SPONSORED BY WAKEFIELDS SMARTER HOME TECHNOLOGY
INNOVATION AWARD
Wakefields Smarter Home Technology managing director Martin Wakefield( left) presented the Innovation trophy to Pocket Sergeant founder Paul Cooper.
WINNER
POCKET SERGEANT
The potential of the Innovation category winner at the Tees Business Awards was demonstrated on awards night itself.
As Pocket Sergeant and Misper apps founder Paul Cooper sat in the 350-strong audience, his phone began flashing up messages about a missing woman.
And that, says Paul, shows the potential of his mobile policing apps to help on such occasions.
The Pocket Sergeant app – which won the Tech for Good category at last year’ s Tees Tech Awards – provides police with instant access to reams of legislation and procedures.
Its follow-up, Misper – which clinched the Innovation category ahead of Biome Software and MCD Systems – uses data and a“ traffic light” system to flag up where missing people are more likely to be found.
Paul explained:“ A lady with Alzheimer’ s went missing tonight and literally within two minutes of the police press release going out, I started getting messages on Facebook from friends saying,‘ We’ ve sent the details to the family’ – and two hours later, she’ d been found. Whether they used the app, I don’ t know, but it shows the potential of it.”
Paul, who co-founded Pocket Sergeant with wife Linda, said Misper now has around 2,500 users, with those figures expected to rise quickly.
Explaining the idea behind it, he said:“ There’ a lot of research out there about the correlation between people’ s mental health conditions, their genders and where they’ re more likely to be found if they go missing. But with Misper, rather than people having to consult 250 pages of tabled missing persons data, they can now just type information into an app.
“ In that situation tonight, for example, a family would need to input the details of their loved one – name, date of birth, address from which they’ re missing from and their mental health condition – and then on the screen it would bring up green, amber or red radiuses, with green being where they’ re most likely to be found.
“ At the end of the day, it’ s down to the family, loved ones or organisations if they want to use it, but it’ s a great and easy-to-use tool.”
FINALIST BIOME SOFTWARE
A transformative, AI-driven platform for the public sector, Middlesbrough-based Biome has, since December 2023, become a leader in delivering tailored, efficient and impactful solutions for local authorities.
Its innovative features, such as the Smart Diagnostic Tool, UKSPF compliance module and real-time market intelligence dashboards, empower clients to streamline workflows, make data-driven decisions and enhance collaboration.
Biome’ s platform has already achieved remarkable results, including a 10x increase in business engagement and an 80 % reduction in grant processing times, proving its ability to drive measurable economic growth. Integrating cutting-edge technology with a user-centric approach, Biome simplifies complex processes while ensuring compliance and security.
FINALIST MCD SYSTEMS
A tech consultancy based at Kirkleatham Business Park but whose work extends across the North-East, MCD Systems delivers innovative solutions that transform industries.
Over the past year, it has achieved 56 % revenue growth and expanded its team by 60 %, reflecting a dedication to investing in people and technology. Highlights include a groundbreaking radiation safety app integrating IoT for real-time monitoring and personalised alerts, and a logistics platform driving operational efficiency with native payment processing and geofenced notifications, generating millions in client revenue.
By leveraging serverless architectures and AI-driven workflows, digital innovator MCD creates scalable, efficient solutions that deliver measurable impact.
SPONSOR’ S REFLECTIONS:
Martin Wakefield, MD Wakefields Smarter Home Technology:“ As a tech company ourselves, innovation is what we’ re based on – trying to get lifestyle choices for people and using the best technologies, not necessarily the newest- so we were attracted to the category and had a really diverse choice of companies apply for it. And when we read what Pocket Sergeant is doing, we just thought it was something that can really make a difference to a lot of people.”
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