Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Following LivingLens success in the Northern Stars start-up competition, the firm’s CEO and co-founder Carl Wong visited London to pitch to investors, network with other tech firms and meet the National Technology Adviser at Number 10 Downing Street.
Government support
Our day began with a visit to 10 Downing Street and a talk with Liam Maxwell, the National Technology Advisor. Liam’s job is to enable the Government to explore and embrace technology solutions and build relationships with the most innovative technology businesses in the UK. That’s where we come in! It was great to hear that Liam wants to remove barriers to us working with Government.
We were also given the tour of Downing Street and grabbed the obligatory front door selfie!
Active investors
Later in the day, we had the awesome opportunity to pitch to an audience of diverse investors at Bloomberg HQ. This again shows the power of what Tech North does. As a co-founder who has been through a number of funding rounds, I know first-hand how incredibly difficult and time consuming it is to get in front of active investors. The investor event enabled us to pitch to an audience in one evening that would have taken months to reach through normal means.
Best of both worlds
As an early stage tech business which has expanded from Liverpool to London – and shortly the US – I like to think that our base and heritage in the North is a massive asset. We are able to access highly skilled people, in collaborative supportive communities, at more affordable costs than in London. We have built a sales and servicing hub in London to drive new business and develop accounts. We have the best of both worlds!
Getting further, faster
We are clearly benefiting from the opportunities Tech North and Tech City UK – where we are part of this year’s @upscaleuk programme – bring. The reality is that London is a vital place to do business and raise funds, but being based in the North can really help you get further, faster. 2017 is going to be a great year for us, and Tech North will play a strong part in that.
Hear more from Carl and other Northern Star winners from Radio.co and Airtime Rewards.
https://youtu.be/CqdDBNjWpMI