The finalists for pro-manchester’s Trailblazing Tech Award have been chosen following a pitching session.
Boodil, Leafyard and GigPig were chosen from a stellar shortlist of ground-breaking solutions which represented an array of sectors from music to mental health, payments to pets and mirrors to manufacturing.
The founders explained their technology and plans to a panel which included TechBlast and BusinessCloud editor Jonathan Symcox and were rated on their presentation and the disruptive nature of their tech.
The other judges were Paul Knight of Mills & Reeve, Nicola Bilner of TLT LLP and Richard Williams of Beever and Struthers, while entrepreneur, investor & philanthropist Vikas Shah OBE was also involved in the selection process.
The three finalists will showcase their product and give a live demonstration to a business audience at the Trailblazing Tech 2023 event on 23rd June at The Lowry Hotel.
“Reducing the shortlist to three was extremely difficult given the calibre of the founders, the impressive technology on show and the importance of the problems they are looking to solve,” said Symcox.
“However, Boodil, GigPig and Leafyard are worthy of the stage at Trailblazing Tech – I can’t wait to see their pitch at the event and which ground-breaking technology the audience will choose as the winner for 2023.”
Boodil
Boodil is an open banking payments and consumer engagement platform. Its Pay-by-Bank solution offers a rapid payment flow that leverages customers’ banks via mobile or online banking, performing an instant bank transfer. Customers can check out in as quickly as six seconds, while merchants can integrate effortlessly and benefit from substantially lower payment processing fees, instant settlement and chargeback elimination. Consumers are rewarded every time they spend as they earn points which can be redeemed within its mobile app. Boodil supports eCommerce businesses and more traditional businesses that invoice, through an easy-to-integrate API, eCommerce plug-ins and Pay-by-Portal product.
Leafyard
Leafyard is experiencing rapid growth early in its journey. A mental health journey app designed to help people feel more resilient, happy and mentally fit, it has already helped thousands of people access guidance and support, while it claims to have saved numerous lives since launch 18 months ago. Its secret weapon is AI-driven, habit-building software and proven expertise in behavioural science.
GigPig
GigPig is a live music marketplace providing venues of all sizes with a streamlined way to search, book and manage entertainment in-house, while offering artists a free platform to find, play and get paid for gigs. Founded in 2022, GigPig is fast becoming the definitive live music platform for venues, artists and UK cities. The platform currently represents around 4,500 artists and 600 venues nationwide. Its founders have over 30 years combined experience of the music industry and have recently secured seed funding round to support GigPig’s fast growth.
Trailblazing Tech 2023
Trailblazing Tech 2023 will host a rich line-up of expert keynote speakers, panel sessions and live tech demonstrations. Topics include cybersecurity, FinTech, voice recognition and digital transformation for every size of business.
The conference will also see BusinessCloud unveil its inaugural Manchester Startups 2.0 list on a special panel hosted by award-winning journalist Chris Maguire.
The search for Manchester’s under-the-radar technology startups was launched two weeks ago and will recognise fledgling companies which are bootstrapped, pre-seed or angel-backed. Founders can nominate their business for Manchester Startups 2.0 using the form at the link below.