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Northern Tech Awards 2024

February 07, 2024
Date
25 April 2024
Venue
Manchester Cathedral, Victoria St, Manchester M3 1SX
    Northern Tech Awards 2024

    2024 Northern Tech Awards Winners Announced

    We are delighted to announce the winners of the 2024 Northern Tech Awards, held last night at Manchester Cathedral. 

    The Top 100 Northern Tech Awards league table revealed the ranking of the fastest-growing and most successful tech companies in the region, and the Northern Stars awards showcased earlier-stage companies considered to have the most potential to be tech successes in the coming years.

    This year’s award ceremony was held on 25 April 2024 in Manchester, UK.

    About the Awards

    Northern Tech Awards

    Since 2014, the annual Northern Tech Awards shine a light upon the leading technology businesses headquartered in the North of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Organised by GP Bullhound, the Awards provide a unique way of celebrating the innovative technologies and businesses developed in the region and recognise those who have contributed to their success.

    The Northern Tech Awards Top 100 League Table is an acknowledgement of the 100 fastest-growing technology companies. The ranking is based on revenue growth over the last three years.

    From the ‘Fastest Growing Technology Companies’ list, ten companies are selected by the Northern Tech judging panel made up of investors and industry experts, to present and compete for the special Judges’ Awards.

    The Northern Tech Awards is free to enter. To qualify for entry to the Top 100, firms must have at least three years of revenue growth with a minimum revenue level of £500k in 2021.

    The Northern Stars Awards, recognise innovation and achievements of tech businesses with revenues below this threshold.

    The CEOs of the Top 100 companies and Top 10 Northern Stars are then invited to celebrate and receive their award at the Northern Tech Awards ceremony.

    The event

    The 2024 Northern Tech Awards are supported and sponsored by HSBC Innovation Banking, Apprentify, Cazenove Capital, Squire Patton Boggs, Bruntwood SciTech, Inflexion, London Stock Exchange, YFM Equity Partners.

    The event is invitation-only, attended by CEOs, entrepreneurs and business leaders in the Digital Economy and provides a fantastic networking opportunity for like-minded entrepreneurs to make contact and exchange ideas. The event is free, run as a not-for-profit financed by GP Bullhound and a small group of sponsors who are passionate about supporting entrepreneurship across the North.

    The Awards Ceremony

    The winners get an opportunity to network with their peers as well as present to and meet with the Judges, some of whom have built and successfully sold their own technology firms.

    Each year the Award Ceremony is held in a different city. Recent awards have been held in Manchester (2014, 2019, 2022 and 2024), Leeds (2015 and 2021), Liverpool (2016), Newcastle (2017) and Edinburgh (2018). The 2023 Northern Tech Awards will be held in Edinburgh, as it continues to showcase tech innovation in northern cities.

    Judges

    Northern Tech Awards Judges 2024

    Nancy Cruickshank
    Serial Entrepreneur
    Richard Faulkner
    Managing Director, HSBC Innovation Banking
    Jonathan Fitchew
    CEO, Apprentify Group
    Richard Flint
    Serial Investor
    Paul Gouge
    Serial Entrepreneur
    Jane Haxby
    Managing Partner, Squire Patton Boggs
    Adam Hildreth
    Founder, Crisp
    Richard Ibbett
    Investment Director, LDC
    Paul Johnson
    Co-founder, MPP Global
    Dr Poonam Malik
    Head of Investments, University of Strathclyde
    David Moss
    Co-founder, Blue Prism
    Steve Oliver
    Co-Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer, musicMagpie Plc
    Jenny Parker
    Co-founder, Country Attire
    Avisha Patel
    SVP, HSBC Innovation Banking
    Simon Pearson
    Portfolio Director – North, Cazenove Capital
    Mark Robinson
    Co-founder, Delta DNA
    Liz Scott
    Executive Director, Turing Innovation Catalyst

    Northern Stars Judges 2024

    Andrea Cropley
    Partner, Squire Patton Boggs
    Deb Hetherington
    Head of Innovation, Bruntwood SciTech – Leeds & Manchester
    Joe Quiligotti
    Associate, GP Bullhound
    Evgeny Yakovlev
    Associate, GP Bullhound
    How to Enter

    Criteria to enter the Northern Tech Awards 2024

    In order to be eligible for the Top 100, companies must display revenue growth over the last 3 years, and have generated at least £500k in revenue in 2021.

    Companies with revenues below this threshold of £500k are eligible to compete for the NORTHERN STARS AWARDS, showcasing early-stage tech companies to watch in the North of the UK.

    For an entry to be valid, please submit your scanned audited accounts/management accounts or a P&L which has been certified by one of your directors, before the entry deadline.

    If your financial year is not aligned with the calendar year, you need to state the period your financial year covers. Revenue figures should be the company’s audited revenue figures where possible, or management accounts where applicable.

    Only company growth rates will be disclosed in the literature, not underlying figures.

    Only one entry form is to be completed for all the Award categories. (The Top 100 Fastest Growing Technology Companies are selected and ranked by revenue growth over the last three years.)

    Entries are open from 8 February 2024 to 22 March 2024.

    Top 100 League Table

    GP Bullhound is delighted to reveal the 2024 Northern Tech Awards Shortlist, in ranked order, recognising the fastest-growing technology companies & Northern Stars in the North of the UK.

    Congratulations to all shortlisted companies from the 2024 Northern Tech Awards!

    Categories

    2024 Top 100 Award Categories

    Fastest Growing Company
    Recognising the company with the fastest growth, with revenues under £10m in 2021
    Fastest Growing Larger Company
    Recognising the company with the fastest growth, with revenues over £10m in 2021
    Judges’ Innovation Award
    Recognising the company with the most innovative product
    Judges’ Award for Global Ambition
    Recognising the company with the most impressive international reach
    Judges’ Leadership Award
    Recognising the management team with the strongest vision and best leadership
    Judges’ Tech 4 Good Award
    Recognising the company utilising outstanding technology for the good of society
    Judges’ Entrepreneur Award
    Recognising outstanding achievements, exemplifying qualities of effective leadership and innovation
    Judges’ Award for Cultural Excellence
    Recognising an inspirational team, exhibiting the most impactful purpose, culture and values
    Overall Judges’ Award
    Recognising the company with the highest achievements for Growth, Innovation, Global Ambition, Cultural Excellence and Leadership

    2024 Northern Stars Award categories

    Northern Star Innovation Award
    Recognising the company with the most innovative product
    Northern Star Entrepreneur Award
    Recognising the management team with the strongest vision and best leadership
    Northern Star Commercial Success
    Recognising the company with the most impressive commercial traction
    Northern Star Overall Judges’ Award
    Recognising the company with the highest achievements for Innovation, Commercial Traction and Leadership
    Charity

    Ada, the National College of Digital Skills’ mission is to educate and empower the next generation of diverse digital talent. 

    We are delighted to be the chosen charity for this year’s Northern Tech Awards.  Your support will help us further our mission to connect young people in the North West with opportunities in the tech sector in Manchester.

    The digital industry is experiencing epic growth but there is a talent shortage. Over 130,000 tech jobs are available each year in the UK but students are leaving education without sufficient knowledge and experience to get the job. We want to change this.

    FUTURE GAME CHANGERS

    With Ada, young people can learn relevant digital skills to pursue their dream job in tech. We are a unique community which puts computer programming at the heart of everything we do. Our learners are the future game changers: challenging the norm, excited by change, and resilient in the face of adversity.

    We want to remove the glass ceiling for women and individuals from low-income backgrounds in the tech industry. Everyone, from any background, is entitled to a quality education and a better future.

     Please watch our short film and hear what our learners have to say about Ada:

    Ada 2.0 – Student Film 2023

    Ada’s achievement rates far exceed national averages for apprentices from underrepresented groups:

    Industry Partners

    Our strong industry connections bridge the gap between education and the real world. We are working closely with local, national and international industry partners rooted in the region, and are currently inviting new employers to work with us at the forefront of digital skills development in the region. 

    Apprenticeships in Manchester

    Our first cohort of apprentices in the region started their training in February 2021. In the three years since we launched Ada Manchester, our reputation for delivering high quality tech training, and for unlocking competitive career opportunities, has grown – with the number of apprentices studying with us increasing annually. 

    In January 2024 we moved into a new home: Ada Manchester is now in Ancoats and our new site has space for up to 1,000 learners a year, with a wide range of multi-purpose spaces for teaching, showcasing collaborative work, practical hardware labs and quiet study. This expansion provides a significant and quick return to the local and national economy – as well as a pool of skilled staff to the region’s employers.

    Our apprentices thrive in an open and inclusive culture at Ada and graduate with some of the best tech degree apprenticeship results in the country. Over the past 3 years, 79% of apprentices have received a 2:1 or 1st class degree and 91% have received a BSc (Hons) degree. This is achieved through Ada’s commitment to a high-quality learning journey and outstanding pastoral support through our experienced team of Technical Skills Coaches

    Please get in touch to find out more or to see how you can support Ada: katy@ada.ac.uk

    Partners

    Headline Sponsor

    HSBC Innovation Banking provides commercial banking services, expertise and insights to the technology, life science and healthcare, private equity and venture capital industries.

    HSBC Innovation Banking UK is a subsidiary of HSBC Group, benefiting from its stability, strong credit rating and international reach to help fuel its growth.

    Premium Sponsors

    Apprentify

    Awards Sponsors

    2024 Gallery
    2024 Winners

    2024 Northern Tech Awards Winners

    Fastest Growing Company of the Year:
    xDesign
    Fastest Growing Larger Company of the Year
    Opencast
    Judges’ Innovation Award
    Cassie
    Judges’ Award for Global Ambition
    ProofID
    Judges’ Leadership Award
    IDHL
    Judges’ Tech4Good Award
    Easyfundraising
    Judges’ Entrepreneur Award
    Robiquity
    Judges’ for Cultural Excellence
    Answer Digital
    Overall Judges’ Award
    Bumper
    Northern Star Innovation Award
    Inicio AI
    Northern Star Entrepreneur Award
    Housr
    Northern Star Award Commercial Success
    Aero Cloud
    Northern Star Overall Judges’ Award
    Versori
    Press

    Press Coverage

    2024

    2023

    DIGIT News – 23 April 2023
    Northern Tech Awards 2023 | Winners Announced
    The Scotsman – 22 April 2023
    Tech hubs should be rubbing shoulders more often
    Insider Media – 21 April 2023
    2023 Northern Tech Awards winners revealed