Manchester FinTech Powdr has partnered with managed IT services and technology solutions specialist Red Rock, as the business looks to help scaling companies make better decisions backed by stronger systems.
The collaboration brings together two companies on GM Business Growth Hub’s ASCEND scaleup programme.
Powdr, founded in 2023 by CEO Joe van Gelder, COO Nicola Jones (now van Gelder) and CTO Stephen Foster, has quickly built a reputation for helping SMEs create funder-ready financial forecasts and models through intuitive software.
It raised a £1 million pre-seed round in early 2025 led by Haatch and featured on our FinTech 50 ranking for 2025.
The partnership will see Powdr provide financial clarity and forecasting, while Red Rock ensures the technology underpinning it is secure, scalable and well supported.
This is in an attempt to reduce friction for growing teams and free up time to focus on running the business.
Tameside-based Red Rock, led by managing director Paul James, enjoyed a strong year of recognition last year, being crowned Business Services Company of the Year 2025 at the Downtown in Business #COMBA25 awards.
The firm provides communication solutions and also featured as a One to Watch on our GM 125 Rising Stars of Business list earlier last year.
This followed another win at the Pride of Tameside Business Awards earlier in the summer.
The firm provides communication solutions and also featured as a One to Watch on our GM 125 Rising Stars of Business list in 2025.
“We’ve started working with Red Rock and the brilliant Paul James,” said van Gelder.
“The thinking behind it is pretty straightforward. We spend a lot of time helping business owners and finance teams build clear, funder ready forecasts so they can make better decisions. But many companies also suffer from poor systems and under-invested IT structures.
“Powdr focuses on the numbers structure, forecasting, and models that stand up when someone else starts pulling them apart.
“Red Rock focuses on the technology making sure the infrastructure behind all of that is secure, scalable and properly supported.
“As teams grow, those two things tend to come into sharper focus.
“This partnership is about reducing that friction, so finance and tech aren’t getting in each other’s way and people can spend more time running the business rather than firefighting avoidable issues.”
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