Scottish tech firms revealed as among fastest-growing in north of UK

Several Scottish technology firms have been named among the fastest-growing tech companies in the north of the UK.

Administrate, Evotix, Firefish Software, MRM Global, Quorum Cyber, ShotScope, Speech Graphics and xDesign have made GP Bullhound’s annual Northern Tech 100 rankings, which focus on the fastest-growing tech companies across north-west England, north-east England, Yorkshire and Scotland. Additionally, Callum Murray-founded Amiqus, which itself was named as the fastest-growing tech business in Scotland by the 2022 Deloitte UK Technology Fast 50 rankings and is chaired by Sir Sandy Crombie, has been selected as one of GP Bullhound’s “Northern Stars” - viewed as the technology scale-up companies to watch in the months and years ahead.

GP Bullhound’s Northern Tech Awards are due to take place today in Edinburgh, with Scottish entrepreneurs Ana Stewart, Chris van der Kuyl and George Mackintosh among the judging panel, and TVSquared founder Calum Smeaton lined up as keynote speaker. TVSquared, a previous Northern Tech Awards winner, was acquired by US-based Innovid for some $160 million (£129m) in February 2022.

Smeaton said: “Over the past year, the technology sector has faced unprecedented challenges as we continue to navigate a global pandemic, issues in the banking industry and economic uncertainty. Yet, despite these obstacles, technology has remained resilient and adaptable, demonstrating the strength and innovation that defines everything that the Northern Tech Awards stand for - celebrating the successes of how the brightest minds are shaping the future of the industry.”

Javed Huq, executive director of GP Bullhound, said: “It has been well documented that 2022 was a more challenging environment compared to recent years. However, it is important to remember that there are still plenty of positives within tech ecosystems across the north of the UK. The average growth rate of those in the top 100 is the highest ever, demonstrating the resilience of the entrepreneurs building these tech companies.”

GP Bullhound, which was founded in 1999 and now has 12 offices, has advised on multiple transactions involving Scotland-based companies in recent years, including the 2019 acquisition of DeltaDNA by San-Francisco-based gaming group Unity Technology, and the 2017 acquisition of data analytics startup Aquila Insight by Maryland-based Merkle Group.