TEES TECH AWARDS 2022
SPONSORED BY VISTECH SERVICES
NEWCOMER
FINALIST
CONSTANTINE MEDIA
Delighted – SeerBI founder Owain Brennan pictured with Paul Heeran , operations director of category sponsor Vistech Services .
WINNER
SeerBI
“ A validation of what we ’ ve done so far – but there ’ s lots more to come .” That was the reaction of SeerBI founder Owain Brennan after winning the
Best Newcomer title at the Tees Tech Awards .
In its first seven months , Middlesbrough-based SeerBI ’ s mission to “ make transport frictionless ” through its application of business intelligence and data analytics has made big waves in the transport sector – and particularly maritime .
It ’ s been a remarkable rise for Owain and his “ superstar team ” of 16 data analysts who , he says , are “ currently working on mind-blowing AI and machine learning projects we can ’ t wait to share with you all .” But he admits to being “ astounded ” by his awards success . He said : “ It ’ s going to do so much for the business and our staff – it ’ s a validation of everything we ’ ve done over the past few months . I ’ m very excited about what we ’ re doing and where we ’ re going to go .”
Explaining SeerBI ’ s mission in the maritime sector , he said : “ It ’ s about understanding and improving what ’ s going on in terms of data , machine learning and improving what ’ s going on . But there ’ s a lot more that can be done and a lot more we ’ re looking to do in terms of improving the climate space , net zero and generally improving the sector .”
As for the immediate future , he said : “ I ’ m still doing my master ’ s now , so it ’ s all about building the business , but this certainly validates what we ’ ve done so far . And we ’ re excited about what ’ s to come as well .”
SPONSOR ’ S MESSAGE
Chris Taylor , managing director of Vistech Services , said : “ We felt privileged to attend the Tees Tech Awards . What a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the achievements of businesses and individuals across our region . Giving back to the community and encouraging growth is essential to the continued development of Vistech and the communities in which we operate and because of this , we are proud to play a part in supporting this prestigious event . We choose to sponsor the Best Newcomer category because at Vistech we are technology-focused , continuously implementing the latest innovative digital technologies in the day to day running of our business .”
Middlesbrough ’ s Constantine Media was created less than a year ago . Specialising in videography , photography and campaign creation , it is thriving using new generation platforms such as TikTok .
The company ’ s USP is the use of up-andcoming talent . Working alongside Teesside University , Constantine Media recruited its first staff member as a postgraduate student and she became a co-director before receiving her master ’ s degree .
It has four interns currently on the books , some of whom will be taken on full time , and intends to keep training and helping other postgrads and students gain experience and potential jobs . The important thing for Constantine Media is to stay current and to continue to help smaller businesses with their growth through affordable services .
FINALIST
SENCODE CYBER SECURITY
Middlesbrough-based Sencode was formed by three Teesside University students shortly before the pandemic .
The trio identified several key issues the security industry faced that they felt they could solve . After joining the DigitalCity Accelerator Programme and winning grant funding , Sencode went on to join the FUEL Programme , developing an automated penetration test reporting tool designed to speed up test reporting time to save clients time and money .
It has also secured partnerships , including one with Panda IT Solutions , to offer more complete IT solutions to clients of both companies in a mutually profitable venture , provided certified cyber security awareness training to games studios in the region and doubled its income in 12 months .
46 | Tees Business