News and coverage

EV is looking for three highly-motivated individuals with experience in working with small to medium-sized companies which will be based in either the North West, North East or Yorkshire & Humber.

Working as part of a small, hardworking and enthusiastic team, the role involves seeking out technologies, people and new companies with the potential to produce radical change in their markets. Often these companies will need a great deal of help and will be open to new ideas that can build their ambition and capabilities.

The role would ideally suit individuals with experience of fundraising, business planning, corporate finance or commercial banking with strong project management skills. Previous experience in a sales/promotions environment would be advantageous as this role requires a sales element.

Applicants will have the following key attributes:
• Financially literate with an ability to understand the basics of company finances
• Able to challenge and question applicants and investees on both commercial and product issues and to be able to identify those that are making unsupported claims
• Commercially aware, with sound judgment
• Strong project management skills
• Proven analytical and problem solving abilities
• Able to manage duties with limited guidance and/or technical assistance
• An effective networker able to positively promote EV and its funds under management and to build a strong contact base with regional intermediaries and deal referrers
• A good communicator, both written and verbally
• Able to build good relationships with EV clients, investees and other contacts
• Energy, enthusiasm and a keen interest in the SME space.

Candidates should submit their CV and a covering letter to Lisa Ward at EV - email lw@evgroup.uk.com.

Peopletoo, the public sector consultancy business, has secured further investment from existing backers to fund the company’s continued growth.

This second round of funding was led by EV and includes additional investment from the Coalfields Enterprise Fund, which is managed by EV, alongside investment from private investors and a number of employees.

Peopletoo, which is based in Ashby-de-la-Zouche, helps local authorities to implement savings and improve service in areas such as transport and adult care. Its fees are funded by the savings generated, a business model that is unique in the marketplace.

The success of the business in delivering results for customers was recently highlighted when it was shortlisted for the prestigious LGC business partnership awards. Peopletoo was recognised for its innovative and outstanding results, working in partnership with Bournemouth County Council to improve adult social care.

Paul Betts, investment manager with EV which manages the Coalfields Funds, said: “Given the challenges facing the public sector, Peopletoo’s services are in increasing demand. We are delighted with the company’s progress since EV’s initial investment in 2010. The business continues to attract quality consultants and has doubled its turnover in the past 12 months. The additional funding will allow it to take on more employees and scale up its operations even further.”

Mike Butler, Chief Executive of Peopletoo, said: “We are delighted with the continued support of EV and all our investors. The growth we are achieving is as a result of hard work and the expertise of the people that work in the business. We look forward to our continued progress in the market by delivering outstanding results for our customers.”

Venture capitalist EV has achieved a record first quarter in 2012, signalling growing demand for equity funding and a resurgence of entrepreneurial ambition in UK SMEs.

The company, which invests SMEs across the UK regions, invested over £8 million in 49 transactions in the three months to the end of March 2012, up 70 per cent on the same period last year. The latest results demonstrate continued growth for EV following 2012 when it invested a record £19.7m.

EV Chief Executive Jonathan Diggines said: “Perhaps the penny has dropped – that now is a good time to invest and build a business. We find that companies founded in a downturn have to be leaner and stronger than those built during easier times. This means that in current conditions smaller enterprises are frequently quicker to react to any opportunity to grow – and can make real strides, while bigger more mature companies are sitting on their hands.”

EV now has £130m funds under management and is now one of a small number of providers of early-stage equity funding to SMEs in the UK. EV is finding that entrepreneurs and small businesses are increasingly considering raising venture capital in face of the difficulty in raising conventional debt finance.

Diggines added: “There is a lot of talk about the availability of funding for SMEs. Yes: there is money for SMEs – but it is generally not aimed at small businesses. Lenders reckon it is easier and safer to invest in bigger SMEs – established businesses with turnover of up to €50m and 250 employees. Small Enterprises – and the vast majority of UK businesses fall into this category, with less than €10m turnover and fewer than 50 employees – still struggle to raise capital and start ups are notoriously difficult to fund.

“EV is one of a severely limited number of sources of growth and venture funding for smaller firms and entrepreneurs who need to raise finance. The small company funding gap must be resolved if the UK economy is to grow – and once growth materialises the funding requirement will only increase.”

Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna emphasised the importance of entrepreneurs in rebuilding the economy at an event in Manchester hosted by venture capitalist EV.

Mr Umunna met entrepreneurs who had received investment to develop and grow their business from EV to hear their views on access to finance for small firms. He told them: “I think we have a big structural problem with the way our financial services sector works in this country . . . our banks do serve SMEs but do not see it as providing a big enough margin. This is one of the reasons we are looking very seriously at plans for a British investment bank.”

Companies attending had received finance from a range of funds managed by EV including the North West Fund for Venture Capital, Finance Yorkshire Seedcorn Fund, the Lancashire Rosebud Fund and the RisingStars Growth Fund.

EV’s Chief Executive Jonathan Diggines said: “EV is one of a relatively small number of providers of growth and venture capital to SMEs and we are playing our part in helping to plug the funding gap at this end of the market. The UK needs to explore new ways to ensure that there is sufficient investment going into this critical part of the UK economy.”

 

Companies backed by EV Tech’s RisingStars Growth Funds are continuing to shine.

Biofortuna, the Wirral-based diagnostics company, has secured a further £2.1m investment. The Foresight Group (UK), a new investor, has put in £1.25m, with the balance coming from the existing investors including EV Tech’s Rising Stars Growth Fund II.

Biofortuna’s molecular diagnostic kits can be stored at room temperature and are based on its novel freeze-dried technology. The new funding round will enable it to expand its manufacturing operations, secure more regulatory approvals, mainly in the US market, and broaden its product range.

Meanwhile Altacor, the Cambridge-based ophthalmology business, has acquired a suitor in the form of French company NicOx. NicOx has invested £2 million to purchase an 11.8% stake in Altacor, with an option to acquire the entire company – a deal which would provide an exit for the RisingStars Growth Fund II. Altacor’s products include the Clinitas range for dry eye.

Life sciences business Provexis plc has recruited highly respected sports nutrition academic Dr James Morton to its specialist Science in Sport (SiS) business. In his role as Senior Sports Nutritionist, James will help communicate the benefits of SiS sports nutrition to elite athletes and serious amateurs. Provexis is based in Windsor.

Plant Impact, the Preston-based business whose products help improve crop performance, has announced changes in its licence agreement with Arysta over BugOil, an insect control product. The firm said it believed the amendments "markedly" improved its financial position and cash flow. The announcement resulted in a rise in Plant Impact’s share price.

Provexis and Plant Impact are Rising Stars Growth Fund I portfolio companies.

Julian Viggars, EV’s Head of Technology Investment, said: “Recent newsflow across the EV Tech portfolios is encouraging, and indicative of much wider significant levels of corporate interaction with our investees.”

A Manchester based entrepreneur who has achieved success with a remedy for men has won backing from the North West Fund for Venture Capital to expand his product range.

Jonathan Evans has secured a £500,000 investment from the fund, which is managed by EV, to pursue ideas for other health and wellbeing products following the success of MANFLU ‘Hot or Shot’.

Described as ‘the ultimate swift comfort drink for men’, MANFLU ‘Hot or Shot’ is a modern man’s version of “granny’s secret recipe” that can be drunk on the go as a ‘booster’ shot or drunk hot for the ultimate long soothing brew.

The product was launched in late 2010 and is now on sale in major Sainsbury’s stores and leading pharmacy chains nationwide. It has sold over 100,000 bottles in Sainsbury’s alone from just three inches of shelf space.

Jonathan, aged 40, is a marketing and innovation specialist who has worked on major brands such as £100m youth snack brand, Pot Noodle and world-leading rum brand Bacardi. He has developed and launched successful products both in the UK and internationally before setting up his own business.

He was joined last year by non-executive chairman Chris Hook, the former owner of Nutrition Point, a business specialising in gluten-free products which he sold to an Italian nutrition business in 2010.

Jonathan said: “Having the financial backing and support of EV will make a huge difference. Combine the knowledge, experience and knowhow of Chris Hook and the exciting range of innovative products we are bringing to market - this gives us all the ingredients of a winning team.”

Will Clark, investment director with EV, said: “Jonathan is a skilled marketeer with a strong, proven, track record in creating and managing brands. He has already been successful in getting MANFLU ‘Hot or Shot’ on the shelves in major retail outlets and has identified some exciting concepts for other health and wellbeing brands. This funding will help the company to develop those ideas and bring them to market.”

A government-funded programme which helps businesses to exploit their innovations overseas is seeking applications from companies in the North West.

The TR&DE programme helps businesses to develop the commercial potential of their products and ideas to take advantage of opportunities in overseas markets. Applications for this latest round of funding must be received no later than 20th April.

TR&DE offers one-to-one support and advice, and also up to £3,000 in matched funding to implement a tailored development programme. The money may be used to explore new markets, developing a strategy to commercialise the idea and enter international markets or pay for professional advice, for example on protecting the intellectual property.

To be eligible, a companies must be an SME, based in the North West, and one which is eligible for, or in receipt of, R&D tax credits (or have 1 FTE in an R&D position). TR&DE is funded by UKTI and managed by EV and Grant Thornton.

The TR&DE programme has assisted over 130 companies since it began in 2011. They include BiSN Technologies, a consultancy which helps the oil and gas industry to improve production and reduce costs, and which has found joint venture partners in the US and India as a result of the programme.

Orb Travel Technology, which is developing a device to protect data in credit cards and the new biometric passports, has received assistance to protect its intellectual property and prepare the product for market, which included exploring the best materials and technologies.

“The funding has enabled us to resolve some of the technical issues and develop the product this far,” says Andre Kay, Managing Director of Orb. “However what has been most valuable to me has been the relationships I have developed with the TR&DE team. Their assistance and support has been invaluable.”

For more information or to request an application form, contact Lisa Ward at EV.

A creative sound, light and video business started by a young entrepreneur has secured a £175,000 investment from the North West Fund for Venture Capital, through fund manager EV.

Sound2Light Productions (S2L), founded by 29-year-old Mark Rivkin, provides bespoke technical services for live events. The company combines original concepts, innovative thinking and the latest technology to provide its clients with exciting and imaginative designs for their events or installations.

Mark, who graduated from Imperial College, London with a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering with management, has managed a number of high-profile projects. They include lighting a performance by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Buckingham Palace and a project for the BBC’s Election Night Special, which involved beaming the live election results on to Big Ben via a complex and long-distance video projection before 17 million viewers.

Following an introduction from EV, the company has appointed Charles Moyle as Chairman. Charles developed his own events business from a start-up before selling it in 2008 to Grass Roots Group, where he is now Managing Director of Communication and Events Production.

S2L has recently moved to new premises near Chester and is now planning to extend its team with the appointment of a business development manager and technical manager in the near future.

EV investment director Will Clark said: “Mark is a creative entrepreneur who has built a business with an impressive client list and now wants to grow it into a successful and internationally respected company. This investment, from the North West Fund for Venture Capital, together with the strategic input from the new Chairman, will help him along the road to achieve his goal.”

A Yorkshire company which was one of the first to receive backing from a fund to boost businesses in coalfields areas is celebrating seven years of success.

Rostra UK Ltd, which specialises in the treatment of varicose veins, was founded by former nurses Ian Brown and Melanie Moore in 2005 with investment from the Coalfields Fund. Rostra is based in Barnsley and employs 11 people. The Coalfields Fund has now exited the business, giving full control to the management team.

Rostra works in partnership with hospitals and primary care trusts to help them manage their waiting lists and can offer same-day appointments, diagnosis and treatment, where appropriate. Over 70 per cent of patients are discharged within four weeks of receiving their GP referral letter. The company also runs Laserveins, an online service which matches patients seeking private treatment with surgeons within their area.

The Coalfields Fund, which is managed by EV, has continued to work in partnership with Rostra UK since its initial investment. Wayne Thomas, investment director with EV, said: “We are delighted that backing from the fund has helped Ian and Melanie to put their businessidea in to practice and create new jobs in this former coalfields area.

“Rostra UK provides an efficient and valuable service to the NHS and is also taking up opportunities within the private health sector as part of its ongoing growth plan.”

The Coalfields Funds offer sums of between £40,000 and £1 million to SMEs at all stages of their development. The investment, which is in the form of equity funding, can be used to support start-ups and early stage businesses, provide growth capital for more established businesses, as well as funding mergers, acquisitions and management buy–outs.

The Coalfields Funds were established in 2004 to support the growth of businesses and encourage entrepreneurship in the former English coalfields regions and, so far, have made 28 investments.

Lancashire’s Rosebud Fund – one of the longest-established business support funds of its type in the UK – has revised its investment strategy to target high-growth sectors.

Rosebud will now focus on investing in businesses involved in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, business and professional services, creative and digital, and the energy and environmental sectors, whether operating directly in these sectors or supporting others.

Established by Lancashire County Council in 1986, Rosebud aims to help generate wealth and employment. The new policy is in line with the council’s strategy to build on existing strengths in the local economy and develop centres of excellence to attract more private sector investment.

Rosebud provides loan and equity funding ranging from £50,000 to £1 million for a range of uses including start-ups, funding for growth or for deals such as management buy-outs and acquisitions. Businesses must be based in, or relocating to, the administrative county of Lancashire.
Rosebud is managed by EV.

Paul Taberner, investment director with EV, said: “In the 26 years it has been in existence, Rosebud has invested in more than 1,000 Lancashire businesses across all sectors. Today, more than ever, it is a valuable source of growth funding at a time when firms are having difficulty in accessing conventional sources of finance.

“While we will still consider applications from good businesses across the board, focusing on a number of key sectors will provide a more targeted way for Lancashire to build expertise, attract investment and create new jobs in high-growth industries.”

Peckforton Pharmaceuticals Ltd, the North West-based, niche supplier of specialty pharmaceuticals, has secured a further funding package of over £1m from management and existing investors Enterprise Ventures and YFM Equity Partners, along with the Royal Bank of Scotland.'

This latest investment round will provide additional growth capital to support a significant increase in the company’s activity levels, including new product launches.

Peckforton is a fast-growing business which focuses on supplying injectable drugs to hospitals. It has been rated as the number one supplier to the NHS Commercial Medicines Unit for the past five years. It also offers a range of over the counter products including antacids.

The company has the regulatory expertise to source low-cost products in countries such as India and gain the necessary approvals to bring them to market in the UK.

Julian Viggars, Head of Technology Investment at EV, said: ’Peckforton is experiencing rapid growth as a result of new contract wins, licence approvals and new product launches. The company has won over 80 per cent of contracts it has bid for over the past four years and been named as the leading supplier in its field to the NHS. It is also looking to pursue a number of other growth opportunities. Peckforton has proved an increasingly valuable asset and one which is attracting attention in the marketplace from the UK and overseas.”

Angela Warner, Portfolio Director at YFM Equity Partners, added: “Since we invested in the business in 2007, we have worked in partnership with the management team and Enterprise Ventures to grow the business to become a market leading supplier of medicines to the NHS. This additional financial investment will enable the team to develop its business both nationally and internationally.”

Paul Boulton, Managing Director of Peckforton, commented: “We are delighted by the continued confidence in our team demonstrated by our current investors. This investment will allow Peckforton to progress with its development pipeline and consider expanding into continental Europe.”

ScraperWiki, a Liverpool-based software business, has received backing from The North West Fund for Venture Capital. It is part of a series of developments that have seen the business secure over $1m to invest in its products and development.

The funding has allowed the company to scale up software development activities and increase sales and marketing, including running a series of workshops across the United States as part of programme sponsored by a major US media group.

ScraperWiki, which is based on Liverpool Science Park, has developed an internet platform that enables users to develop and run software to collect data from across the web. The platform allows users to privately or collaboratively develop programmes.

Collaborative development platforms can allow users to share their data or trade programming skills with customers who need data collected or analysed. The business has key corporate sectors, including the media, who have such a need to gather and resell information. Increasingly major news stories are being developed from public web sources.

Founded by Aidan McGuire and Julian Todd, ScraperWiki secured funding from Channel 4 in 2010, and last year won a major award from the US Knight Foundation to support the rollout of its platform across the US.

To coincide with the investment, the company has appointed a new Chair, Jane Silber, CEO of Canonical whose product Ubuntu is the leading open source platform for cloud computing.

Francis Irving, CEO of ScraperWiki, said: “The market for business data will be fully disrupted over the next decade and we will be using this investment to drive up data accessibility and drive down data the cost and effort involved in accessing the data.”

The North West Fund for Venture Capital, managed by EV, has made a substantial investment in the business as part of the latest funding round.

Doug Stellman, Investment Director for the fund, said: “Usage of ScraperWiki has reached an inflexion point and is set to take off as awareness of the platform spreads. In addition to the corporate and government customers, ScraperWiki has growing a community of independent IT professionals who are using it to provide data analysis services to their customers. There have already been some fascinating examples of novel collaborations.”

Stuart Scott Goldstone of Aarons, Chester advised EV on the investment, while Gary Jones of Weightmans, Liverpool, advised ScraperWiki.

A company backed by EV has won a £250,000 grant to develop a new, more environmentally friendly washing machine.

Xeros has been awarded the funding from the Technology Strategy Board to create a domestic laundry machine capable of reducing water consumption by up to 80 per cent and slashing energy use by half.

The grant, the highest that can be awarded through the Board’s Smart scheme, will be match funded by shareholder funds following a successful private equity funding round in 2011, which EV backed through its Risingstars II and Finance Yorkshire Seedcorn Funds.

Xeros has established a process that delivers superior cleaning performance yet uses significantly less water, energy and detergent than conventional washing systems. The process uses small nylon polymer beads to ‘attract’ stains. Within the Xeros washing system, the gentle flow of the beads acts just like water. They tumble with the washload and transport stains off garments to be locked into the nylon’s molecular structure.

Domestic washing machines consume approximately 50 litres of water per wash. On average, washer/dryer systems account for 13 per cent of household energy use. If all UK households were fitted with machines powered by Xeros technology, the potential savings to UK consumers would total more than £2 billion per annum. It would also represent a net reduction of 4.2 million tonnes of CO2 per annum.

The domestic Xeros washing machine will be approximately one fifth of the size of the commercial technology that continues to be used by Jeeves of Belgravia and Watford Launderers & Cleaners as part of a long term trial.

Bill Westwater, Chief Executive of Xeros, said: “We are delighted that the Technology Strategy Board has awarded a significant grant to Xeros. Together with our own shareholder funding it will enable Xeros to accelerate our plans for the domestic market place. This has long been part of our business plan. If the application of our technology in this market matches the proven viability of our large size machines in the commercial laundry, we are one step closer to our ultimate goal, namely to convert the world of aqueous washing to Xeros bead cleaning.”

Located at the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Xeros Limited has commercialised a globally relevant technology which originally came out of pioneering work at the Textile Design department of the University of Leeds.

Xeros has raised over £6 million in funding from private investment and government R&D grants to commercialise the technology.

Stephen Browning, Head of the Smart programme at the Technology Strategy Board, commented: "The Smart scheme is designed to support research and development by SMEs that has the potential to offer economic growth and lead to the introduction of successful new products and processes. We are therefore very pleased to support Xeros through this grant as it will enable them to make the investment in staff, technology and materials needed to accelerate the development of their innovative product."

eoSemi, the Congleton-based technology company, has secured a £1.5milion second tranche of funding from existing investors including EV.

This latest funding round will allow the company to continue its work in developing silicon replacements for the quartz crystals currently used in electronic devices. EV, which first supported eoSemi in October 2009, has invested alongside the UK government-backed fund NESTA Investments and the Belgian fund Capital-E.

“The continuing commitment of our investors is a ringing endorsement, not only of our core technology, but also of the progress made by our team towards bringing that technology to market,” said eoSemi CEO Ian Macbeth. “We are addressing a long-term market opportunity in excess of $4bn, and moving confidently from early-stage technology development towards commercial success.”

eoSemi’s technology will enable the creation of new silicon devices to replace the costly, bulky and unreliable external quartz crystals that are still used in even the newest consumer and industrial devices, from mobile phones to televisions.

Ed French, Investment Director, EV said: “eoSemi has made remarkable progress in developing the first really viable alternative to quartz in a century of electronics development. Its approach will allow manufacturers to reduce the number of parts required for each device and therefore the cost and size.`

A niche B2B consultancy company which helps IT resellers to grow their business has received a significant investment from the North West Fund for Venture Capital, through fund manager EV.

Channel Intellect, which is based in Wirral, works with Cisco partners throughout the UK to help them develop their business and also advises Cisco on how to get the best from its partner network. The company’s unique portfolio has materially assisted some of Cisco’s most recent high-growth partners to over-achieve against their business plans.

The funding will help to accelerate the company’s expansion by recruiting additional resource and to market its e-learning portal for Cisco partners. As part of its growth strategy, Channel Intellect will be looking to pursue opportunities in overseas markets in association with its key client, Comstor, the UK's leading Cisco distributor.

Cisco is the world’s leading networking, voice and data communications businesses. It has around 4,500 Channel partners in the UK at different levels of certification. Channel Intellect, which was founded in 2006 by John Shannon, helps partners to develop their businesses by gaining higher levels of Cisco certification as well as enhancing their relationship and engagement with Cisco.

John had gained an in-depth knowledge of Cisco’s operations through his previous roles, including that at Total Network Solutions, an Oswestry business which he helped to build and which was sold to BT in 2005. He was retained by BT in a senior management role after the sale but decided to ‘break out’ shortly afterwards to set up his own operation. At formation, he was joined by Non-Executive Chairman Andrew Kitchen, an experienced executive who has also invested in the business.

EV investment director Will Clark said: “Channel Intellect’s strategic input and deep knowledge of Cisco’s operation allowed it to be first to market with its innovative offering. We have been impressed by the quality of the management team and the quality of the service, reflected in the high level of repeat business. The funding will allow it to scale up the business and pursue growth.

“This is the latest in a series of management break-outs we have backed under the North West Fund For Venture Capital. All of them are highly capable and experienced professionals and in each case, the funding is giving them the backing they need to build their own operation and pursue their own ideas.”

Channel Intellect Managing Director, John Shannon, commented: "I am delighted that EV has invested in CI at such an exciting time in the evolution of our business. This additional funding will allow us to accelerate our plans to further develop sales in the UK from our base in the North West and, in line with our clients expectations, to expand into Europe and the USA. Our programme of recruiting high-calibre industry professionals continues apace, fully supported by our new investor."

Hammerkit, a Finnish cloud technology provider which opened an office at Liverpool Science Park in October 2010 to target the global PR market, has received backing from the North West Fund as part of a €1.25m (£1.05m) investment round.

The company, which provides repeatable, digital solutions for the PR and marketing industry, will use the funding to establish its Cloudstore business in the UK. It plans to create 12 new jobs in Liverpool in the next year and a further 40-50 positions in the city within three to four years.

The North West Fund for Venture Capital, managed by EV, and the North West Fund for Digital & Creative, managed by AXM, have between them invested £435,000, with an equal amount coming from Veraventure, a Helsinki-based institutional investor. The company has also received further support from Tekes, the Finnish funding agency for technology and innovation.

Hammerkit was established five years ago in Helsinki by a team of IT professionals. Its cloud-based web development toolkit and Cloudstore make it faster and easier to build professional-grade websites and social media applications. A key feature is that any site can be launched as a repeatable solution, effectively turning one-off web projects into potential best-selling digital products. Cloudstore has been piloted with the global PR agencies Edelman in Latin America and Hill+Knowlton Strategies in Europe.

“The digital industry is crying out for more effective ways to produce the services that clients need. We developed the Cloudstore to meet that need and ensure that large agencies can leverage their scale to produce digital services effectively. We also want to help them join up their creative talent to ensure the best, most repeatable solutions are shared across their company to increase revenue and profit margins.

"We’re excited to launch the next phase of Hammerkit and the creation of a new digital industry hub in Liverpool, given its abundance of digital talent and proximity to MediaCityUK. There is real passion here to succeed,” said Mark Sorsa-Leslie, CEO of Hammerkit.

Will Clark, Investment Director of EV, said: “Hammerkit has identified a niche in the PR and marketing industry with major growth potential. With the rapid rise in social and digital media, PR agencies want the ability to create new sites for specific promotional campaigns quickly and easily using non-specialist staff. Hammerkit provides repeatable, off-the-shelf solutions that allow agencies to create new revenue streams and improve profits. This investment will allow the company to develop a permanent NW base to service its target client base of global PR agencies, which typically have a large UK presence.”

David Smith of AXM added: “Hammerkit has an award-winning background, and we hope that AXM’s knowledge and sector contacts will prove invaluable as it expands its business model here in the North West of England.”

Liverpool Vision, the city’s economic development company introduced Hammerkit to Liverpool which quickly made it its first UK location because of its closely connected and well networked digital industry and its close proximity to MediaCityUK in Salford.

Steve Smith, IT industry director at Liverpool Vision, said: “This is a groundbreaking move by Hammerkit and represents the culmination of two years of effort by Vision working with Hammerkit’s CEO, Mark Sorsa-Leslie. Hammerkit are an ideal inward investor bringing great technology, innovation and very welcome job opportunities.

“They chose Liverpool because we are big enough to matter and small enough to care! The combination of high talent availability at sensible prices was one of the key factors in selecting Liverpool as their UK HQ. Join me in ensuring that Liverpool fully supports this great company”.