BusinessCloud is the place where founders come to connect, learn and grow.
Launched in 2016, BusinessCloud’s mantra is simple: ‘Founders & tech.’
Running a business can be a lonely existence, so make BusinessCloud your go-to for news, interviews, columns, rankings and podcasts.
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Beyond our daily newsletter, BusinessCloud is the leading name in events.
From business breakfasts, intimate roundtables, private dinners and conferences to award ceremonies, make BusinessCloud your business partner.
Our Northern Leaders list and awards ceremony in now one of the North’s must-attend events.
Our Tech 50 rankings cover key sectors including HealthTech, EdTech and FinTech – and competition to be included is red hot.
Our hard-hitting Naked Founder podcast is the business podcast where nothing is hidden.
BusinessCloud is also a proud supporter of Rochdale’s Springhill Hospice.
Meet the BusinessCloud team
Chris Maguire, executive editor/founder/co-owner
Chris Maguire (pictured left) is a career journalist and the founder of BusinessCloud.
Maguire is passionate about championing founders, and his LinkedIn Good News Blog is a must-read every Friday.
A multiple award-winning journalist, he has hosted more than 3,000 events, ranging from conferences attended by 1,000+ people to intimate roundtables.
Maguire’s contacts book is the stuff of legend, and he regularly advises business leaders on crisis communications and brand building.
Loves: Northern Leaders, good news and cricket
Hates: Jon Symcox’s entire taste in music
Jonathan Symcox, editor/co-owner
Jonathan Symcox (right) joined BusinessCloud at its launch in 2016 as deputy editor and was promoted to editor in 2019.
Symcox oversees all the publication’s Tech 50 rankings and has played a pivotal role in establishing BusinessCloud as one of the UK’s most respected names covering startups, scaleups and emerging tech ecosystems.
A veteran of two London Marathons, he regularly runs to the office and, when not working, can normally be found on the side of a football pitch or on a trail in the moors somewhere.
Loves: Meeting founders, Tech 50 rankings and Barnsley FC
Hates: Getting beaten at darts by Chris Maguire
Frazer Durris, non-executive chairman/exited founder
Entrepreneur, investor and founder Frazer Durris (centre) is non-executive chairman of BusinessCloud.
He previously founded Lancashire-based energy specialist Businesswise Solutions, leading the business for over 13 years as CEO before its acquisition by AIM-listed Inspired Energy plc in 2021. He remained with the business as executive chairman until 2024, supporting its integration and continued growth.
Durris now operates Trigpoint Ventures, a family office investing across a growing portfolio of businesses, and is also the founder of TrailFans, a media platform dedicated to the global trail and fell running community.
He brings a blend of operational experience, investment insight and brand-building perspective to BusinessCloud, supporting its growth and strategic direction.
Loves: Family, fell/trail running, Burnley FC
Hates: Bad coffee, jokes (esp Chris’s) & Blackburn Rovers