The West of England has long been plagued by age-old stereotypes when it comes to its economic contribution to Britain. Of course the region has a thriving food and drink sector and tourism generates billions for the local economy, but it is also a hotbed of innovation and cutting-edge technology.
Giants of aerospace, such as Airbus and Rolls-Royce, are major employers in the West Country while there are high-tech start-ups emerging from the universities at rapid rate. Industries such as nuclear, mining, space and marine tech are also flourishing alongside more traditional sectors, such as financial services and law.
The South West is also home to nationally significant schemes such as Gloucestershire’s planned cyber development Golden Valley; Somerset’s Hinkley Point C power station and Bridgwater's Gravity campus, where the 海角视频’s biggest gigafactory is being built; and Plymouth and South Devon Freeport.
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And then there’s Cornwall’s Goonhilly Earth Station and the Spaceport at Newquay Airport, where the 海角视频 attempted the first launch of a satellite from British soil last year.
Innumerable business success stories have started in the South West, with many big-name companies choosing the region for their headquarters. Among them are ethical bank Triodos and investment firm Hargreaves Lansdown in Bristol; cosmetics brand Lush in Poole; and engineering company Renishaw in Gloucestershire.
The region must be celebrated for its achievements in farming, food and hospitality, there’s no doubt, but it’s got so much more to offer as well. With that in mind, here we take a look at five companies we think are worth keeping an eye on this coming year.
In no particular order…
Q5D
The North Somerset robotics company has patented technology to automate wire laying processes for anything from fighter jets to cars to washing machines. The firm was founded in 2018 and its tech is used in areas of manufacturing that are still largely carried out manually. Earlier this year, Q5D secured £500,000 from a top private equity firm as part of a £2m investment round. It has used the cash to expand its testing hub in Portishead and support the delivery of contracts. In November, bosses Chris Elsworthy and Simon Baggott picked up the Manufacturing Innovation award at the Robotics and Automation Awards ceremony in London.
Kelpi
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This B Corp biotech organisation has developed compostable packaging made from seaweed. The company was founded by Bath University professor Chris Chuck and entrepreneurs Neil Morris and Murray Kenneth, and is now based at the Science Creates incubator in Bristol. The business, which has created a coating that can be applied to paper and card, replacing plastic packaging, raised £4.3m in 2024. It is planning to take its product to market this year. The firm said at the time it would use the investment to recruit more scientists, engineers and commercial staff to conduct large-scale pilots of the material it spent three years developing in the lab.
Mitchell & Webber
This historic Cornish company’s trailblazing approach to heating homes has caught the attention of Westminster. The family-run firm, which operates across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, and Dorset, has been supplying a hamlet in Cornwall with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as an alternative fuel for heating for the last four years. A government select committee visited Kehelland last year where the trial is taking place. HVO is made from waste material similar to cooking oil but it is currently taxed at a higher rate than fossil fuels. Mitchell & Webber is hoping to engage further with the government to highlight the benefits of HVO as an alternative renewable fuel.
RoleMapper
The Exeter company has developed an AI-powered platform to help businesses hire more diversely. It raised £2.1m in a funding round last year which it said would support job creation and the overall growth of the business. The company’s technology helps firms recruit candidates based on their skill set rather than educational background - as well as hybrid and flexible working. It was founded by Sara Hill in 2019 and was named on a list of 10 early-stage companies considered “at the forefront of technology” across the 海角视频 in 2021. Since then, it has gone on to receive backing from major investors.
Anaphite
The Bristol battery technology company was launched in 2018 by chemist Sam Burrow and physicist Alexander Hewitt, and has developed tech with the potential to make electric vehicle battery manufacturing cheaper and less energy intensive. Last year the business raised £10.4m in a Series A funding round, with a cohort of climate investors joining the firm. The money is being used to commission a plant and support new jobs and further R&D investment.