People power, we’ve got plenty of it in the mighty South West and we want to harness this to find out who YOU think is the best tech company in the region with the SPARKies People’s Choice award!
8 fabulous companies were nominated for the People’s Choice award and now’s your chance to vote for who you think should be shortlisted for the final award.
There’s no super tech know-how needed here, all you need to do is decide which of the 8 nominated companies you think is the best and vote for them. There’s only one vote allowed per person though and you can’t vote with a mobile phone. The poll will close at midnight on 22 January, so make your decision count!
The nominees
So, I hear you ask, who are these fine nominees you speak of? You can see information about the companies and what they were nominated for below. Once you’ve decided you can vote using the form at the end of the page or on our dedicated People’s Choice award page.
The top voted-for companies from the poll will be announced by the 1 February and the ultimate winner of the People’s Choice award will be decided by the audience on the night of the SPARKies awards on the 17 February.
Bath:Hacked
Description: An award-winning, joint council / community initiative that puts open data and smart thinking at the heart of our city.
From nomination: “This group pretty much rock. So, so, so get people excited about technology and data! Here are some round-ups of what the community has achieved so far: Five ways open data can improve your life in Bath, 5 days, 3 projects – an amazing week in local data and Bath Young Rewired State Festival of code 2015.”
Blispa
Description: The ibeacon service that makes it easy to engage, inform and entertain your customers.
From nomination: “I nominate Blispa for stunning interactive visitor engagement using Timehunter, this is a product that not only breaks boundaries, but it has “stickability” – holding the users attention and encouraging them to loiter for longer – which is key for small businesses in the area where it is deployed – because you can’t sell stuff to people who don’t visit your shop.”
Bristol Braille Technology
Description: Creating revolutionary £300 Braille ebook readers for blind people.
From nomination: “Bristol Braille is a startup that is using technology for good. The team and particularly the founder have shown incredible commitment and dedication to their mission. They know their technology can make a positive difference in the lives of blind people and they’re stopping at nothing to get this technology into their hands. The team also started a hub where blind people can discuss their issues with Braille, this hub started as a small meeting and turned into a major community that spans countries. I’m nominating them because of their perseverance and ethical values. Please check them out: http://bristolbraille.co.uk/#testimonials”
EZ Education
Description: Creating education apps for personalised learning.
From nomination: “Downloads of EZ Education’s Doodlemaths have surpassed all targets this year and they now consistently occupy the position of number 1 maths app in the UK. It’s a fun (and addictive!) way for kids to practice and maximise potential both at home and in the classroom by facilitating the kind of personalised learning that is usually only accessible via a personal tutor. This startup company from Bath is going from strength to strength and is one of the leading lights in the UK Edtech sector.”
Libraries.io
Description: Discover open source libraries to use in your software projects and be notified of new releases to keep your applications up to date.
From nomination: “The project is doing a lot of hard and boring work, crawling and indexing sources of information for any and all programming languages, it’s surprisingly complete for such a large task. This information is being used to help owners of packages do a better job, users of packages filter out the ones they should use, and the roadmap includes many more interesting and useful features. It’s a massive undertaking for one person.”
Olio
Description: OLIO is a free app that connects neighbours with each other and with local independent shops so that surplus food can be shared, not thrown away.
From nomination: “Since launch 6 months ago, the app has been used almost 100,000 times and has been covered by BBC London News, ITV London News, The Evening Standard, Time Out, and is currently featured in the “Best New Apps” section of the App Store. UK households alone bin over £12bn of edible food per year, at a cost of £700 to the average family. Food waste is also costly for local stores and councils, and ranks as one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases. OLIO seeks to address these problems by combining cutting-edge mobile technology with the power of the sharing economy and an engaged local community.”
Ultrahaptics
Description: Feel without touching. Ultrahaptics creates tactile sensations in mid-air. No gloves or attachments, the feeling is projected onto your bare hands.
From nomination: “Ultrahaptics are revolutionising interfaces that we all take for granted, and from a design centric standpoint. They have genuine ambition which should be applauded, and their technology has applications in everything we do in our everyday lives.”
Wriggle
Description: Wriggle is a mobile app that allows users to find some great deals in local, independent eateries at the last minute.
From nomination: “Wriggle is simple to use, with a location-based mobile app that shows you all the deals in your area on the day, you simply buy the deal on the app, and then turn up to the restaurant without having to use any cash. It encourages people to get out and about and try new places, bringing business to local independents. Plus they source some amazing deals, incredibly handy for a last minute bite with friends.”
Decided? Vote here:
Sadly, the voting form will not work on smart phones or other mobile devices as there is only one vote allowed per person and no way to track this via mobile.
Create your own user feedback survey
Share the link to share the love by getting your friends to vote for their favourite too.
To stay up-to-date with the SPARKies latest news, you can follow the Twitter hashtag #theSPARKies and check out the SPARKies website. Keep an eye out for details on how to buy your tickets to the SPARKies which will be released soon!
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