andwentinto
businesswithhisyoungerbrotherLouis
afterrecognisingagapinthemarketfor
peopletryingtoobtaincarfinance.
Inthelastsixyearstheworkforceat
CarFinance 247 has soared from ten to
500;turnoveris£50mwitha20percent
profitmargin;andthere’sabusinessplan
todoubleinsizeby2025.Thisyearthe
companyisexpectingtooriginatemore
than£500mworthofloans.
Regispolite,focusedandeconomical
withhiswords.Hisfatherruns
Warrington-baseddealershipRixMotor
Company.Reg’syoungerbrothers
CharlesandHenrybothworkintheir
father’sbusinesswhiletheironlysister
Henriettaistheco-founderofLondon
fashionbrandRixo.Asachildgrowingup
Regwasanationalsprintingchampion
andatalentedfootballer,representing
RochdaleandSheffieldUnitedatjunior
level.Hisdreamsofbecomingafootballer
didn’tmaterialisebuthelaunchedan
onlinecarsearchbusinesscalledNetcars,
whichwaslaterboughtbytheRAC.
Theexperiencelaidthegroundwork
forRegandhisyoungerbrotherLouis
tolaunchCarFinance247in2006.A
brokeringservicewithintheonlinecar
FINTECH
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
62
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
A group of education and training
specialists operating throughout
England
www.ptegroup.co.uk | 0151 433 6100 | info@ptegroup.co.uk
Our mission is to
create long term
value to our clients,
shareholders and
the communities
we serve.
64
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
Almost everyone
reading this will
have come across
the Encyclopedia
Britannica at some
point in their life.
Volumesofthegrandoldpublication
werelinedupontheshelvesofmyschool
library,offeringupdetailedinformationon
anythingfromanimalstozombies.
InaneradominatedbyWikipedia,its
finalphysicaleditionrolledofftheprinting
pressesbackin2010.Howeverthatwas
nottheendofthestory–andit’sagood
job,too.
TheEncyclopediaBritannicacelebrated
its250thbirthdaylastyearandhas
embraceditsfullydigitalstatus.The
Britannicawebsiteisnowpresentin83
countries in more than 15 languages and
reaches150millionstudentsayear.Ithas
amassedfivebillionpageviewsacross
devices.
It is a welcome antidote in a culture
wherethedefaultresponsetoarequest
forknowledgeis‘I’llGoogleit’.
“Anyuser-generatedcontentsitehas
thechallengeofitcanberighttoday,it
canbewrongtomorrow,”globalCEO
KarthikKrishnantellsBusinessCloud.
“Thequestionthatpeoplehavetoask
themselvesis‘areweokaylivingina
world, especially with children, that you
present them this information, they learn
CAN YOU
TRUST
WIKIPEDIA?
The Encyclopedia Britannica has
gonefullydigitalandcelebrated
its250thbirthday.HayleySewell
reportsonitsmissiontofightagainst
misinformationandfakenews.
somethingandwalkaway?’
“Ontheinternetyou’reapublisher,
I’mapublisher,thepersononthestreet
isapublisher.Wehavetoeducateour
children on how to consume information
andhowtobescepticalofitaswell.We
need to prepare young people for 21st
Centurylife.”
WIKIPEDIA
Referencebookshavebeenreplacedby
convenientsourcesof‘information’such
asWikipedia,whichwasfoundedasan
onlineencyclopediabyJimmyWalesand
LarrySangerbutbasedonamodelwhere
anyonecaneditthecontent.Despite
thepresenceofeditorswhocancheck
theedits,itisdifficultforthefree-to-use
platform – which relies on donations to
function–tokeepontopofthemassive
numberofWikipediapagesavailable.
TherearealmostsixmillionintheEnglish
languagealone;KrishnansaysWikipedia
isbannedinhischildren’sschooldueto
thehigh-levelofuser-generatedcontent
thatcouldbewrong.
BritannicahasevenbuiltaGoogle
Chromebrowserextensionwhich
elevatesitscontentabovethatof
Wikipediawhenuserssearchfora
subject.“Werealisethatconsumer
behaviourishardtochangeandthat
peoplealwaysstarttheirjourneywith
searchorsocial,”saysKrishnan.
“Howdoweinsertourselvesin
meaningfulwaystogivepeoplethe
informationtheyarelookingfor?Weare
aknowledgecompanyandourgoalisto
inspirecuriosityandthejoyoflearning,
no matter which medium you choose to
engagewith.
“On social Britannica has launched
Demystified,whichisanotherwayforus
toanswercommonquestionsthatare
floatingaroundinthesocialuniverse.So
questionslike‘whyismarijuanaillegalin
theUS?Whatwouldhappenifallthebees
died?Doeslisteningtomusicwhenyou’re
pregnantreallyhaveanimpactonthe
child?’Ourgoalistoinsertourselvesand
elevatetheseconversations.”
HefeelstheviewofBritannicais
changing.Whilstyearsagoitwouldhave
beenseenasaplacetofindadefinition,
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
FAKE NEWS
Britannica’s global CEO
Karthik Krishnan.
65
@BCLOUDUK
Encyclopaedia
Britannica in
times past.
itnowaimstocreateabasefor‘human
knowledgetobedocumentedand
trackedsothatpeoplecanbuildonitto
generatenewknowledge’.
INSPIRE AND ENGAGE
“Wewanttoinspireandengagepeople.
Wegivethemaframeworkonhow
tonavigatesomeofthesetopicsas
opposed to spending time aimlessly on
thewebtryingtogothroughfiveor20
differentlinkstostitchallthesethings
together,”heexplains.“SoBritannica
notonlygivesyoutrustedembedded
information,wegiveyouanamazing
learningframeworktounderstandthe
topicinitsentirety.Howdoyouelevate
thecontextsothatpeopleknowand
walkawaywithbetterinformationand
an understanding and appreciation of
multiple factors that go into the topic?”
Therapidriseofvoiceassistantscould
provedangerous,Krishnanbelieves,as
peopleusingthemtoaccessGoogle
willtypicallyonlyreceiveoneansweras
opposedtoviewingmultiplelinks.“It
makesthestakesevenhigher,”hesays.
“Howdoyouproviderelevant
information that is right? And how do you
helppeoplesavetimebecausethatisone
ofthethingsthatpeoplearelookingfor
today:conveniencetrumpseverything.”
Heading into the future, Krishnan
believesthat“trustisthenewalgorithm”.
“Therearefewbrandsthathavethe
pedigree that Britannica has and also
the commitment and consistency of
humanknowledgeithasshownfor
thelast250years.Welookforwardto
preventingtheworldfromgettingintoa
holeofknowledgedilutionwhichcanbe
pretty detrimental and put us into the
digitaldarkages,whichisnotsomething
weneedtosee.Wearetryingtofight
misinformation and ensure people can
haveaccesstoqualityinformationfroma
validandverifiedsourcethattheytrust.
We want to inspire curiosity and instil the
joyoflearninganddeliveronthatpromise
oflearnmore,besure.
“WeneedbrandslikeBritannica,likethe
BBC,liketheGuardian,allthesedifferent
journalistormediaorganisationsthatlive
toacertaincoreofethicsofjournalismto
fightthisfight.
“Idon’tthinkthere’soneorganisation
onthisplanetthatcantakeonthis
massivemisinformation,andIthinkit’s
goingtotakeanarmyofpeople.We
wouldliketoplayourpart.”
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
FAKE NEWS
EDTECH
EXPLAINED
Friday 6th September 2019
Hear from the
disrupters shaking up
the education sector
businesscloud.co.uk/events
UKFastCampus,Manchester,M155QJ
It’s scary to think
that half of all
women have
experienced some
form of sexual
harassment.
One entrepreneur determined to do
somethingaboutitisGemmaMcCall,who
founded Culture Shift with Carl Sadd and
StuartBradleytosupportvictimsofall
kindsofharassmentintheworkplaceand
studentenvironment.
Theformerbusinessdevelopment
managerandsalesexecutivewasmoved
toactafterfacingbarriersherselfinthe
workplace.Sheworriesthatheryoung
daughterwillalsofeelheldbackifthe
futureworkingenvironmentdoesnot
ENDINGTHESCOURGE
OFHARASSMENT
Harassmentinuniversitiesandtheworkplaceisseverelyunderreportedbutpeopleareincreasinglywillingtocallit
outfollowingthe#MeToomovement.CultureShiftMDGemmaMcCallexplainstoHayleySewellhowtechnology
cansupportandempowervictims.
changesubstantially.
“Thoseexperiencesunleashedmy
innerfeminist.Iamreallyproudof
it and not afraid to say it,” she tells
BusinessCloud.“I’vegotadaughterand
Ineverwanthertohavetoexperience
anythingthatI’veexperiencedorbe
heldbackinanywayjustbecauseshe’s
agirl.Atthemomentshe’ssevenandon
differentdaysyouaskherdifferentthings
andshewantstobethosedifferent
things.
“Whatevershechoosestodo,Iwant
hertobeabletodothat.Idon’teverwant
hertothink‘I’mnotgoingtogointothat
becauseit’sgoingtobehardforme’.”
CultureShift’sonlinetoolReport+
Supporthasnowbeenlicensedbynearly
50universitiesacrossthecountryand
allowsvictimstomakeananonymousor
namedreportaboutanyincidentsthat
havetakenplace.Amoresecuremethod
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
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BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
ofsendingsensitiveandconfidential
information than email, this is then
fedbacktoacentralsourceatthe
establishmentwhichwilltheneithertake
actionoroffersupport.
INSPIRE AND ENGAGE
MDMcCallbelievesnotenoughisdone
tosupportvictimsorhelpthemcome
forward, meaning many incidents go
unreported.“Inlightofthe#MeToo
movementpeoplearestartingtohave
thecouragetosaywhat’snotacceptable
anymore,andthat’sreallypositive
changebecausewomenshouldn’thaveto
cometoworkandjustacceptthingsthe
waytheyare–ifthey’reuncomfortable
withbehaviourtheyshouldcallitout.
Butforeveryoneofthem,theremight
beanothertenthathaven’tfoundtheir
voiceyet…there’ssomuchmoretodo.
“Oneofmybiggestfearswith#MeToo
wasitwasjustamomentintime[where]
peopleweresharingtheirstories.Idon’t
wantittobeeasilyforgotten.We’ve
gottodosomethingaboutthatand
respondtoitandgivesurvivorsofsexual
harassmentandbullyingavoice.
“Thesamegoesforracistbehaviour
andmicroaggressions–lower-level
thingsthatpeoplesayandgetawaywith.
Thatshouldn’tbethecase.”
Thereisaparticularissuewithsexual
violenceandharassmentoffemale
studentsinuniversities,ashighlighted
bytheNationalUnionofStudents’2010
HiddenMarksreport.
“Staffatuniversitiesareusingtheir
positionofpowertohaveaffairswith
students,”McCallsays.“There’salso
abigissuewithstalking.Areportfrom
UniversitiesUK(ChangingtheCulture,
2016)foundthatthehandlingofhate
crimeandsexualviolenceatuniversities
isbeingcompletelymishandled.”
Theproblemsstudentsfacerangefrom
rapeto‘grabbing’inclubs,saysMcCall.
“Atuniversitypeoplearelivingawayfrom
homeforthefirsttimesothey’vegot
thatfreedom–whichisliberating–and
then, depending on what happens and
theirreferencepointsofwhatisandisn’t
acceptablebehaviour,everyonecomes
togetherandmixesitallupwithalcohol
anddrugs.Itmakesforauniquesituation
thatoftenendsupbeingquitedangerous.
“It’snotjustwomenthatareaffected:
we’reseeinganincreaseinthereporting
ofsexualviolencetowardsmenandalso
anyone under the special categories of
hatecrimeandbullying.Wedefinitely
want to empower men as well as women
toreport.”
Culture Shift also acts as an online
home for campaign information within
universities.“AttheUniversityof
Manchesterit’scalledthe‘SpeakUp!
Standup!’campaign.Itfocuseson
differenttypesofharassmentandabuse
thatpeoplecanexperience.There’svideo
contentaswell,”saysMcCall.
Report+Supportoffersasupport
section in which there are information
sheetsondifferentformsofabusefor
victimstofindinformationandhelplines.
Thecompany’snextstepistorollthe
platformouttoworkingenvironments.
“Harassmentintheworkplaceisvery
interestingbecausetherearethingsthat
havebeenacceptedforareallylongtime,
sotheyarenowseenas‘thewayitis’,”
saysMcCall.“Inaworkplaceenvironment
oftenyouhearthemsay‘wehaven’thad
anyreportssoweobviouslydon’thave
aproblem’.That’sasimpleviewofit
becauseifyou’vegotanorganisationof
acertainsize,it’sdefinitelyhappening,
becausestatisticallyit’shappening,but
noonehasbeenableorempoweredor
hastheabilitytotellyouaboutit.”
McCallsaidherco-foundersareequally
passionateaboutthemovementand
thatbeingparents–allthreehaveagirl
andaboy–hasstrengthenedtheirviews.
TheStockportcompanyisnowseeking
investmenttogrowitsteamofseven
and push products out faster to more
organisations.
McCall, who is originally from
Hertfordshire,believesthatnew
technologiessuchasblockchainand
artificialintelligencecouldplayacrucial
roleintacklingharassmentinthefuture,
butthereareproblemswiththemfor
now.Citingtheexampleofachatbotshe
tested which was more interested in a
descriptionofthedeskthanthefictional
sexualharassmentincidentshewas
communicating, she said: “I really want
toexpandourdevelopmentteamand
innovatewiththeproduct.There’sloads
of things out there at the moment that
arebeingdevelopedornewtechnologies
that we could potentially incorporate,
forexampleblockchainandartificial
intelligence.
“Thereareproblemswiththese
technologiesatthemoment.Ithink
thatkindofthingcouldbehelpful,but
noneofitisareplacementforface-to-
facecounselling.It’sjustanotherwayof
accessinghelp.
“We’relookingtoattractinvestment
from people who are interested in tech
for good so that we could do more,
quickly,withthatinnovation.
“Atthemomentwe’reasmallteamand
there’sonlysomuchthatwecando.I’m
lookingforpeoplewhoareengagedand
excitedbythemissionandwanttojoin
us.”
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
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GADGET GAVIN
The previous edition of
BusinessCloud carried a
feature entitled ‘Is your
child safe online?’ which
struck a chord with me.
My eldest daughter
is now nine – and the
all-important½–and
weseemtohavejust
reached the tipping
point where lots of
her friends are getting
smartphones.
This is not a trend we
intend to follow, at least until
shegoestohighschool.However
shedoeshaveaniPadandChromebook,
andgrabsmineormywife’sphonesquite
regularly.
So what are the practical things you can do
tomaximisethesafetyofyourchildren?
Foryoungerkids,Iwouldcategorisethe
dangersintotwosimplifiedbuckets:content
andcreeps.
There are two places you can and should
putsomecontrolin–thedeviceandthe
network.IfyoursisanApplehouselikeus
thensetupyourkidswiththeirownApple
IDandtheywillbecomeapartofyourfamily,
usingtheirIDtosignintoanydevicesthey
own.Youcanthengotothesettingsonyour
owndevice,clickon
screen time and see
theirnameappear.
Clickingon
thembrings
up an array of
options including content restrictions,
thedisablingofmultiplayergames
andtakingawaytheability
toaddfriends.Youcanalso
restrict the amount and
times of use of all apps,
orspecificones.Google
has a similar approach for
Androiddeviceswhichis
calledFamilyLink.Youcan
download the app and set
up your family then install it
onanyAndroiddevicesthey
have.Ifyourchildhasoneofthe
increasinglypopularChromebooks
forschool,youcanalsouseFamilyLink
toexertsomecontroloverthatdevice.Ifyour
child is using the email address on your family
account to sign into Chrome then content
restrictionssetbyyouwillbeapplied.
Thesearequickfixesyoucanapplyatthe
devicelevel,butit’sworthtakingitupto
networklevelforextrapeaceofmind–andin
casetheyareonadevicethatisn’ttheirownor
doesn’thaveanyrestrictions.
Youcankilltwobirdswithonestonehere
andwinsomebrowniepointswiththekidsby
puttinginGoogleWifiaccesspoints,which
areacoolwayofextendingthesignaland
alsoimprovingspeedsaroundthehouse.
Theaddedbenefitisthatinsidetheappyou
canchooseindividualdevices,oncethey’ve
beenseenonthenetwork,andseeoptions
verysimilartothedevicearoundcontent
restrictionsandtimesofuse.
There’salsoacoolfeaturefortraffic
prioritisation so, if your eldest needs
togetanassignmentfinishedand
theyoungestissuckingup
bandwidthwithYouTubeKids,
youcanensuretrafficisused
appropriately.
Ifyouhappentohave
amazingWi-Ficoverageand
don’twanttoinvestinnewpoints
thenDisneyCircle(pictured
above)isagreatoption.It’s
anice-lookingboxthatplugs
intoanexistingnetworkandgives
youthesamecontrolsasGoogleWifi
acrossdevicesbutusingyourexisting
infrastructure.
Noneofthisisasubstituteforthe
educationandawarenessweshouldallbe
providing,andwhichshouldalsobedelivered
moreinschools–butitwillgivealittleextra
peaceofmind.
Self-confessed geek
Gavin Wheeldon is
going through the
tech conundrum
faced by all parents
– and isn’t ready to
give his nine-year-
old a phone just yet.
Practical steps for keeping
children safe online
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
THE PILLARS YOU NEED TO
SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS
Tech Manchester is a non-profit
organisation that works with hundreds
of local tech startups to deliver support
across four pillars:
Education: Attend our business skills
workshop series #techclassmcr
Support: Access a 12-month community-led
structured mentoring programme
Workspace: Apply for space at UKFast’s new
FastForward co-working incubator
Events: Attend ‘Meet the Mentor’ speed
dating, mentor training and workshops
Visit techmanchester.co.uk/events for
details, including the 2019 #techclassmcr
speaker line-up and topics.
@tecmcr
0161 215 3787
techmanchester.co.uk
Co-work space UKFast Campus
Register your interest
techmanchester.co.uk/register
INCUBATOR
FASTFORWARD TECH
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challenges that keep
entrepreneurs awake at night
OPENING 2019
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Experts in the
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BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
‘Everyone
has each
other’s
back’
TheNorth’stechsectorisafriendlyplaceforstart-upfounderskeentocollaborateandsharetheirentrepreneurial
journey.ThatwastheviewofLondon-basedrecruitmentplatformTempo,whichhasexpendedintoManchester,
atBusinessCloud’s‘BestofNorthWestTech’breakfastevent.HayleySewellreports.
Starting out on an
entrepreneurial
journey can be a
daunting prospect
and every bit of
help counts.
Thisiswhystart-upfounderstendto
congregateingroupswhicharekeen
toshareexperiencesandexpertise
amongthemselves.Howeverthespirit
ofcommunitymaybestrongerinsome
partsoftheUKthanothers.
BenChatfieldistheco-founder
ofLondon-baseddisruptivetech
recruitmentplatformTempo.Oneof125
peopletoattendBusinessCloud’sBest
ofNorthWestTechbreakfastevent,
sponsoredbySiliconValleyBankand
lawfirmBermansandheldattheUKFast
Campus in Manchester, he says it was a
natural decision for his company to open
aManchesteroffice.
“We saw Manchester as a natural
nextstepasathrivingdigitalandtech
community,”heexplains.“There’sareal
sense of community in the Manchester
marketwhichIthinkishardtogettoin
London.
“IthinkLondonfeelsincredibly
competitiveandpeoplesaytheywillhelp
eachotheroutandthenitdoesn’thappen
–butinManchesteritreallydoesfeellike
everyone’sgoteachother’sback.”
Theeventfollowedpublicationof
our North West 251 Tech list, which
showcasedsomeofthebestdigitalfirms
acrossManchester,Liverpool,Cumbria,
LancashireandCheshire.
AlthoughLondon’stechindustryis
undoubtedlybiggerthantheregions,it
can seem more insular than other areas
oftheUK.TheideathattheNorth’stech
sectorisfriendlierandmorecollaborative
than its counterpart in the capital was
alsoairedbyNickBlack,co-founderand
directorofmobiledeveloperApadmi.
Hesaysthere’sa‘differentwayoflife’
tobusinessintheNorthcomparedtothe
South.“Idoknowsomepeoplewhoare
lookingtocashintheir£1millionLondon
flattomovehereandbuyamansion,”he
jokes.“Thereisdefinitelythisfriendliness
in the North that you might not get down
South.Businessesshouldhelpeach
other,worktogetherandthereisthis
community feeling in the North West and
Iseebusinesseshelpingeachotherin
Manchester.”
VIBRANT
DawnEmbry,headofstrategyand
planningatCheshire-basedMobica,
says the North West and UK is playing to
itsstrengths.“TheUKhasaverygood
vibranttechnologysector,”sheexplains.
“Wehavealotofbignamescomingto
theUKandtheNorthWest.Iguessthe
differenceisthatwealwayshaveabit
ofBritishnessaboutus,sothere’sa
certain character that comes to our tech
communitywhichisverylovely.
BUSINESSCLOU EDITION13,
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BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
“Ithinkthere’sarealsenseof
community, a sense of connecting and
organisationslinking.Also,overthelast
fewyears,we’veseenamodernisationof
thosegeographies,we’veseenlessofthe
‘UKtechsector’or‘Francetechsector’
butmoreofan‘automatedtechsector’
whichmaycrossfourorfivedifferent
borders.”
SheaddsthatMobica’spresencein
Europemeansitisbetterprotected
againsttheuncertaintyofBrexitthan
manyfirms.
RyanBryers,CTOandCIO
atManchester-basedFinTech
CarFinance247,agreesthattheUK’s
unclear future relationship with the
EuropeanUnioniscausingproblems.
“Brexitiscausingcustomeruncertainty.
People are not sure whether they should
buyrightnow,especiallyinthenewcar
market,”hesays.“Thegoodthingforus
iswe’reontheusedcarsideandthere’s
abouttwomillionnewcarssoldeachyear
againsteightmillionusedcars.”
SKILLS GAP
MarketingdirectorofUKFastKristina
McGuirkispassionateabouttheneedto
bridgetheskillsgap.Shesaystechnology
careersarenotexploredenoughthrough
thelastyearsofastudent’sschoollife.
“Oneofourapproachesisinvestment
ineducation.We’rereallytryingtofocus
onbridgingtheskillsgapandmakingsure
we’reencouraging,notonlyfemales,but
youthintothetechenvironment,”she
says.“Ithinkwe’retryingtochangethe
perceptionofthetechindustryaswell.
Weworkwithsmallkids,wegivethema
tourandshowthemwhatit’sliketowork
withinatechenvironment,whichgets
themreallyexcited.
“One thing we found was when we do
thesetours,they’veallgottheseamazing
ideas of apps they want to do, and then
somethingseemstohappenbetween
13and18whentheystartmakingcareer
choices: they seem to shift in direction
intermsofwhattheywanttodo.We’re
investinginapprenticeshipstobesure
that we are creating choices for young
peopleandshowingthatthere’sa
differentoptiontogoingtocollegeor
university.”
UKFast’sfoundersrecentlydonated
£5mintoanewlycreatedcharitabletrust
togiveahelpinghandtodisadvantaged
youngpeoplebyprovidingeducation,
traininganddevelopmentopportunities,
particularlywithinGreaterManchester.
Thefirmhaspartnershipswithmore
than 60 schools and colleges and reaches
60,000youngpeopleacrossGreater
Manchester, while its education team
runsmorethan500eventseachyear.
McGuirkalsotoldtheaudience
howparentsreturningtoworkneed
support to prioritise their families while
continuingtheircareer.“Thesecondpart
of our approach is geared towards tech
returners,”sheadds.“Ifyou’reamum
ordadandyou’vegoneawayforawhile,
techevolvessoquicklyandit’sabout
supportingthembackintotheindustry
andcreatinganenvironmentthat
supportsyoungfamilies.Peopledon’ttalk
aboutthatmuch.Wehaveourcrècheand
flexiblehours–itenablespeopletojoin
theindustry.”
AndyKent,CEOofLiverpool-based
AngelSolutions,highlightstheproblem
ofwageinflation.“We’velostpeopleto
biggerbrandsbecausetheypay£20,000
ontopofanormalsalary,”hesays.“We
can’tcompetewiththatandIwonder
howmanysmallbusinesseshavebeen
in Manchester trying to recruit people
whereyou’vegotyourlargercompanies
who are desperate to recruit and can
affordtopaythat.”
GENDER
Aquestionaskedofsomepanelmembers
waswhetherbeingawomanhad
impactedontheircareer.ChloeBarrett,
CEOandco-founderofDigidentistry,
sharesherexperienceofbeingasked
inappropriatequestionsduring
investmentpitches.
“Ihavebeenaskedinappropriate
questionsbyinvestorsbeforebutI’ve
beenaskedthesebymenandwomen,”
sherecalls.“Weneedtoberolemodels
andleadthewayandhavethecourageto
standup.Iwasasked‘whenareyougoing
tohavechildren?’
“Thatdidmakemeopenmyeyesand
thinkaboutwhoIwantinvolvedinthe
company.Itquestionstheirintentions
withyourabilityandwhatyoucanbringto
thetableasawoman.”
TheeventwassponsoredbySilicon
ValleyBankandruninassociationwith
HarperJames.
OtherspeakersincludedMartinCutbill,
Alertacall;SonyaIovieno,SiliconValley
Bank;ZoeRoss,MindMoose;andChris
Haralambous,Laduma.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION13,2019
REGIONS
Silicon Valley Bank is authorised and regulated by the California Department of Business Oversight and the United States Federal Reserve Bank; authorised by
the Prudential Regulation Authority with number 577295; and subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential
Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of our regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority are available from us on request.
Find out how we could help
rfaulkner@svb.com +44 7810 055819 svb.com/uk
We believe
in believers.
At Silicon Valley Bank, we work with some of the brightest
minds in the innovation economy – in the UK and beyond.
We’ll help you build your business at every stage.
Erin Platts, Head of Relationship Banking, Europe at
Silicon Valley Bank’s UK Branch, talking to client Philippe
Chainieux, CEO of Made.com at his London showroom
The£40millionNexusinnovationhubattheUniversityofLeedsismodellingitsvisionfor
connectingbusinessandacademiaontheworld-renownedMassachusettsInstituteof
TechnologyinBoston.JonathanSymcoxspeakswithdirectorDrMartinStow.
When it comes
to spinning out
cutting-edge
technology
companies, MIT
in Boston is king.
The Massachusetts Institute of
Technologyisviewedasanincubator
forthedigitalage.Alumnihavefounded
firmsincludingHubSpot,whileithas
birthedseveralhundredcompaniesinthe
last20years.
Onefigurewhohasbeenpaying
attentionisDrMartinStow.Directorof
theUniversityofLeeds’new£40million
Nexusinnovationhub,atrailblazing
facilitywhichseekstoconnectstart-
upsandSMEstotheuniversity,hesays
Nexuscanbecomethe‘MIToftheUK’.
“Thevisiongoesfarbeyondthebuilding.
It’saboutmakingiteasyforbusinesses
toconnecttotheUniversityofLeeds:to
accessknowledge,experience,facilities,
equipment,skillsandtalent,”hetells
BusinessCloud.“Thevisionistobecome
thebenchmarkasbeingtheUKuniversity
whichcanworkreallyeffectivelywith
businesses–inthesamewayasMITin
Bostonisknownforthat.Iwouldloveto
getthatreputation.Ithinkwe’vegotall
theelementstodrivetowardsthat.”
DrStowhasledstart-upbusinesses
and also spent 17 years at multinational
Johnson&Johnson,whereheledglobal
teamsincludingR&D.Hebelieveshis
uniquemixofexperienceenableshimto
understandboththecorporateandstart-
upmentalities.
“Theotherpartofmyvisionis
webecomeproactiveandapproach
companiesandsectorsbecausewehave
solutionsforthem,”heexplains.“Atthe
momentpeoplearecomingtous,butif
weweretoactivelygooutandmarket
ourselves,thatwouldreallydifferentiate
Leedsandputitonthemap.”
Nexus,whichboastsoffice,laband
exhibitionspace,collaborationareas
and meeting rooms, employs a team of
relationship managers with deep and
practicalsectorexperience.Ithasspace
for65-70businessesandis50percent
occupied.Itislookingforfast-growth
orhigh-potentialbusinessesthatcould
feedintotheuniversity’sparticularareas
ofexpertise:HealthTech,engineering,
environmentandclimate,anddataand
analytics.
DrStowisalsoseeinga“biginflux”
ofdigitalcreativecompaniesfollowing
Channel4’sdecisiontorelocateitsHQ
to the city, in much the same way that
theBBC’smovetoMediaCityUKramped
upthecreativeindustryinSalfordand
nearbyManchester.“Sincewe’vebeen
upandrunningwe’vehadover300
newenquiriescomeintotheuniversity
throughNexus.It’saportal,”saysDr
Stow.“Wecouldhavefilledthespace
severaltimesover[butwewanttobe
selective].
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
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BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
“Weaskthemnotonlywhatcanthey
gainfrombeingpartofourcommunity,
butwhatcantheygivebacktoit?”
TheUniversityofLeedshasaproven
trackrecordofcommercialisation,
creatingover110companiesinthelast
20years,sixofwhichareAIMmarket-
listedwithacombinedvalueinexcessof
£500m.Onespin-outwhichis‘coming
home’istransportationsoftware
companyTracsis,whichhasspentover15
years’developingtechnologicalexpertise
attheLeedsInnovationCentre.
“Tracsiswaskeentore-establishand
strengthenitslinkswiththeuniversity
andNexusisagreatwayofdoingthat,”
saysDrStow.“Itisverymuchananchor
tenantforus.”
Brain-trackingstart-upThoughtBeanie
has relocated from Bristol while other
companieshavemovedtoNexusfrom
theSouthofEngland.“Iwasalsospeaking
to someone recently from Boston, a
medical diagnostic company interested
insettingupabaseofaccesstotheUK
marketandNHS.Theyaretalkingabout
usingNexustodothat,”revealsDrStow
(picturedbelow,secondfromright).
REGIONS
SAVINGTHE
WORLD’S
WATERWITHAI
KrystianZajachasalwayshadapassion
forstoppingbadthingsfromhappeningto
people.Nowheistacklingoneoftheworld’s
mostpressingproblems.HayleySewell
reports.
If you’ve ever
suffered a flood
in your home,
you know how
devastating it
can be.
But the damage may not end with your
furniture,flooringandphotographs:
accumulated water lost in this way could
provecatastrophicfortheenvironment.
KrystianZajachasalwayshadapassion
forsolvingpeople’sproblemsandnoticed
agapinthemarketforprotectinghomes
againstleakingpipes.“Anyonewhohas
sufferedwithaleakwilltellyouthatitcan
feelliketheendoftheworld,”hetells
BusinessCloud.“Theycandamagethings
thatareirreplaceable:documents,artor
evenoldphotographs.Manyofmyfamily
andfriendshavesufferedfromthem
soitisclosetomyheart.Iwitnesseda
ceilingfallingdownatmyparents’
flatrecentlyastheneighbour
upstairshadaleakandhe
refusedtoadmitit.”
Zajac’sentrepreneurial
careerbeganwhenhe
movedtotheUKfrom
Polandin2001.“Because
Ididn’tknowthelanguage
well enough I had to start
atthebottomofthefoodchain,
washing dishes in restaurants and
cookingincoffeeshops,”herecalls.“Very
quickly,withinacoupleofyears,Isetup
myownITconsultancybusinessin2003.”
Thatbusiness,AndrewLucas
London,grewquicklybeforeacustomer
approachedhimin2007andaskedhim
toinstallsatellitedishes.Zajacfound
his calling in the home tech sector
andcreatedaseparatedivisiontothe
business,CEDIA,whichspecialisedin
smarthomes.“In2010Icameacrossa
multi-billionairecustomerwithabout15
multi-millionpoundpropertiesallover
theworld,”hesays.“Hehiredustoinstall
bigboygadgetsintohishomes.Irealised
thatthiswasaverynicelifestylebusiness
forme,butnotscalable-howmany
multi-billionaireshaveyougot?”
BIG PROBLEM
He realised there was
an area in home
insurance ready
for disruption and
beganlooking
intofloodclaims.
“Waterescape-
related incidents
claim£2.5milliona
day,”heexplains.“I
put together a small team
of people and we started
thinkingaboutaproductthat
couldstoptheseleaksfrom
happening.Manypeopleinthe
UKdon’trealisethatby2025,two
thirdsoftheglobalpopulationwill
sufferwithwaterscarcity.
“Thisisabigsubjectthatisbeingswept
under the carpet; not many people are
talkingaboutwaterbecauseitseemsso
obviousthatwehaveaccesstoit.”
TheteamathiscompanyHeroLabs
createdaprototypeforSonic,anartificial
intelligence-basedleakdetector,in2015
butparkedtheideatosetupsmarter
homeinsurancecompanyNeos.After
sellinghissharestoAvivain2018,he
returned to Sonic, which monitors a
home’saveragewaterconsumptionand
spots irregular patterns, with an app to
checkstatusinrealtime.“[Sonic]can
measurereallysmallflowsaswell,even
atapthat’sdripping.Ithasanintegrated
shutoffvalve,soifitdetectsapattern
that is unusual, it can automatically shut
offyourwatersupplyandnotifyyou.You
canalsoshutitoffmanually,sayif
yougoonholiday.Whenwe
were testing it, we
realised we could
tell whether our
team washed their
hands after using
thetoilet!”
The product, which
willbereleasedthisautumn,
aimstoeducateusersabout
theirwaterconsumptionbutcan
alsobeatooltoprotecttheelderlyfrom
harm.“I’vegotelderlyparentsandIliketo
makesuretheyarewell.Manycompanies
suggestputtingcamerasinyourparents’
orgrandparents’homes,whichisreally
invasiveforme.
“IamputtingaSonicinmyparents’
apartment,becauseitwillstopleaks
fromhappeningifthereiseveraproblem,
buttheycanalsoaddmeaspartoftheir
‘circleoftrust’soIknowwhenthey’ve
putthekettleoninthemorning,which
givesmepeaceofmind.”
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
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@BCLOUDUK
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION14,Q22019
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BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
CAN ‘BIG BEAST’
MANCHESTER
BECOMEGLOBAL
HEAVYWEIGHT?
InvestmentfromAmazon,theHutGroupandboohooisjustthestartasThe
GrowthCompanylaunchesasearchfor50GreaterManchestercompanies
tojoinitsGlobalScale-upProgramme.ChrisMaguirereports.
The hunt is on to
turn 50 ambitious
companies
in Greater
Manchester
into global
heavyweights.
TheGrowthCompanyhaslaunchedthe
UK’ssecondGlobalScale-upProgramme
inGreaterManchestertogetbusinesses
tothinkinternationally.Theprogramme
issectoragnosticbutRichardJeffery,
directorofbusinessgrowthatThe
GrowthCompany,saysheexpects
asignificantnumberofthechosen
businessestocomefromthedigital
industry.HedescribesManchesterasa
‘bigbeast’whichcouldbeevenbigger.
“It’sgonefrombeingpromising
tobeginningtodeliver,”hetells
BusinessCloud.“You’vegotGCHQ,the
Amazoninvestmentandallthoseother
bigannouncements.LookingatwhatThe
HutGroupandboohoohavedone,you’re
startingtogetareallystrongbasehere.
Itisabigbeastbutit’sonethatcouldbe
biggerandevenmoresignificant.”
TheGrowthCompanyisaneconomic
impactorganisationworkingacross
GreaterManchester.Ithasabout
1,100employeesandaturnoverof
around£100m.AkeypartofGreater
Manchester’sstrategytobeatop20
globalcityistogetmorecompaniesto
operateglobally.TheGlobalScale-up
Programme has space for 50 companies
andreceived130applicationsbythe
6thMaydeadline.Ithasbeendeveloped
inpartnershipwithhigh-profile
international companies
includingSantander,DWF,
KPMGandManchester
Airport with support from
theScaleUpInstitute.
“GreaterManchester
hasgotsomereallybig
strengths around the
digitaltechcommunitybut
we’vealsosomegreatstrengths
inlifesciencesandadvancedmaterials,”
saysJeffery.“Thoseandhealthhavegot
bigtechelementstothemandmanyof
the companies that are growing rapidly in
thatspacearetech-enabledbusinesses
themselves.”
Jefferysaidthecompaniesthey’re
targetingarealreadyturningover£1
million-plusorhaveraised£1m+in
funding–butbusinesseswitha‘great
idea’arestilleligible.“Iwasapproached
recentlybyabrandnewManchester-
basedstart-up,”hereveals.“It’sateamof
fivethathavecometogetherfromsome
oftheleadingtechbusinessesaround
theworld.They’vegotareallyinteresting
ideaandtheywillbeabletogoglobal
withthatproduct.Fromdayonethey’re
alreadythinkingaboutwheretheycan
getininChina,IndiaandtheUSA.They
haven’thadasaleyetbutthey’realready
thinkinglikethat.”
He said too many companies
aren’tgraspingtheopportunitythat
internationalmarketspresent.“When
it comes to international, people
sometimesoverestimate
thecomplexityandwhat’s
required,”heexplains.“It’s
notjustamarketsales
opportunity.Italsorepresents
achancetogetnewinvestment
anddevelopmentpartners.
Whenyougoglobalyouoftenfind
yougetalotmoreinnovationcoming
backintoyourbusinessbecauseyou’re
accessingglobaltalentandinnovation
networks.Youfindyourselfworkingwith
universities,researchinstitutionsand
partnersacrossthosemarkets.Youlearn
somuchaboutthosemarketsthatyou
canplaythatbackintoyourproduct,
whichcanalsohaveagreatspin-off
benefitbackintoyourdomesticmarket.”
JefferysaidhisambitionfortheGlobal
Scale-upProgrammewassimple.“We
wantall50businessestobeoperating
inmultiplemarketswithreallyclear
plansforthem.Wewanttoseethat
they’veraisedfinance,thatthey’vegota
developmentpartner,thatthey’vefound
a new client there – and that they are now
internationalbusinessesasadirectresult
ofbeingonthisproject.”
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