Birmingham Science Park’s Entrepreneurs for the Future tech incubator (e4f) has accepted three new start-ups, taking the total number of companies who have benefited from the programme to over 60 in less than three years.
L-R David Roberts of AppliCatalyst, Daniel Thompson of D4 Software, Katherine Preston of Birmingham Science Park, Ben Nimmo of Social SignIn and Simon Kaguramamba of AppliCatalyst
D4 Software, Social SignIn and AppliCatalyst will receive free expert advice and mentoring to achieve investor readiness, as well as telephone, internet and office space at Birmingham Science Park for six months; a package which has a monetary value of £10,000.
As a sponsor of e4f, Challinors law firm also participated in the selection panel. Jamie Partington, commercial solicitor at Challinors said: “The quality of the pitches from, from D4 Software, AppliCatalyst and Social SignIn, was highly impressive due to the innovative nature of each product and the talent and desire of the entrepreneurs behind each start-up
“It is fantastic news that emergent businesses of such potential are being set-up and cultivated in Birmingham, and further recognition that a widely recognised and much admired tech-cluster has formed across the city. Birmingham Science Park has created an ideal environment for tech start-ups to launch, develop their business and grow.”
The three new start-ups include D4 Software, which has developed Query Tree, a business intelligence tool, which uses ‘flow based programming’ to provide a simplistic, visual centric approach to collecting and understanding large amounts of data. Specifically aimed at knowledge workers, this software tool will allow businesses to mine public or internal data more efficiently to aid profit focussed decisions.
Social SignIn is developing social CRM (Customer Resource Management) software that enables organisations to extend social media activity to their employees within a controlled system. This easy to use web or mobile application will enable1-10,000 company ambassadors to manage, communicate and analyse corporate social media activity.
AppliCatalyst is an online platform that offers prospective international students, international recruitment agents and UK education establishments a software programme that unifies, streamlines and ultimately improves the application process. The product is already in use at select universities within the UK, where the product is being further developed. AppliCatalyst aims to launch nationwide to universities and educational establishments early next year.
Katherine Preston, e4f Business Incubation Manager at Birmingham Science Park said: “A key contributing factor to the creation of over 60 start-ups at Birmingham Science Park’s e4f incubator, is the expert advice provided by our mentors and sponsors to each entrepreneur in the early stages of their business development.
“Challinors’ reputation and expertise for its provision of legal services in the technology, media and creative sectors makes the firm a perfect legal partner to the Entrepreneurs for the Future Centre. It was great that Jamie took part in this quarter’s selection and as a sponsor, Challinors will continue to provide our new and existing start-ups with invaluable commercial and investment advice.”
To be enrolled into the e4f business incubation centre, entrepreneurs must pitch their idea to a panel, with a view to becoming a registered Ltd company. E4f is Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, making it unique to Birmingham as the only incubator dedicated to harnessing and supporting start-ups operating in digital media, ICT, med tech or clean tech sectors.
For more information on how to apply for e4f, visit www.e4f.co.uk