Two North East businesses will fly the flag for the region after making the final of Tech Nation’s Rising Stars 3.0 competition.
Five firms from around the region had been shortlisted as part of the programme, which brings together the brightest tech start-ups from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Now Discova and Okkulo, both based in Newcastle, have made it through the next round to be selected in the final 20.
The annual contest aims to support early-stage companies in their scale-up efforts, and culminates in the top 20 companies showcasing their work to an audience of investors, influencers and the wider tech community. Ten will then be selected as this year’s Rising Stars.
Innovative sports tech firm Okkulo is the first company flying the flag for the region with its pioneering training system, which is already helping professionals significantly up their game.
The city centre based firm’s sports training system uses unique light levels to recalibrate visual systems, so athletes can boost their reaction time, motion perception and depth perception above and beyond current levels.
The Okkulo technology can be used across a broad spectrum of sports such as football, baseball, basketball, tennis and even F1.
It has already helped two goalkeepers keep eight clean sheets out of 10 and seen Durham County cricketers boost battling speeds by up to 30%.
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Mel O’Connor, the CEO who founded the business in 2018, says Okkulo has big plans.
“To get to the final of the Tech Nation Rising Stars Competition is a fantastic end to what has been a rollercoaster 18 months or so for the team at Okkulo.
“We’ve worked incredibly hard behind the scenes and to make the final is reward for the hard work and commitment for all involved at Okkulo.
“The kudos this competition brings would help to elevate our pitches going forward and give us the confidence to promote Okkulo to professional clubs as well as investors going forward.
“Validation is important and in our case vital. Our product is unique and we’re breaking down doors every day to get the clubs to understand that Okkulo is an objective, intuitive and natural way to gain those extra marginal gains. This would give us even more confidence when pitching to an investor or professional sporting club.
“Our phase one strategy is the top leagues - the Premier League and European leagues. Our phase two strategy is to grow the business in the US and work with clubs who we’ve already spoken to - the Oakland A’s and Miami Marlins. We’ve got a new academy being built down in Durham University, we’ve got a really strong experienced team who can deliver our product and we have a fantastic network of sales agents."
Also representing the region is Discova – formerly known as Myndr – a digital platform that promotes wellbeing and helps companies and employees cope with common mental health issues through peer-to-peer support.
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Founded in 2018 by Lizzy Hodcroft and Emma Reilly, the personal and corporate platform uses the power of data and machine learning to deliver personalised support and guidance.
Discova stems from Ms Hodcroft and Ms Reilly’s personal mental health struggles and frustrations they had trying to access mental health support through the NHS.
Its shortlisting for the Rising Stars competition comes at an exciting time for the company as it kicks off the year with an investment round, aiming to raise £500,000 by April.
Discova CEO Lizzy Hodcroft said: “To be accepted this year and then make it to the finals is amazing. It certainly means that we are on the right track with our business, moving in the direction that we should be. It’s also a great time to take stock of how far we have come and celebrate the success.
“Building a business that is seeking to bring positive change into the daily lives of people at home is something a lot of people connect with at the moment.
“Mental health and wellbeing are being given a lot more attention in recent years. Covid-19 has helped to highlight this.
“The pandemic has radically accelerated efforts to promote work-life balance, raise mental health awareness and provide emotional support to those that need it.
“Mental health and wellness support can no longer be location-dependent and I believe there has been a shift from treatment to prevention. We are all dealing with so much right now, trying to balance our lives at home while also planning for a future that, at times, seems non-existent.
“Discova is important because we are helping people to gain the coping skills they need to get through this tough period.”