Cornwall’s award-winning internet service provider WebMate has been announced as the headline partner for the Tech South West Awards.
The new awards celebrate and showcase what is the region’s fastest growing part of the economy – technology.
Bristol’s first two privately held startup companies Ovo Energy and Graphcore both valued at over $1 billion dollars, the strength of local tech clusters in Redruth and Truro, Plymouth and Exeter, newly launched cluster groups Digital Taunton and Digital Northern Devon and popular events including Agile on the Beach in Cornwall and VentureFest in Exeter, are all evidence of a burgeoning sector that employs over 20,000 people in Cornwall and Devon alone.
Innovation, leadership, education, research and entrepreneurship are amongst the different aspects of technology that will be recognised by the awards.
Gary Hall, CEO of Bodmin-based WebMate, which provides internet solutions for homes and businesses across the region, said: “As a regional technology company we’re delighted to be backing the Tech South West Awards, which are all about showcasing the very best of the sector across the South West, UK and beyond.
“Technology is increasingly the driver for productivity, innovation and growth for all types of businesses, which is why I believe it’s vital that we celebrate and shout about the good things happening here in the South West. Technology is a sector with passionate people creating exciting products and services, from biomedical advances and healthtech, through to sustainable solutions tackling climate change, robotics, virtual reality and consumer tech.
”I think the awards have arrived at just the right time, as we enter another exciting phase, with clusters growing, new businesses in advanced technologies like data science, blockchain and VR emerging and more joined up working and collaboration than ever before.”
Tech South West and the awards are supported and run by local tech clusters and businesses across Bath and Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire including Astley Media, BT, Cornwall College Group, Cosmic, Digital Northern Devon, Digital Plymouth, Digi Taunton, Engine Shed Bristol, Maistro, OneServe, Software Cornwall, Tech Exeter and TechSPARK.
Toby Parkins, chair of Tech South West and founder of Cornwall-based software firm HeadForwards, said: “We’re delighted to have WebMate onboard as we celebrate the many successes across the South West’s technology scene. Tech South West is helping to connect and raise the profile of the sector both within and beyond the region. Having a Cornwall-based headline partner supporting the awards is brilliant and certainly reflects how the sector’s strength in working together in driving forward innovation and growth.”
Entries are coming in for awards ahead of the Thursday July 25 deadline. Judging takes place in September with the ceremony in November. Categories include Best Startup, International Success and Tech Entrepreneur of the Year, Sustainable Tech, Tech Education Initiative and Research Award, as well as local area awards for each local tech cluster.
For more information and to enter the awards techsouthwestawards.co.uk