Hundreds of ambitious tech companies and entrepreneurs have gone on to do incredible things after emerging as winners at the Prolific North Tech Awards.
The Tech Awards continue to celebrate innovation across the tech sector in the North of England and Scotland and will be returning once again to crown a fresh wave of individuals, teams and companies at a live awards ceremony on 28 November, hosted at Manchester United Football Club.
And there’s still time for you to get involved this year as long as you submit your entries before the final deadline on 20 September.
Whether winning has led to new hires, helped to supercharge growth, new business or raised profiles, we’ve chatted to some of our previous winners to find out why they entered and where they are now after receiving one of these coveted awards…
Laura Herbert, Chief People Officer, Apadmi
Manchester-headquartered digital product business Apadmi has doubled in size over the past three years and won the awards for Medium Tech Company of the Year and Fastest Growing Tech Company of the Year in 2023.
On winning, Laura Herbert says: “Being able to share our achievements as Medium Tech Business of the Year and Fastest Growing Tech Company of the Year allows potential candidates to appreciate the scope and impact that being a part of Team Apadmi has. We’re proud to be making waves in the tech industry in the North and beyond, and these awards help us attract new colleagues that are aligned with our ambitious goals and growth plans.”
Martha Hughes, content marketing manager at Apadmi, adds: “We decided to enter the Prolific North Tech Awards due to the brilliant reputation that Prolific North has in the region – being able to attend the awards as a team alongside clients also gives us a chance to celebrate everyone’s hard work and collaboration at a top-notch evening with like-minded people.”
Sean Brown, CEO and Founder, Versori
Versori, a leading Generative AI data integration platform, won the award for Best Tech Infrastructure Partner and was highly commended for Tech Start-up of the Year in 2023.
Sharing why Versori decided to enter the Tech Awards, Sean Brown says: “It is the pinnacle of what the North has to offer, being nominated in the same categories as some really interesting, innovative and game-changing companies was what motivated us to enter… it was such an exciting moment for us at such an early stage of the company.”
On what winning meant to the team, he adds: “Winning was such an achievement for us at Versori as we were just over 12 months into our journey and had the honor of winning! Being recognised for what we are doing and the objectives we’re working towards was a special moment for the whole team.”
Since winning, there have been plenty of exciting changes. He says: “Since winning the award for Best Tech Infrastructure Partner, a lot of exciting changes have happened, we are now at a headcount of 24 experts and in-house specialists. We have now also set up an office in Atlanta due to huge scale up opportunities through securing a further $5.5 million in investment through Target Global. In addition, Versori has launched the official Partnership function, working closely with international tech companies to supply seamless integrations to clients, speed up build time and reduce cost. To mention some of the exciting names we have worked with in the past 12 months, we must include Wal-Mart and Infoplus to name just a few!”
Rich Jones, Head of Exchange, Exchange
Rich Jones is head of the Exchange Programme, over at Department, Bonded Warehouse, in Manchester. The tech scale-up support programme has cohorts based across Leeds and Manchester and won the award for Accelerator of the Year in 2023.
Rich Jones says: “Exchange entered the Prolific North Tech Awards in 2023 to help raise awareness of our programme, based at Department Bonded Warehouse, and share our success in supporting Manchester’s tech ecosystem since 2020. Upon entering, Exchange had helped create over 200 jobs in the tech sector and assisted early-stage businesses to secure over £15m in funding.
“We were delighted to be announced as winners and share the honour with all those who have joined Exchange or partnered with us to help deliver a successful programme. Receiving this recognition opened up a new wave of applicants for future cohorts, as well as providing us with a shiny award to proudly display on our shelf!
“Now into our fourth year, we are continuing to build on our Manchester foundations by expanding the programme to Leeds. Applications are now open for Leeds early-stage businesses to join the second cohort of Exchange, based at Department Leeds Dock.”
Polina Ivashko, Research & operations, EdenFiftyOne
Tom Reynolds, founder of edtech platform EdenFiftyOne won the award for ‘Tech Rising Star’ in 2023.
On winning and company updates since 2023, Polina Ivashko says: “Tom was delighted to be presented with the ‘Tech Rising Star’ award last year and we’re proud to be part of the Prolific North ecosystem. Rachael Hesno at Prolific North wrote a brilliant article about Tom and EdenFiftyOne back in April 2023 and we have received a lot of positive attention from people who have read that article, from across the NW and beyond.
“Since then, we’ve added three new hires and hit some major momentum milestones. Any affiliation with Prolific North – is something that we’re really proud of.”
Tom Walsh, Head of marketing, Tangent
Digital product agency Tangent scooped the award for Transformation through Tech award in 2023. Since winning, it’s been a busy year for Tangent with new launches and further growth.
As head of marketing, Tom Walsh says: “Tech has always enabled transformation. But in the current climate, the routes by which that change is created and the markers of success we recognise are more complex and ever changing. Customers are expecting more from brands. And, in turn, brands need greater value from their tech stacks and their delivery partners. This means the stakes are higher than ever to deliver transformation that drives results, which is exactly what we did for UK Power Networks.
“We entered the Prolific North Tech Awards to proudly showcase our transformative work, competing against the best of the best in the North. Transformations like this serve as a platform for our future growth which has also seen us launch our own AI joint venture in the last year. We are proud winners, and this work has cemented our position as a huge player in the world of digital products in the North and beyond. We hope to take home more silverware at this year’s ceremony!”
Tom Crump, Chief sales officer, Sync
Manchester-based tech specialist Sync has had a busy year since winning Large Tech Company of the Year at the awards in 2023.
Tom Crump, chief sales officer at Sync says: “Winning the Large Tech Company of the Year award at the Prolific North Tech Awards last year was a major highlight for Sync, coming right on the heels of reaching £1 billion in Apple tech sales and securing our place on a variety of frameworks throughout 2023.
“Over the past year, this recognition has strengthened our commitment to innovation and encouraged us to expand our efforts across education, healthcare, and the wider public sector. Competing with some of the best tech providers in the country, the praise from Prolific North has been a driving force behind our continued growth.
“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made since the award and remain dedicated to supporting our clients and exploring new opportunities in the tech industry.”
There are plenty of categories to choose from this year and entries now open for the Prolific North Tech Awards 2024. Don’t forget the final deadline is on 20 September. – get your entries in and you could be joining this list of worthy winners.
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