The awards, which started in 2014, showcase fast-growing, promising companies in the North of the UK. This year’s event was held in the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh and hosted over 250 people. 

The awards ceremony itself was hosted by former BBC presenter and Freer Consultancy associate Vanesse Collingridge. Scottish entrepreneurs Ana Stewart, Chris van der Kuyl, and George Mackintosh made up the judging panel with former Northern Tech Award winner and Edinburgh-based TVSquared founder Calum Smeaton as the Keynote speaker. 

The event celebrated the top 100 fastest growing technology companies, shining a particular light on the 15 fastest growing larger companies. The Northern Star category awards identified earlier stage companies with potential to scale rapidly in upcoming years.

“Since the last time we held this event in Edinburgh in 2018 a lot has happened,” said G.P. Bullhound managing partner and co-founder Hugh Campbell on the awards coming in a “tricky” time for the industry. “One thing I can say about the tech industry is its power of reinvention.”

Despite the challenges present in the tech ecosystem from high interest rates, to inflation and consumer pressure, the companies in the top 100 list experienced a record average growth rate of 42%, with the top 10 having an average rate of 119%.

Additionally, this year the Midlands, Northeast, and Scotland made up 25% of the top 100 companies, up 5% from the last year. Scottish tech companies Administrate, Dayshape, DirectID, Evotix, Firefish Software, MRM Global, Quorum Cyber, ShotScope, Speech Graphics, and xDesign joined the ceremony this year. 

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The awards kicked off with the Northern Star Awards for early stage companies:

• Award for Potential International Success: Gig Pig
• Leadership Award: UMA
• Innovation Award: Sticky
• Overall Judges award: Recast 

Catching up with the innovation award winner afterwards COO of Sticky, Priscilla Israel said she was proud of her companies enginuity and ability to disrupt the digital transformation, and point of sale sphere without  QR codes and sales terminals, but a simple sticker. 

“We figured out something very contemporary,” said Israel, “we had to, most of our competitors have decades of experience, we only have two years.”

After the Northern Star Awards, the judges awards were announced: 

• Fastest Growing Company of the year: Burendo 
• Fastest Growing Larger Company of the year: Fruugo
• Judges Innovation Award: Shot Scope
• Judges Award for International Success: Current Body 
• Judges Leadership Award: Opencast Software 
• Tech4Good award: Cognassist
• Young Entrepreneur Award: HorseFly
• Judges Award: Planixs 
• Overall Judges Award: CurrentBody

“The North of the UK is a true powerhouse in starting and scaling world-class businesses, and we look forward to following our talented award winners as they continue their success journeys,” said Javed Huq, Executive Director at GP Bullhound.