A business started by two former Bath schoolfriends during the Covid-19 pandemic has launched a new product range aimed at making workplace accidents a thing of the past. Former St Gregorys schoolfriends-turned-entrepreneurs Harry Kimberley-Bowen and Ronan Finnegan founded Spacebands when the first lockdown hit in April 2020. The firm sold more than 20,000 of...
Dancerace, the fast-growing Bath-based specialist software firm, has secured new investment to support its global expansion ambitions. The firm, which provides cloud-based software to major banks and lenders worldwide, received the funding from international software and technology-focused investment firm Norland Capital. Launched in 1992, Dancerace develops software for the receivables, trade and asset-based finance market along with training, consultancy...
Researchers at the University of Bath have invented a new way to remove health-harming toxins from water – using 3D printing. The team from the university’s Department of Chemical Engineering say their method removes at least 75% of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from water and so could become an important tool in future efforts to eliminate...
Drones capable of spotting wildfires from high in the sky and flying robot taxis carrying fire-extinguishing robo-dogs to quench the flames with sound waves may sound like sci-fi – but one Bath firm is hoping to make them a reality. Fire detection firm Optect is helping develop the futuristic system to tackle the ever-increasing threat of...
Specialist UK semiconductor maker Graphcore, which has its roots in Bath, is poised to take on the global giants of the industry after being acquired by Japanese investment group SoftBank. The idea for Graphcore was born in 2012 when co-founder Nigel Toon and Simon Knowles met in Bath's Marlborough Tavern to discuss their next...
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...
A pilot scheme to test a next-generation 5G mobile network in Bath city centre is to start later this summer. The government-funded scheme aims to address the mobile network connectivity and capacity issues that often affect phones in the area. According to surveys carried out by Bath & North East Somerset Council (B&NES), many...
More than 6,000 jobs were created across the South West last year as investment by overseas firms in the region recovered to its strongest for six years. The South West attracted 43 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects in 2023 – a 23% increase on the previous year and the highest total since 2017. According...
Bath’s burgeoning life sciences ecosystem is to be strengthened through a new partnership that brings together some of the major players in the sector across the region. South West Life Sciences aims to increase the visibility of a sector with huge growth potential and the ability to create high-skilled jobs as well as boosting the...
The organisation behind Bath Chamber of Commerce has called on the newly elected government to ensure the West of England’s potential is fully harnessed, including investing in its growth sectors such as green energy. Business West welcomed Labour’s commitment to an “enduring partnership” with business to deliver the economic growth and stability that the...
