Member Article

Wales’ Digital Dozen shine at London pitching event

A host of elite tech start-ups pitched their innovative ideas in front of investors and industry heavy-weights today at an investment event held in London’s Digital Catapult Centre.

Six tech start-ups from Wales selected by industry experts - including agile Fintech platforms, cutting-edge social media tracking software, and an app designed to slash waiting times for the healthcare sector - took to the stage to talk about their businesses ideas.

The event was organised by Innovation Point, the company set up to drive innovation in Wales, to showcase the world-class innovations and inventions coming out of the nation, and to help drive the next wave of growth in disruptive tech by introducing pioneering start-ups to potential investors.

More than 50 potential investors attended the event to learn more about the types of agile technologies coming out of the nation, that are proving time and time again that in the business world of today, collaboration and ingenuity matter more than physical location.

Richard Moore, head of investments at Calculus Capital said: “It’s clear that Wales is starting to emerge as a fertile ground for tech start-ups and investment and it’s clear that it’s an exciting time for the nation and its tech space. As an investor, it’s great to see Innovation Point driving forward this initiative.”

David Murray-Hundley, known as ‘the Grumpy Entrepreneur,’ added: “The tech scene is good right now for investment – there is still a lot of noise in the UK around it and some gems exist out there. Tech start-ups are not just in London, and I’m always keen to see what is coming out of other areas.”

The number of innovative start-ups emerging from Wales is on the rise, with Swansea and Cardiff together forming one of the UK’s top 10 clusters in terms of digital salary growth, with an average of £42,926 for advertised roles. With support from digitally-focused organisations like Innovation Point, Wales has become much better positioned as a place from which to start, nurture, and grow a tech company.

The full line up of companies that pitched for investment were:

Delio: provides new investment platforms that connect high net worth clients with private market investment opportunities. Delio is working towards a connected private market: a series of platforms that will allow deal flow to be shared across institutions.

DevOpsGuys: helps make organisations more agile, scalable and responsive by streamlining IT functions, and freeing companies from the burden of ‘technical debt.’

Echosec: software that searches social media based on location and paints a picture of events in real-time as they unfold. Professionals can use this technology to gain valuable insight and actionable knowledge about real-time events, utilising it to generate leads and uncover new information for various investigations, and even save lives.

Elidir Health: has developed ‘CHAI’ - an app which puts important information at the fingertips of nurses, meaning they spend less time filling in forms and more time with patients on the ward. The technology behind CHAI is highly transferable, meaning that it could be adapted for use in other industry sectors.

Learnium: a social learning platform that enables students and teachers to connect, communicate and collaborate online, and aims to create a global learning network with people from all around the world connecting to learn.

Wealthify: an online investment service that uses technology and smart algorithms to democratise investing. The technology makes investing quick and intuitive, putting customers in the driving seat with 24/7 access to a dashboard, where they can see exactly how their plan is performing and which funds their money is invested in.

Jason Jubinville, co-founder and senior executive of Echosec, one of the start-ups at the event, said: “Access to Innovation Point’s network, expertise, and talented team has provided Echosec with a number of incredible opportunities to connect with engaged, industry-relevant investors. Their vision of a start-up rich Wales aligns perfectly with our vision for growth.”

David Warrender, Chief Executive of Innovation Point said: “Innovation Point strives to know what new technologies are being developed, and uses this information to cultivate the very best of Welsh innovation. Through events like this, we make it easier for entrepreneurs and small businesses to build partnerships and for investors to participate in these exciting growth opportunities.”

Investors and companies wanting to learn more about Innovation Point should visit www.innovationpoint.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Hannah Jones .