Bath’s top tech talent was again among the winners at the West of England’s most prestigious awards scheme for the sector.
Three firms from the city triumphed in The SPARKies, the annual awards that champion the best of the region’s tech and digital community. 
The awards were handed out at a ceremony at the Central Warehouse performing arts centre in St Jude’s on Thursday in front of an eager gathering of nominees, sponsors and key figures from the tech ecosystem.
Launched in 2012 by TechSPARK, the information hub for all things tech in Bath, Bristol and the West of England, the awards have grown to become the most-respected accolades of their kind in the region, attracting hundreds of entries from across the West of England’s vibrant tech sector.
This year’s SPARKies winners were:
Best Digital Design
Winner: Rocketmakers. Serial SPARKies winner, software developer Rocketmakers, pictured right, headed the Best Use of VR/MR category in 2022 and also triumphed in the best digital design category last year.
Startup of the Year
Winner: Libi. Bath-based LiBi, pictured below, is dedicated to creating new and innovative solutions to everyday problems. Its ideas have the potential to revolutionise the hospitality and retail industries.
Most Innovative Use of Tech, sponsored by Script
Winner: EnsiliTech. A spun-out from the University of Bath, EnsiliTech specialises in biologicals without refrigeration, allowing a silica-coated vaccine to be stored and transported in tropical regions without cold storage. The firm is now based in Bristol’s Science Creates incubator.
Best Mentor
Winners: Christine Carter of Bristol-based software & data company Atmo Technology, and Laurence James, the University of Bath’s student mentor-in-residence.
Scaleup of the Year
Winner: Loqbox, pictured. The success of the Bristol-based FinTech aiming to eradicate financial exclusion means it has now won a SPARKie for three years in a row, having also been named Best Scaleup last year and landing The People’s Choice Award in 2022.
The Hardware Award, sponsored by Central Warehouse
Winner: KETS Quantum Security. Another SPARKies favourite, the Bristol-based data protection and cyber security firm that is pioneering quantum encryption on a chip, walked away with the Best Place to Work in Tech trophy last year, having scooped the Hardware Award in 2022.
The ‘Totally Killing It’ Award 
Winner: Siloton, pictured. The University of Bristol spin-out and SETsquared Bristol alumnus is developing an at-home monitoring service for the 25% of over 60s with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of sight loss in the developed world.
Founder of the Year
Winner: John Terry of Bristol-based Neuronostics, which is developing a software platform that will benefit people with epilepsy and other neurological conditions. John, a university professor and EPSRC Established Career Fellow, is a world-leading epilepsy expert with more than 20 years’ research and leadership experience spanning five Russell Group universities.
Community Award 
Winner: Future Space, pictured. The innovation hub on UWE Bristol’s Frenchay campus recently expanded to include new seven new labs and 12 new offices, increasing its capacity to support up to 70 businesses and bring new jobs and opportunities to the region.
Best Use of Immersive Tech
Winner: Condense. Bristol-based metaverse tech company and another SETsquared Bristol alumnus, Condense enables users to experience live gigs in immersive virtual spaces, wherever they are in the world.
Best Cyber Company
Winner: Dial A Geek. Founded in 2006, Dial A Geek is a Bristol-based managed service provider focuses on cybersecurity and compliance solutions.
Awesome Human
Winner: Tamsin Denbigh pictured. Tamsin is marketing and communications lead for innovation brands at Bristol’s Engine Shed innovation hub and SETSquared Bristol.
People’s Choice
Winner: Matter. Pioneering Bristol microplastic filtration tech firm Matter is developing a way of capturing and recycling microplastics from textiles and laundry before they can pollute the world’s oceans. It won the Hardware Award at last year’s SPARKies.
The ‘Good’ Award
Winner: Binit. Devon-based Binit provides brilliant rubbish and recycling services to businesses nationwide.
FutureSPARK
Winner: Sean Tilson. Sean founded Devon-based Checkit Plus in 2021 as a platform built on a fusion of cutting-edge machine learning technology and a profound dedication to championing the customer’s needs above all else.
Best Place to Work in Tech
Winner: Adopstar. Devon-based Adopstar helps publishers, agencies and brands master the complexities of advertising technologies and marketing.
Data Data Data
Winner: Headx. Stroud-based HeadX is a hardware and software provider for support the identification and management of concussion/brain trauma in sport and beyond through monitoring of head acceleration and vibration.
