Winners revealed at 2024 South Coast Tech & Innovation Awards
Winners from a record number of technology company entries were honoured at this year’s South Coast Tech & Innovation Awards. The judges said they were impressed with the quality of the finalists, who ranged from start-ups to industry veterans.
Richard Thompson, Chief Executive at event organiser The Business Magazine, commented: “This year, we received more nominations from more companies than ever before. You are shining examples of the diversity of tech talent in the region.”
The Awards were held at the Hilton Southampton – Utilita Bowl, home of Hampshire County Cricket Club. The headline sponsor for the event was Spectrum IT Recruitment.
The category sponsors were BDO UK, James Cowper Kreston, Blake Morgan, Evelyn Partners, University of Southampton Science Park, YFM Equity Partners, South Coast Institute of Technology and The Business Magazine.
The all-important independent judges who scrutinised the selection of finalists were Matt Johnson from the South Coast Institute of Technology and Steve Northam from Northamtec Investments & Holdings.
The Awards were also a fundraising opportunity to support local charity, the Wetwheels Foundation. The Portsmouth-based charity was set up in 2011 by disabled yachtsman Geoff Holt MBE DL to provide opportunities for disabled people of all ages to enjoy the freedom of being on the sea. It takes about 3,000 disabled people on the water every year and now has eight boats around the country.
Media entrepreneur, podcaster writer and performer Cally Beaton hosted the gala evening.
And the winners are…
Cyber Security Company of the Year – sponsored by Spectrum IT Recruitment
Winner: Beyond Encryption
“Fraudsters are spending more money on technology than the technology companies, so it is a constant battle to keep up. We carry out a lot of research to stay ahead of changes in technology and in fraudulent practices. Our daily research into threats makes sure our services are kept up to date with all the latest protection methods.” Mike Wakefield, Chief Technology Officer, Beyond Encryption
Finalists:
• Cobweb Solutions
• Endida
• Tailor Made Technologies
Marine / Port Tech Company of the Year – sponsored by BizNews
Winner: Actisense
“Actisense was started with the vision of removing barriers and making journeys safer through better data. By helping convert, digitise and share onboard device data, we support boaters and technical installers by giving them greater control over the data on their vessel’s network. It’s also about saving time and money, by allowing users to retain legacy equipment but still benefit from the latest technology available on modern onboard networks. Many of our solutions have been first to market, solving key headaches for technical installers around the world. We’re incredibly proud of this award – a testament to the hard work from our whole team.” Phil Whitehurst, CEO, Actisense
Finalists:
• Optima Electric Yachts
• RAD Propulsion
• Savvy Navvy
Tech Start Up of the Year – sponsored by Southampton Science Park
Winner: Labl.it
“My brother, Rhys, and I had a restaurant for about five years that we’ve recently sold. We knew that the hospitality sector in general is quite far behind in terms of technology. The key to our food labelling technology is simplicity – it has to be faster than hand-writing labels. Many companies tend to overcomplicate things from a technology perspective. We’ve been on a hiring drive this year from the two of us to a team of eight. We are busy adapting our systems to make sure we can scale up as we grow.” Kyle Wilks, CEO and Co-founder, Labl.it
Finalists:
• AugmentAero
• GoBig Ltd
• Universal Collaboration Research
• Wren Games
Innovative Tech Company of the Year – sponsored by Evelyn Partners
Winner: AugmentAero
“The idea for our augmented reality and AI platform had been incubating for a long time, so the missing pieces were having a university come on board and winning a £1.2 million grant. The business snowballed from there. The key to success is end-user engagement. Engineers don’t necessarily like being told what they already know, so we have to focus on the end-user experience and make sure the usability of our product is spot on. We are growing with some really interesting people joining the business.” Elaine Harding, Founder, AugmentAero
Finalists:
• Airsys GCaaS
• Innovative Physics
• Lifelight
• Procode
Diversity in Tech Impact Award – sponsored by YFM Equity Partners
Winner: Sumillion
“Our founder set up the business to be ethical and sustainable, proving you don’t have to sacrifice growth for sustainability. We are also a gender-neutral company. The type of people we attract look for this approach to diversity. We all want the same thing, which is good for our people and the planet. We are also a very young company – our average age is about 25 years.” John Rose, Business Development Manager, Sumillion
Finalists:
• AugmentAero
• Codestone Group
• DataGardener Solutions
• Vizst Technology
Tech Employer of the Year – sponsored by Spectrum IT Recruitment
Winner: Total Security
“We have a culture based around mutual respect where people want to stay. It’s also an environment where it’s fun to be here. We have an employee benefits package that motivates people in a number of ways. This includes a wellbeing package and also a fun package, which is an allowance for staff to use at different local restaurants. We also offer training and business coaching for staff where the emphasis is on being flexible to meet their needs.” Liz Wilson, Group HR Manager, Total Security
Finalists:
• Aerial Direct
• Aura Technology
• CV-Library
• ITDev
• Trusted Technology Partnership
Tech SME of the Year – sponsored by James Cowper Kreston
Winner: Savvy Navvy
“We’re thrilled to be acknowledged for our technology and innovation – the exact reason we set out over seven years ago to digitalise navigation and bring the marine industry into the 21st century. For us, it has always been about making boating safer and more accessible, creating the best features to simplify anyone navigating the global waters. The award comes at a great time, with Savvy Navvy continuing to scale up dramatically. We are actively shaping the marine industry for the better, and working alongside the team we are challenging the bigger navigation solutions in the global market.” Jelte Liebrand, Founder and CEO of Savvy Navvy
Finalists:
• Aura Technology
• Silver Lining Convergence
• Trusted Technology Partnership
Rising Star in Tech Award – sponsored by the South Coast Institute of Technology
Winner: Ellie Merrick – Vizst Technology
“I was a personal trainer when a gym member approached me and said I was wasted there and should come and work for their IT company. Everyone I work with at Vizst is so helpful – when I came here I was a complete novice. I’ve gone through a lot of learning to overcome the challenge and I’m the kind of person who loves to do a good job and be the best at what I do.” Ellie Merrick, Provisions Coordinator, Vizst Technology
Finalists:
• Sammy Cartwright – Vizst Technology
• Chez Gray – CV-Library
• Yves Johnson – Actisense
• Dean Munday – Procode
Science and Tech Company of the Year – sponsored by Evelyn Partners
Winners: Lifelight
“This is a pivotal time for us as we transition from running studies and getting validation for our technology that measures blood pressure pulse and breathing rate. We are closing a significant funding round and turning the corner from development into growth. We have some really exciting commercial partnerships that we’ll be announcing in the next year, enabling us to really scale up our technology internationally.” Laurence Pearce, Founder and CEO, Lifelight
Finalists:
• Universal Collaboration
• Wren Games
High Growth Tech Company of the Year – sponsored by BDO LLP
Winners: Codestone Group
“We place a lot of emphasis on customer value. Our offering focuses on ensuring customers can onboard the solutions we build for them. This has been a fantastic year for Codestone and has included the acquisition of Cloud Business, which almost doubled the size of the organisation and has made us a more balanced business in terms of professional and managed services.” Mark Ames, Chief Operating Officer, Codestone Group
Finalists:
• Airsys/GCaaS
• Infinigate Cloud
• Lifelight
• Vizst Technology
Sustainable Tech Company of the Year – sponsored by Southampton Science Park
Winner: Universal Collaboration Research
“We are so thankful to have our, now award-winning, sustainable technology recognised. We’ve reduced the power use of an industrial electrolytic process by over 60%. There are many electrolytic processes across industry, so this represents a cross-sector solution to decarbonise the foundation industries and achieve net zero without deindustrialisation. Keep the employed, employed and generate thousands of jobs to support scale-up. This award is a recognition of the ingenuity, innovation and commitment of our team. For this, we are grateful and will continue to further our commitment to present net zero energy solutions.” Keith Cook, Group CEO, URC
Finalists:
• Novatech
• Silver Lining Convergence
• Sumillion
• Zenergi
Tech Leader of the Year – sponsored by Spectrum IT Recruitment
Winner: Mike Paye – Netwrix
“We have an incredibly diverse team after acquiring 10 or 11 companies over the last five years. We have gone from having two to 19 teams. That diversity brings a lot of challenges as well as opportunities for collaboration. For me, a leadership role is about encouraging the right kind of collaboration through seamless communication. I focus on the impact people can bring into the organisation.” Mike Paye, Vice President of Research and Development, Netwrix
Highly Commended: Sarah Neenan – IBM CIC
“My leadership role involves a lot of work helping people with their career framework and training pathways. I help them to work out where they want to go and support them on that path by finding the right training and skills they need. I’m also pleased about our achievements with women in technology. I go into schools, colleges and universities to inspire the next generation to look at careers in technology.” Sarah Neenan, CIC UK Application Engineering Services Technical Leader
Finalists:
• Richard Bundock – HeadChannel Consulting
• Jon Cook – Trusted
South Coast Tech Company of the Year – sponsored by Blake Morgan LLP
Winner: TouchNetix
Finalists:
• Aura Technology
• STS Defence
• Syschem
• Trusted Technology Partnership
• Vizst Technology
