The top ten technology start-ups in the UK were announced at the Tech Nation Rising Stars awards this week

The winners of the Tech Nation new Rising Stars competition (Credit: Tech Nation)

The winners of the Tech Nation new Rising Stars competition (Credit: Tech Nation)

From stopping fake news to putting pet owners in touch with on-demand vets, these start-ups could be the future of UK tech.

A country-wide search for the most innovative and ambitious tech start-ups was brought to a conclusion this week as the ten winners of the Tech Nation Rising Stars awards were announced.

Out of the 10,764 early-stage companies eligible for the competition, 20 were chosen to pitch their ideas in front of 150 tech experts – with 10 then selected for their potential to scale and become market leaders.

Each of the winners will receive a package worth £4,000 that includes mentoring, investor meetings and a PR campaign from Tech Nation, a UK network for tech entrepreneurs.

Warwick Hill, senior managing director in Europe for Microsoft for Startups and a member of the judging panel, said: “Some of the winners will doubtless go on to become technology brands in their own right and others will partner with and solve problems for larger companies.

“Whatever route they take, they will benefit greatly from access to industry expertise. I’d like to congratulate all those who took part and wish them well.”

 

UK tech start-ups: Winners of Tech Nation Rising Stars

Tickr

Rising star awards
Tickr users can start their investments from as little as £5 (Credit: Tickr)

Liverpool-based fintech start-up Tickr allows users to invest their spare change in global businesses that have a social conscience.

Tickr claims it’s committed to making sure all the investments have a positive impact on the world – in the three areas of climate change, social impact or disruptive technology.

Tom McGillycuddy, co-founder of Tickr said the Rising Stars awards has opened doors.

“We are in the process of raising funds and our wish list of people are already approaching us.

“The programme has been hugely positive – it has brought us recognition and more users to the app.”

 

People Matter Technology

People Matter Technology has created a wellness platform that uses the latest psychology research to monitor users’ mental health at work and find methods for improvement.

The app aims to reduce burnout and stress at work to help both businesses and people to work to their best potential.

The start-up is also a founding member of the Institute for Ethical AI and Machine Learning, which is setting standards for the responsible development of machine learning systems.

 

Vet-AI

rising stars awards
Vet-AI is using new technology to help with the treatment of animals (Credit: Austin Community College Vet Tech Program)

Vet-AI is promising to revolutionise the veterinary industry by providing pet owners with expertise at their fingertips.

The Leeds start-up is currently developing a series of technologies to monitor, prevent and predict health conditions in pets.

The company claims to be the first in the world to be using AI to support animal health.

 

Developing Experts

Norwich tech company Developing Experts has created more than 700 interactive online science lessons for children aged four to 14.

The lessons are designed for teachers to use in the classroom or home-schooling.

The start-up has worked closely with Dr E D Hirsch, professor emeritus of education and humanities at the University of Virginia, when coming up with new teaching methods.

 

Metasonics

Sound manipulation technology Metasonics has a variety of use cases (Credit: Metasonics)

Metasonics is developing the next generation of acoustic materials that can be customised to change the ways we interact with soundwaves.

Use cases include blocking out the sound of the radio for passengers in the front of the car so they can focus on the road, while passengers can continue to enjoy music in the back, or using ultrasound to monitor fitness performance and deliver therapy.

The technology even claims to be capable of “bending” sound to allow an audio signal to reach an individual in a crowded space.

 

SeedLegals

SeedLegals is helping other start-ups get off the ground by helping them complete the costly and time-consuming legal process required to begin funding rounds.

Legal funding experts are on hand to help new companies begin the funding process via the platform’s web chat feature.

It also allows start-ups to top up the investment total without having to open a second round of investment.

Anthony Rose, founder and CEO of SeedLegals, said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to be selected as a winner on the Rising Stars programme.

“We love how Tech Nation is inspiring UK startups, and we are delighted to play our part in helping them grow.”

 

Tended

Tended has created a new wearable that notifies friends and families of your whereabouts in an emergency Credit: Tended)
Tended has created a new wearable that notifies friends and families of your whereabouts in an emergency (Credit: Tended)

Tended is a new wearable technology created to give people ease of mind when undertaking dangerous activities.

The app, designed by a team in Lincoln, is able to alert trusted contacts in an emergency situation, and send them GPS location and live audio.

Leo Scott Smith, founder and CEO of Tended, said: “The recognition of being one of the Tech Nation Rising Stars winners will have a great impact on our company at this early stage.

“Being involved in the programme gives us great access to the tech ecosystem – it makes it easy to reach out and solve problems.”

 

Serelay

Mobile app Serelay creates verifiable visual media to increase the trustworthiness and authenticity of media shared online.

The app creates an authenticity report, as soon as an image or video is captured, to prove the media is genuine.

Its developer, based in Harwell, Oxfordshire, hopes the app will help to stem the spread of fake news and mitigate the use of fraudulent images in insurance claims.

 

PPC Protect

PPC Protect has created automated software that prevents click fraud that is a product of pay-per-click advertising.

It’s estimated that click fraud costs advertisers more than $16bn (£12.2bn) in 2017 as click bots and competitors drained revenue from advertisers.

PPC, which is based in Horwich, Bolton, says it can block fraudsters, as well as preventing further hacks.

 

Vitaccess

Oxford-based medtech start-up Vitaccess is using data to assess how diseases impact on patients everyday lives.

The platform uses a mobile app to collect real-time data on the impact of diseases and treatments on patients.

Vitaccess has begun rolling out its apps across Europe, Canada and the USA.