Companies included in the inaugural Greater Manchester Tech Climbers are聽set to create nearly 400 jobs over the next 12 months.
That鈥檚 one of the conclusions of new data聽released to coincide with the announcement of the names included in the first ever Greater Manchester聽.
A total of 19聽companies were selected for the inaugural Greater Manchester Tech Climbers list, with聽seven聽making the ones to watch list.
The winners were announced at a sold-out event held at the HQ of Peak AI, hosted by Chris Maguire, executive editor of media partner 老九品茶Cloud and TechBlast.
According to聽research:
- 77% of entrants to this year鈥檚 Manchester Tech Climbers list are seeking growth capital;
- 66% of firms on the list have already received funding;
- 51% of entrants cited access to finance as their biggest barrier;
- Over聽half would like to see more聽angel聽investors and venture capital support in the region.
The list is judged by the project partners, and looks at investment,聽impact,聽and innovation. Entrants聽submit聽a snapshot of their data which is also used to chart growth and insight into the businesses and their challenges.
Anna Heyes, founder of Tech Climbers and CEO of Active Profile, said: 鈥淭ech Climbers聽2023聽in Manchester聽has revealed exactly why we聽launched here this year.
鈥淭he ecosystem is聽thriving, and聽there are challenges that companies are rising to across the board.
鈥淭he region is fast聽on the road to聽becoming the UK鈥檚 biggest tech hub, driving millions in funding, and creating thousands of jobs, but聽there鈥檚聽still loads to be done together as a community.
鈥淔rom聽the recent launch of the Turing Innovation Catalyst to聽Google launching聽its AI-driven Project Green Light聽in conjunction with Transport for Greater Manchester聽last week.
鈥淚t鈥檚聽a fantastic place to be, and聽we鈥檙e聽privileged to be聽celebrating聽some of these incredible businesses as part of our聽2023聽Tech Climbers list.鈥�
Ayan Mohamed, founder of 2023 Tech Climber Digitech Oasis, added: 鈥淢anchester鈥檚 tech scene is a dynamic landscape, and platforms like Tech Climbers provide not just recognition but a stage for collaboration, investment, and growth.
鈥淲e entered to share our story, but more importantly, to connect with fellow climbers, investors, and partners who share our vision of shaping the future through technology. This initiative is more than a list;聽it’s聽a community, and聽we’re聽proud to be part of it.鈥�
Ben Davies, founder of Vypr, also a 2023 Tech Climber, commented: 鈥淎fter a decade of raising nearly 拢10m of angel and institutional investment for Vypr, I can safely say Manchester has become an outstanding ecosystem for entrepreneurs to raise money for ambitious, scalable businesses.
鈥淓vents like Tech Climbers bring early stage and seasoned entrepreneurs together with the investment market to form new relationships and cement existing ones.鈥�
First launched in 2019, Tech Climbers created an inaugural list and celebration in Liverpool City Region.
The Tech Climbers mission is to showcase and celebrate scaling tech businesses in growth regions across the UK.
More than 150 people attended Tech Climbers Greater Manchester, which was sponsored by Brabners, Burns Sheehan, Marks & Clerk, MHA and TD SYNNEX, and compiled by Active Profile in association with 老九品茶Cloud and TechBlast.