£500,000 Fund for Firms who Come up with Digital Support Solutions

£500,000 of funding is available for technology companies who come up with digital support solutions for people who need to stay at home because of coronavirus.

The funding will be available to innovators who can find digital ways to support people who need help during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The ‘Techforce19’ challenge aims to support those who need to stay at home for several weeks and need help. This could include people who need mental health support or who have social care needs.

Read more on the Business News Wales website…

Safeguarding firm has exciting plans for expansion after securing investment.

“Business Wales AGP support has been invaluable as we've developed our growth strategy.”

Ensuring that at-risk children, young people and adults are kept safe from harm is at the heart of the latest company we focus on in our blog series.

Llantrisant-based One Team Logic was created by child protection professionals, to help keep vulnerable young people, children and adults safe from harm.

The company's team of specialist safeguarding consultants guide those involved with safeguarding, using knowledge and experience from their backgrounds in education, health and social care and policing.

Here, Martin Baker, chief executive officer of One Team Logic, tells the story of the firm, how Business Wales AGP support has helped his team and offers advice for others embarking on a new business journey.

Tell us about One Team Logic.

We launched One Team Logic in 2014. We're based in Llantrisant and currently employ around 80 people.

We are, first and foremost, a safeguarding company – and protecting the most vulnerable people in society is at the heart of all we do.

Mike Glanville, Darryl Morton and I are the three founding directors, and Mohammed Hussain joined us in 2018. 

In our previous careers, Mike and I were senior police officers, where we had personal responsibility for both child and adult safeguarding in a variety of roles and settings. 

This experience now informs my role as CEO and Mike's as Director of Safeguarding Services.

Darryl was previously the managing director of Logic Software. Now, as our Director of Security and Operations, Darryl and his team that bring the technical know-how and skills that have allowed us to develop MyConcern, our software brand.

After previously working for one of our partners, Mohammed brings five years of experience working in IT, and seven years' experience working in the education sector to his Director of Sales role.

What are your proudest moments in business so far?

We are immensely proud of winning a Queen's Award and other awards and commendations in the last two years.

In September 2019, we secured £3.2m of growth funding with Octopus Investments.

We're planning to use this opportunity to develop our secure and trusted safeguarding platform further. 

We are confident that MyConcern is already the best product on the market, so we're excited to release even more features which will support those charged with the incredibly important role of protecting the most vulnerable people in society: children and adults at risk. 

This investment will create new job opportunities across the UK to help us achieve this growth. 

If you were starting again, what would you do differently?

While building a business is far from easy, it's difficult to pinpoint things we would have done differently. We have become the business we are as a result of every decision we've made on our business journey.

How has support from Business Wales AGP helped your business?

The company has received marketing and HR support through Business Wales AGP, as well as using visioning and planning tools to develop a growth strategy and put together an investor pack.

What advice and guidance would you give other businesses?

● If you have an idea, be confident in it. One Team Logic would not be here were it not for the passion and expertise of our founding directors.

● Be ambitious. We have secured investment because we are an ambitious company with plans for expansion – this is happening because we have always wanted to succeed and grow.

For more information on One Team Logic, visit here.

Further information on the Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme.

Fuel delivery system manufacturer’s sector-changing design

“Business Wales AGP helped us realise that upscaling is all about hiring the right people with the right skills, at the right time.”

Our blog series looking at the companies Business Wales AGP has helped continues, with FuelActive – a groundbreaking fuel delivery system manufacturer based in Taff’s Well. FuelActive has developed a method of fuel delivery which eradicates issues which result from contaminated diesel.

The patented FuelActive unit replaces the standard pick-up pipe and only delivers the cleanest fuel in the tank. The story of FuelActive began in 1998, led by founder Mike James. Mike, an engineer who has worked for more than 30 years in equipment repair and maintenance, saw first-hand the huge impact breakdowns were having on the UK construction industry – 85% of which are caused by fuel contamination. So he came up with a game-changing idea to avoid that.

Here, Mike James shares the experiences he’s had on his business journey so far – and offers some advice to other entrepreneurs. 

Tell us about FuelActive

FuelActive delivers the cleanest fuel in the tank by using a floating device to draw fuel from the upper level, leaving water and sediment at the bottom of the tank. It means contamination never enters the fuel filters or engine.

The lightbulb moment which was to foreshadow FuelActive came about while I was working with Hydrainer Pumps. A major new customer had experienced equipment failure after just 10 minutes from delivery to the site. Fuel contamination was the culprit, although at the time people would simply blame the quality of fuel on-site. Unfortunately, equipment failure of this kind had become a regular occurrence, and a solution was needed.

I went about engineering a solution, finally completing a possible working prototype. Hydrainer Pumps were keen to try it and installed the FuelActive unit. I produced a number more, which were all installed, and made subtle changes each time, so the system became easier to manufacture and install. The first unit proved successful and more in-depth trials were arranged for further testing. An extensive period of research and development followed, where we worked with the higher education sector and with funding support from local government. FuelActive was born.

Following subsequent investment from Adjuvo, the company is now well-positioned to realise its full potential.

 What are your proudest moments in business so far?

Independent static and dynamic testing from Sogefi, the engine filtration manufacturer, found that Fuel Active’s fuel pick up delivery system increases reliability by 94%. That compares to 2.3% using the conventional method.

That figure is something we’re hugely proud of, and we’ve had additional endorsements from Komatsu, Caterpillar and Volvo who have thoroughly tested the FuelActive in the field with impressive results.

If you were starting again, what would you do differently?

A bigger effort would be made to gather data before entering the market. As FuelActive operates across six sectors and is the solution to a global issue, the potential target market is immense. We’ve undertaken in-depth market research in each respective sector which has improved focus via segmentation, targeting and positioning. Our improved focus has helped to prioritise who we target and why – and has informed how we should approach them.

How has support from Business Wales AGP helped your business?

Our head of marketing, Claire Bentley has overseen the Business Wales AGP work within FuelActive. 

First of all, we were supported with human resources expertise. A Belbin Team Role report was undertaken to see how the team worked together and to identify if any personality types would be helpful to create a well-rounded, skilled team when recruiting in the future. It’s helped us realise that to upscale successfully, we need the right people with the right skills, at the right time. We then had help in assessing our production process, which identified bottle-necks and ways of preventing of those bottle-necks during a period of rapid upscale.

FuelActive’s linear PowerPoint presentation was also transformed with the help of Business Wales AGP to an all-singing, all-dancing interactive presentation which should help us secure future clients.

As well as that, we’ve been given support to improve our digital marketing strategy, with a focus on strengthening SEO as well as improving social media. 

FuelActive has also had a one-to-one session with an HR business advisor who advised on policies and procedures required for a business of our size.

Finally, we were advised on exports, with reviews to our documentation procedures and practices. AGP also recommended we become a member business of the South Wales Chamber of Commerce. We were also provided with information on what support is available in terms of Welsh Government trade missions and the Overseas Business Development Visit grant (OBDV).

What advice and guidance would you give other businesses starting out?

● Leap and the net will appear.

● The biggest risk is not taking any risks.

● Find a way, not an excuse.

For more information on FuelActive visit here.

Further information on the Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme.