Welcome to my weekly South West Tech News roundup, where you can get all the headlines from the past week in one place.

What has our busy tech and digital community been up to this week? From award wins and innovative breakthroughs to unmissable events and capital raised, take a moment to reflect on the hive of daily activity taking place in our region.

If you have a story to share, wizz it over to shona@techspark.co – I look forward to hearing from you!

The TBE Awards inaugural event to launch in the region this Autumn 

Following the success of The Business Exchange Award Scheme the Techies, the team is launching new awards this year open to all businesses and organisations across the areas that we serve, Swindon & Wiltshire and Bath & Somerset.

The TBE Awards will be an ethical award scheme which is all about promoting our region and the amazing people and businesses here. It will also be an opportunity to further connect our communities, building on the new connections built by the Techies and meaning relationships created.

The categories will be: 

  1. Eco Champion of the Year
  2. Boss of the Year 
  3. The Dream Team Award
  4. Innovation Award – Celebrating inventive thinking, product or system development and creativity in business
  5. Going the extra mile award – Customer Service Award
  6. Best Creative Campaign 2024 (to encompass PR, marketing, branding agencies)
  7. Best Start-up 2024
  8. Positive Business Award – outstanding contribution to the community 
  9. Rising Star Award (under 25 category)
  10. Growth Award – recognising a business which has taken tangible steps to increase its scale and impact. 
  11. Charity/Not For Profit of the Year
  12. Flying the Flag for the South West
  13. Using Tech to Transform Business 
  14. Best User Experience

Technology Innovators selected for Bristol train station trials

Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport, and place leadership, today announced the names of three companies chosen by the Catapult, Network Rail and GWR to trial new technology as part of the Station Innovation Zone at Bristol Temple Meads.

The three firms – Chrome Angel Solutions, Co-You, and CrossTech – were selected from a longlist of eight companies announced in January, who were keen to demonstrate new ideas to help improve various aspects of the passenger experience at the station.

Each of the three shortlisted companies will receive funding of up to £75,000 to take their proposals forward for trial, testing and evaluation, after initially being awarded £2,000 to develop a trial plan and receiving business support and pitch coaching.

Signable launches Women in Business event to celebrate inclusivity, diversity, and empowerment

Signable, a leading provider of electronic signature solutions, proudly hosted its highly anticipated and sold out Women in Business Event on Wednesday 6th March. The event, held at Signable’s office in central Bristol, brought together a diverse array of local business professionals and leaders to celebrate the achievements and resilience of women in the business world. 

Clean Growth Fund is seeking to invest in South West climate tech companies 

The £101m Fund, which is backed by local authority pension funds, major financial institutions as well as the UK Government, wants to invest in young, entrepreneurial and innovative clean-tech companies that are pioneers in carbon emissions reduction, can help accelerate the UK’s efforts towards Net Zero and have excellent growth prospects.

To encourage interest from businesses in the region, including commercial spin-outs from the region’s universities, Clean Growth Fund is hosting a day-long event at Newport’s Tramshed Tech Innovation Station on 16th April 2024.

EntreConf returns to The Watershed this summer  

Following the successful, inaugural live event last year, EntreConf is back for two days across June 19-20 2024 at The Watershed with a whole host of fresh inspiration and new business thinking for entrepreneurs, scale-ups and for established businesses alike. Get your early bird tickets here. 

Book your place at the University of Bath’s Age of Artificial Intelligence event today 

Taking place on 25 March @ 5:15pm, the University of Bath is getting a panel of AI and machine learning experts together to discuss how machines have become intelligent without thinking.

The media reports almost daily on the latest developments in artificial intelligence (AI). Almost without exception, everything heralded as an ‘AI breakthrough’ is driven by a set of underlying models and algorithms, collectively known as machine learning.

The evening’s talks will give you the opportunity to learn more about machine learning, from specialists at the University of Bath. They’ll be followed by a discussion and the chance to put your questions to the panel. 

Shona Wright

Shona covers all things editorial at TechSPARK. She publishes news articles, interviews and features about our fantastic tech and digital ecosystem, working with startups and scaleups to spread the word about the cool things they're up to. She also oversees TechSPARK's social media, sharing the latest updates on everything from investment news to green tech meetups and inspirational stories.

AI Awards Connected Places Catapult Universities