A total of 31 innovative early-stage tech startups have been accepted onto Enterprise City鈥檚 Exchange scaleup support scheme in Manchester.
The companies span HealthTech, PropTech, EdTech, FinTech, AgriTech and eCommerce sectors.
They will make up the third cohort of Exchange startups, which have ambitions of scaling, securing funding, growing operations and expanding their teams during the six-month course of the scheme.聽
The support programme runs for six months and is delivered with the support of Tech Nation as its knowledge partner. Exchange offers tech founders and entrepreneurs the resources and infrastructure to support them in succeeding, including a network of like-minded entrepreneurs, mentoring from business experts, exclusive access to a panel of scheme partners and introductions to funding opportunities and venture capital firms.
The scheme鈥檚 alumni include PixelMax, the immersive, 3D virtual workplace business which raised 拢2 million in funding and reached an 拢8m valuation while on the programme; My First Five Years, an early-years EdTech startup that secured 拢1.4m in investment; and Sparkbox, a data analytics and business intelligence startup that raised 拢1.5m.
The 31 member businesses will be based at Department Bonded Warehouse in the heart of Enterprise City. 18 of the businesses are new to the scheme and the remaining 13 firms have extended their membership to further benefit from the scheme.
Organisations chosen to form the most recent cohort include mental health first aid and wellness app Candle; PropTech startups Housr, an app that streamlines the student housing search for tenants and landlords, and Flexify, a marketplace that connects businesses and entrepreneurs with their ideal commercial property space; Sustainabl, which builds sustainability engagement tools for businesses; Bypass tech, which allows any retailer to launch membership and generate recurring revenue; and Cyber Stroller, which has built the world鈥檚 first smart stroller.
In the media and creative space, InHaus is making eCommerce product videos cheaper and easier for online fashion retailers, while Papermill is helping its customers overcome the 鈥榳restle with Word鈥� by producing perfect documents.
Health and fitness tech businesses are also joining: Intellithing, a startup that uses聽 big data analytics and AI from wearable devices to identify patterns and improve health through data-driven choices; AINOSTICS, groundbreaking AI algorithms tech for the accurate diagnosis and management of neurological conditions; and AriSports, winner of BTSport鈥檚 Innovate 21 competition with its concept allows football fans to predict on-pitch events, earning points in the process and competing against friends.
Also joining are FinTechs Payful, a tech-based scoring system for B2B prospect payments; Ryft, a payment infrastructure for the decentralised economy; Versori, creator of tech products and tools that seamlessly integrate into existing systems; and Bex Money, on a mission to improve financial literacy for the next generation with a focus on saving for children’s futures.
AgriTech Grow Your Own is aiming to revolutionise urban food production, Wildfire is an eCommerce platform that allows film creatives access to equipment; and COYOSY exists to make ethically made gadgets attractive and accessible to the masses.
Liz Scott, head of entrepreneur engagement at Tech Nation, said: 鈥淭he continued success of Exchange is incredibly exciting for tech and for Manchester. Our mission is to support founders across the UK, so we see all kinds of initiatives and accelerators, but rarely do they deliver the level of impact that Exchange does in a relatively short length of time.聽
鈥淏eing an Exchange member allows founders to tap into an impressive network of advisors, supporters, mentors and investors 鈥� an invaluable asset to these fledgling businesses. I鈥檓 looking forward to seeing the achievements of this cohort, of which I鈥檓 sure there will be many.鈥�