TEES TECH AWARDS 2023
TECH START-UP AWARD
SPONSORED BY ENAPPSYS
FINALIST
DINK
Fireside ’ s David Dixon ( right ) with Phil Hewitt of EnAppSys .
WINNER
FIRESIDE
Knowledge-sharing marketplace Fireside clinched the Tech Start-Up prize after a nail-biting public vote .
Fireside , along with Dink and The Maestro Online , had already been through a Dragons ’ Den-style selection process , where a series of pitches at Flok in Middlesbrough produced an impressive final three .
After pitching again on awards night , the 300-strong audience decided the winner by scanning a QR code and voting in a live SurveyMonkey poll .
And even though the result was incredibly tight , it was Fireside ’ s title , attracting 36.32 per cent of the vote .
Fireside – which describes itself as “ human first , technology second ” – aims to be a knowledge-sharing platform people trust , and where that knowledge is shared freely and safely .
Creator David Dixon of DigitalCity explained : “ The vision – and hopefully it ’ s quite a powerful vision and people can see what I ’ m looking to achieve with this – is that ultimately , I believe in ‘ human first ’.
“ I work in digital and tech but this is all about humans first and using digital and tech to support human involvement . Hopefully people recognise it ’ s about who we are , what we do and how we do it .” He ’ s now raising funds to get Fireside fully up and running . He said : “ We ’ ve made a good start – we ’ ve got a minimum viable product , a small version of what we want to do , but it ’ s nothing compared to the vision we ’ re hoping to achieve . “ When I achieve that investment , you ’ ll see the full vision come to life .” And what is that full vision ? “ To change the world ,” he smiled .
SPONSOR ’ S MESSAGE
EnAppSys director Phil Hewitt said : “ The start-up scene in Teesside is flourishing , with many new ideas and energy creating brilliant new businesses which can grow to be tech titans of the future . The businesses that pitched to the judges for the award impressed us by their intelligence , vision , energy , professionalism and drive . The three that got through to the final represented a good cross-section of the wide range of start-up businesses we have here , and I am sure will all be great successes in the future .”
Video game developer Dink was set up by Teesside University friends with an ambition to own their own studio . After help from the Tranzfuser programme , which supports UK graduates in building successful studios , the team has published a small game and now works with a variety of clients .
Dink centres on creating and developing games using its own intellectual property , while balancing the business through working with other studios on video game projects , virtual experiences and 3D printing in a “ work for hire ” model .
The team consists of a variety of talented and passionate individuals , but it ’ s a mix that works , creating a studio environment that ’ s collaborative , inclusive and fun .
FINALIST
THE MAESTRO ONLINE
The Maestro Online began selling online subscription courses in October 2021 , but has quickly advanced to become a unique , holistic music education platform that starts beginners with the ear rather than notation , using snippets of popular tunes so that bite-size tasks are created , leading to rapid progress and high levels of engagement .
Founded by Dr Robin Harrison , the platform creates an environment in which no-one becomes a clone , but rather artistic individuals .
And for the more advanced learner , celebrity masterclass courses will extend their abilities , potentially towards professional music careers .
The platform also seeks to gain the status of being an online university for exceptional musical learning .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 67