A Tyneside safety tech business is set to tap into new AI features on the back of a £1.5m investment boost.
Notify Technology was launched in in 2017 by Duncan Davies and Andy Dumbell to help businesses to digitally record information through a platform designed to improve health and safety at work. Its platform allows clients to document everything from accidents and near misses to complete audits, inspections and risk assessments, and to manage safety documents and analyse safety data from one central location.
Now the firm, whose clients include McDonalds, Siemens and the NHS, has raised a further £1.5m from Calculus Capital, the North East Venture Fund supported by the European Regional Development Fund and managed by Mercia Ventures, and private investors.
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Notify Technology will use the funding to boost its platform with the addition of new AI-powered features and to accelerate its sales and marketing operations.
Duncan Davies, co-founder and CEO, said: “Notify has become the challenger brand in Safety Tech through our approach to service and innovation, delivered by a fantastic team. I’m delighted we’ve been able to raise additional capital from long term investors to support our latest innovations and to continue our growth trajectory. Thousands of organisations are recognising the value of looking after the health, safety and wellbeing of their workforce, and Notify is now perfectly placed to deliver software that drives employee engagement and productivity.”
A Northumberland life sciences firm has sealed a £500,000 investment to ramp up work on a new cancer-prevention treatment. Lant Medical has secured £500,000 investment from Innovate 海角视频, the 海角视频’s innovation agency, and two angel investors from the Northern Investor Hub, to design a clinical trial for a promising new non-antibiotic treatment which is designed to eradicate cancer-causing bacteria.
The Alnwick based business, founded by CEO Joanne Lant, will use the funding to design a clinical trial for the treatment, which targets H. Pylori, the most common pathogenic bacteria in the world. Around half the world’s population is infected with the bacteria but current treatment options remain limited and problematic.
H. pylori infections are treated with two or three antibiotics simultaneously, which Ms Lant says often leads to incomplete eradication and it is a worldwide concern that antibiotics are gaining resistance. The firm's first product - HELIX - aims treats the root cause and all the symptoms of H. pylori, and it aims to be an over-the-counter therapy.
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The investment – £250,000 from Innovate 海角视频 and £250,000 from the investors with the Northern Investor Hub – will pay for the design of the clinical trial, manufacture of the formulation for trial, and for field trials to then take place in India. Lant Medical is also working alongside the NHS to improve access to H. Pylori testing, allowing patients to obtain a test without the need for repeated GP visits.
Ms Lant said: “I’m excited by the possibility for this treatment to help a lot of people, benefitting their overall health and avoiding the misery of side effects from antibiotics. It will also contribute to cost-savings and efficiency for the NHS, saving multiple trips to GPs and reducing the number of costly antibiotics prescribed.
Newcastle retail giant Fenwick has announced its latest culinary collaboration, joining forces with another North East institution to bring award-winning fish and chips to its store.
The department store chain has previously enjoyed success through partnerships with Greggs and Hjem, and is currently serving tea and toasties in its Barbour cafe, alongside its speciality delicatessen and wine bar Blacks Corner. Later this month, however, the firm's Northumberland Street store will launch a Colmans Fish and Chips, a new venture which will see Fenwick join forces with the fellow family business to create a fresh take on the nation’s favourite dish.
Richard Colman, director at Colmans Fish and Chips, said the new partnership will set to shake up Newcastle’s bourgeoning hospitality scene when it opens on Thursday March 20. He said: "Just like fish and chips, Fenwick is associated with family, tradition and timeless experiences. We want Colmans Fish and Chips to become part of a special Fenwick experience that’s synonymous with growing up in the North East.”
Kieran McBride, store director at Fenwick, said: “We are delighted to partner with fellow North East founded family brand Colmans to launch Colmans Fish and Chips at Fenwick. If you’re looking for the best fish and chips in the region then look no further. With a legion of celebrity fans and a reputation for absolute quality, this collaboration is one we are incredibly excited about and we’re confident that our customers will love the Colmans and Fenwick experience."
Steel River Consultants (SRC) is celebrating a third term to provide HSE consultancy services to energy supplier, RWE, on its multimillion-pound consultants framework.
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SRC has spent most of the last five years working on the Sofia Offshore Wind Farm project (Sofia), which is connected to the National Grid at Lackenby, near Redcar and has a £3bn construction cost. It is currently 100% owned by RWE.
SRC’s managing director, Graham Tyerman, said: “We are delighted to once again be appointed to the RWE framework for HSE services and this is testament to the great team that currently work on the RWE business and provide a comprehensive, trustworthy service.
“As a hands-on and practical firm, which has been a contributing factor in our re-appointment, we are now able to look forward to working on some of the most groundbreaking renewable energy projects in the world, whilst at the same time, building on our success to grow SRC with the increase in business that this framework will generate.”
North East manufacturer Fairgrieve Compression Moulding is to produce 1,000 of its firewall brackets a day after winning a new contract to supply the product to the construction sector.
The contract, for which production is set to start next month, comes on the back of repeated industry recognition for the product and the 112-year-old business. Specifically designed, developed and manufactured to help improve fire safety within new developments, the company’s Matrix Firewall Bracket Base is capable of withstanding intense heat, fire and smoke for up to two hours.
Fairgrieve’s work in developing and bringing the product to market was hailed at various engineering, manufacturing and business awards in 2024, recognising its innovation, and its ability to help save lives in the event of fire. Now, another large order for the product has been secured, and managing director Barry Davidson says the company is expecting more to follow throughout 2025.
He added: “This is a product which businesses working in the construction sector now seem have become very aware of. We are getting lots of enquiries, and customers are coming to us to find out more."
The company was named winner of the 2024 North East Business Awards in the Made in the North East category.