The founder of Manchester-based cybersecurity tech business zally is eyeing potential multi-million-pound deals after attending Web Summit.
Patrick Smith is part of a delegation of businesses on GM Business Growth Hub’s ASCEND programme which are in Lisbon for Europe’s biggest tech conference.
“Being at Web Summit has enabled us to secure conversations for a potential multi-million-pound investment deal,” Smith – pictured with Felix Robinson, founder of fellow ASCEND business Pet Trust UK in Portugal – tells BusinessCloud.
“We have also had conversations with potential partners in Saudi Arabia and Dubai to look at how we could deploy our technology into their ecosystems.
“That could be worth tens of millions of pounds in revenue for us as a business.”
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Smith was introduced to the directors from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism – who been involved in the nation’s digital passport – then discussed the firm’s technology proposition with them. He has now been invited to Dubai in the first weeks of December to explore how zally might set up an office there.
“They’ve seen the use-cases and understood how we can implement our continuous authentication technology into their market. So I was really excited to have these conversations at Web Summit,” adds Smith.
“The event really is a great opportunity for startups like zally to open the doors to the right people. It’s a brilliant place to be.”
zally, which raised £1.6 million in pre-seed funding this year, was only founded in 2022 but has attracted heavyweights to its board and as investors including 6point6 founder David Webb as chairman.