Welcome to our 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 will@techspark.co – I look forward to hearing from you!
Two weeks left to apply for Silicon Gorge
Calling all tech and digital startups in the South West – submit your application for the Silicon Gorge 2025 pitching competition here now! You have until 11th April to apply.
techSPARK’s annual competition gives 12 of the best startups the chance to pitch to a room full of investors. The programme is open to organisations looking for between £100k-£2m.
At each event we have a small panel to help bring out any extra details from the pitchers, and previous panellists include Jean de Fougerolles, Managing Partner at Ascension Ventures, Charles Grimsdale, Angel and Founder at Eden Ventures, Lisa Matthews, Portfolio Manager at Jenson Funding Partners, and Simon Murdoch, Managing Partner at Episode 1.
If you’re an investor, do sign up for our mailing list to receive an invite to the Investor Showcase, or contact charly@techspark.co for more details.
Zero Point Motion announces £4M Pre-Series A funding round
Bristol-based sensor technology startup Zero Point Motion has successfully closed a £4million pre-Series A funding round to transform positioning and navigation. They are backed by investors SCVC (the official funding arm of Science Creates), Foresight Group and Verve Ventures, with seed round investor u-blox AG remaining a key strategic partner and customer.
After completing the University of Bristol’s pre-incubation programme, QTEC, Zero Point Motion became a member of QTIC in 2022, taking up lab space amongst QTIC’s collaborative and supportive community of startups and academic research groups.Â
This investment fuels the company’s rapid scale-up and team expansion as the company emerges from stealth mode, where they have been working on a scalable, volume-manufacturable process for Zero Point Motion’s next-generation positioning and navigation sensors.Â
Met Office is searching for a Security Architect Lead
Met Office is looking for a Security Architect Lead to help make a difference to our planet.
In this role you will design and implement security solutions for on-premises and cloud based systems, lead team on cyber security practises, asses risks related to proposed changes and develop solutions that enhance our ability to protect, detect and respond to, and recover from cyber incidents.
Have you submitted a SPARKies Nomination?
We’re sure you know of a multitude of award-worthy creative minds, impactful startups and budding talent – we’re even more sure they will all appreciate your time in recognising their hard work. For this to be bigger and better than last year, we need you all to have your say! And remember, as always, The SPARKies is open to self nominations. So put yourself or your organisation forward for an award this year.
This year we have introduced new awards, including Engineering Product/Business of the Year, Commitment to Talent, FinTech Business of the Year, Most Exciting Early Stage Deal, and more! Get your nominations in now!
Looking to start a Career in Cyber Security?
The Cyber Access Network (CAN) is a free initiative from the UK Cyber Security Council and UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3), designed to support students (16+) and career changers looking to start their cyber security careers.
Through webinars, networking events, and career resources, CAN helps you to navigate the industry, connect with professionals, and take meaningful steps toward professional registration.
If you’re pursuing a career in cyber, this is your opportunity to get involved!
Join us for South West Founders
Incase you haven’t been to one before, South West Founders is a monthly meet-up for people based in the South West who have been, are, or want to be tech start-up founders. We aim to connect local entrepreneurs with co-founders and other like-minded people as well as tech investors to create an informal support network.
This month we will be joined by Katelin Lovell from IO Associates interviewing Altered Carbon founder Ali Rohafza with support from techSPARK’s own Ben Shorrock.
