Yesterday, I hosted the 9th annual Northern Tech Awards, presented by GP Bullhound, from Manchester’s glorious Albert Hall.
This is undoubtedly a challenging time for technology.
After a Covid-era boom, global technology stocks have entered a bear market, ending one of the most lucrative trades of recent years.
In April, the crown jewel of the UK tech industry, Cambridge-based chip company Arm, announced its intentions to conduct its initial public offering in New York, not London – sparking concerns about the UK’s attractiveness for tech companies.
Yet, the future of UK tech is not just about London and the South East and in the North of England, the sector is going from strength to strength.
Not only home to a £5 billion, fast-growing digital ecosystem, Manchester has been named the UK’s Top Digital Tech City.
Along with Sheffield and Leeds, the ‘Northern Triangle’ is home to nearly 1,500 tech companies, including seven tech unicorns and five ‘futurecorns’. The region’s universities have produced 95 tech spin outs.
At the #NorthernTechAwards, we celebrated the region’s success stories.
Congratulations to all of the award winners, and a special shoutout to the recipients of this year’s Overall Judges’ award, Modern Milkman – an exceptional company who has revolutionised the time-honoured tradition of the milk-round, for a digital and climate-conscious age.
Thank you to GP Bullhound, our partners, sponsors and attendees for a truly inspirational evening.