Tech panel: early stage South East tech companies to watch

How do you spot the next emerging company in technology?

It is a topic which sparks much debate amongst The Business Magazine team however, like most tough questions, it pays to speak to those in the know.

People who work with technology companies on a daily basis be it through funding, mentoring or advising them professionally on how to overcome the obstacle that is impeding the next stage of their growth.

Every two months we will ask three tech experts from around the South East for their four tech companies to watch.

The criteria is fairly loose however they should have a turnover of less than £1m a year and be breaking into new markets or using technology in an innovative way.

Our two experts in this edition are Alex Tatham of Westcoast and Matthew Lea of Herrington Carmichael

Alex Tatham, Executive Director and IT Channel Advocate at Westcoast

As the lynchpin of the UK IT channel and the UK's largest IT wholesaler, Westcoast have a great view of technologies and companies that are up and coming in the whole of the world, the UK and of course in our local area too.

Here are some great local players to engage with:

First Technology – this relatively new start up reseller has a large South African parent and has tremendous expertise in enterprise technology helping any customer with their data-centre and networking requirements. Great to deal with, the team operates nationally but has a core focus on the Thames Valley.

ESP Global Services – this Reading based service supplier has a core focus on technology for airlines and airports delivering products and services to many of the world’s leading airlines and airports. With the ability to go airside and deliver quickly, no wonder ESP are winning business at Heathrow and the rest of the world.

Xeretec – always a winning business doing more outside their traditional print market with devices and services for retailers and more based nationally. A shining example of a Berkshire based reseller.

Westcoast Cloud – this business provides software and cloud provision from Microsoft, Adobe, Acronis and many more. One of the leading Microsoft partners in the UK – most notably for Azure – it is now leading the charge into Microsoft’s exciting AI application – Copilot.

Matthew Lea, Corporate Partner at Herrington Carmichael

Reading based Arkivum provides a unique SaaS digital archiving and preservation solution, helping organisations to overcome their long-term retention, compliance and access challenges. The solution has been adopted by a broad range of organisations, from across the healthcare, pharmaceutical, higher education, government and corporate sectors. The Arkivum solution enables customers to fully align their long-term digital archiving to industry best practices, like ALCOA+ and the FAIR data management principles.”

Southampton based Sibstar is a FinTech who have developed the first ever debit card and app specifically for families living with dementia. Founded by Jayne Sibley & Marty Orten, their product helps people living with dementia remain financially independent whilst knowing their money is safe. SIbstar is partnered with the Alzheimer's Society; and Mastercard. Sibstar successfully pitched to Dragons Den, with the funding received won from Sara Davies and Deborah Meaden helping to expand the reach of their brilliant and much-needed solution.”

London-based SatVu has worked to capture high resolution thermal imagery from space, able to show heat variation across Earth at a resolution of up to 3.5m, both during the day and at night. Their imagery, and the higher level of insight it unlocks has use in a range of applications; enabling businesses and public sector bodies to make informed decisions to create a more sustainable world. Founded in 2016 by Anthony Baker, SatVu remains true to its original mission, bringing this vital data to the commercial market.”