For today’s Startup for 10 we have the fantastic team from Countex. Here to tell us more about their journey so far is John Barrow, CEO of Countex Finance.
1 – In your own words – what do you do?Â
We’re the finance function for science and deep tech companies – accountancy, compliance and CFO-level strategy, delivered as one fractional team rather than a single hire. We work with businesses at every stage, from single-founder spinouts fresh out of university to scale-ups several funding rounds in, and everything in between.
2 – What’s the most exciting thing about what you’re doing?Â
Getting a front-row seat to what our clients are actually building. We work with people developing new drugs, new materials, new technology that could genuinely change how something works in the world. We’re not the ones doing the science, but we’re close enough to it to watch these businesses grow, and to play a real part in getting them there. That’s what makes this different from being an accountant for any other kind of company.
3 – What are you most proud of so far?Â
Building a team of accountants who genuinely care about what we’re building. Many of them come from science or tech backgrounds themselves, and they understand why our clients’ work matters, not just their numbers.
4 – What have you found most difficult about being a startup?Â
At the very beginning, running our own new business while being responsible for looking after everyone else’s was a balance. Because of the nature of our business, we always have to be operationally on top of things for our clients as well as for ourselves. And as any founder knows, that’s hard to do in the beginning.
5 – What would you do differently if you started now?Â
Honestly, not a huge amount. I already knew the sector and most of the pitfalls from running an accountancy firm before this. If anything, I’d build the professional network before starting rather than relying on chance. Our connections in the early days came down largely to being in the right place at the right time. I didn’t really know Bristol or its ecosystem going in. Knowing the right people from day one would have saved a lot of early legwork, which is part of why building that network deliberately is a focus for us now.
6 – Where do you think you’ll be in 12 months?Â
We’re working towards Countex being the number one science and deep tech fractional finance firm across Bristol, Bath and Cardiff. Beyond that, the goal is to be the go-to fractional finance function nationwide for science and technology companies.Â
7 – What tools/people/services/organisations from the cluster have helped you most?
What’s struck me most is how collaborative this cluster is. We’ve spent years developing relationships with the likes of Science Creates, Future Space, techSPARK, SetSquared, Walmer Group – and people are willing to make introductions, share advice and back each other’s businesses. We’d love to see even more of it: more formal connections between the universities, the incubators, the investors and the specialist services around them, so a founder doesn’t have to go and find each of those relationships themselves. There’s a real opportunity for this ecosystem to work even harder for the companies inside it.
8 – What’s the best thing about the Bristol & Bath tech cluster?
That same collaborative spirit is exactly why our clients benefit from more than just an accountant. When a company comes to us at the very start – just spun out, first hire, first cheque in the bank – we can connect them to the right investors, lawyers, IP specialists and grant bodies through the relationships we’ve built across this network. And there’s real momentum right now: Bristol Innovations is about to open in the new Sloane Robinson Building at Temple Quarter, and Brazen is bringing this community together more than ever. It’s an exciting time to be embedded in this ecosystem, and we’re looking forward to being part of what comes next.
9 – Who will you be nominating for a SPARKie next year?
That’s a hard one – we’re lucky to work with so many strong companies, so rather than pick a favourite, we’ll be nominating plenty when the time comes.
10 – Where can we find out more about you?
You can find out more about us on our website: countex.io or follow us on LinkedIn. You’ll likely spot us at one of the South West tech ecosystem events over the coming months too!
