Business Manchester

Boxing tracker ready for round two thanks to The Landing

Blog

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17/08/2018

Real-time boxing tracker, CORNER, which has been developed at The Landing, MediaCityUK, has already been snapped up by boxing pros and coaches, including the GB Olympic boxing team.

The rapid growth and success of the smart, wearable boxing technology has led co-founders, Charles Burr and Jerry Krylov, to move on from the start-up and incubator facilities provided at The Landing and into their own HQ in the centre of Manchester.

The tracker has been developed to help boxers focus their training and hit their goals faster and its proving to be a fantastic success. British World Heavyweight Champion, Anthony Joshua; Manchester-born boxing coach, Joe Gallagher; and super-middleweight champion, Callum Smith have all been involved in testing the tracker.

Charles and Jerry met just three years ago through mutual friends. Charles, from Manchester, was studying at Imperial College London and was using similar technology to track crocodile rehabilitation process but was keen to adapt it for his big passion, boxing. Jerry, also a keen sportsman, was a student of interior architecture and product design at Glasgow School of Art and was looking for opportunities to design and launch a brand-new product from scratch.

After turning down a job opportunity to work for one of the top 50 architecture firms in the world, Jerry followed Charles to Manchester and they set to work developing the boxing tracker. They wanted to develop the product to track boxing performance in real-time using wearable sensors so that speed, power, type of punch and work rate could be measured and used to improve performance.

After a few weeks working from their homes, they needed somewhere they could work together in an environment full of like-minded tech developers where they could access state of the art user testing facilities.

As a specialist incubator for rapid tech start-ups, The Landing, based at MediaCityUK, provided the perfect location for Jerry and Charles to start their new venture, test their prototypes and access the investment and support they needed to grow quickly.

Whilst at The Landing, Jerry and Charles have also had the opportunity to take part in a variety of tech accelerators and, in 2016, they were successful in securing a place at the World’s first and largest hardware accelerator in San Francisco. They have also successfully trialled their product on live TV in Scandinavia and France.

Jerry Krylov, co-founder of Corner said: “I remember day one at The Landing. For the first time we had two desks together and we could really set to work developing the product. It was a strange feeling but it was the best move we made. The Landing provided us with the co-working space we needed but it was so much more than that.

“The team at The Landing believed in us and were always looking out for us. They really understood what we were trying to achieve. They provided the user testing labs as well as the connections, investment and training opportunities. It’s been a phenomenal journey and we’re so excited to be ready to move on to our very own HQ.

“We have achieved so much in the last three years and we couldn’t have done it without The Landing. The future is really exciting. We also have lots of plans for developing the product further and for building our new HQ, which will incorporate a gym and a professional boxing ring where we can test the product as we develop it. We’ll also have a creative co-working space and photographic studio for other creative start-ups to use.”

Paul Billington, commercial director at The Landing, said: “Through sheer hard work and a passion for their product, Jerry and Charles have created something that is state-of-the-art and is already having a massive impact in both professional and amateur boxing.

“At The Landing, we are really proud to support rapid start-ups in the tech sector and Corner is a real success story as they are now ready to move on and launch their very own HQ and that’s exactly what we want for all our tenants.

“We support our start-ups from day one, through product development and user testing but we also help them by removing barriers and driving their growth through access to business development opportunities as well as recruitment and investment. During their time at The Landing, Jerry and Charles have completed our incubator course and have taken advantaged of our user testing labs, which are funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), in order to drive the growth of their business.

“We have really enjoyed watching Corner develop over the last few years and we’re looking forward to seeing Charles and Jerry’s success as they grow the product from their very own HQ in Manchester.”

Manchester Airport celebrates one year of construction on its £1bn transformation programme

Blog

Sam Whitear

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17/08/2018

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Manchester Airport is marking one year of construction on the biggest investment project in its history by releasing stunning images showing the work completed so far.

The North’s global gateway is spending £1bn on transforming the airport, that will see Terminal 2 become 150% bigger than it currently is and become the focal point of the airport’s operations.

The programme got under way a year ago after a visit by the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling. Since then, the airport’s skyline has changed dramatically as the first pier has been built and over 70% of the steelwork has been erected on the terminal extension.

It’s one of the biggest construction programmes in the North of England and there are currently 1,200 people working on site, including 80 apprentices, in trades ranging from plumbing and scaffolding to quantity surveying and civil engineering.

Since the first spade went in the ground, £185m has been spent with SMEs in the supply chain within a 35-mile radius of the airport.

Andrew Cowan, CEO of Manchester Airport, said: “This is the largest investment ever made in the airport and will transform the experience for our passengers and airlines alike, as well as creating job and training opportunities for local people and boosting businesses working on the scheme in the process.

“I’m excited to see the first pier open to passengers in just eight months’ time and to press ahead with the rest of the scheme, especially the new terminal building, which is in course to be open to passengers by mid-2020.”

The first pier is set to open to passengers in April 2019, at 216m long if it was stood upright it would be the tallest building in Manchester. The terminal extension is on course to open in 2020.

To enable the new pier and terminal extension to be constructed, work has also been progressing on the airfield. In the first phase of airfield works, the apron has been extended to the west; including new taxiways and apron reconfiguration to allow the pier and additional aircraft stands to be used.

The second phase, which began in June 2018 involves a new taxiway, increasing the capacity of existing taxiways, new aircraft stands and AGL replacement and installation and is part of the reconfiguration of the airfield that will help to feed the redeveloped Terminal 2.

These phases of the works will see 148,000m2 of new taxiway and apron, 95,000m3 of concrete poured and 25miles of cabling installed with the aim of all excavated material being diverted from landfill throughout. The work is due to be completed by July 2020.

Looking further ahead, after the terminal extension the next pier is scheduled to open in 2022 and the refurbishment of the existing Terminal 2 building will also be completed that year. Terminal 1 is currently scheduled to close by 2023 with the third pier set to open in 2024. Once completed, Terminal 2 will have capacity to handle over 35 million passengers a year.

Bryan Glass, Laing O’Rourke Project Director, said: “We’re on schedule to deliver the transformation of Terminal 2 and that certainty of delivery has been driven by our offsite construction approach, with elements of the project manufactured offsite and assembled by our expert project team and technicians. There’s no room for complacency of course! Our team is focused on the next milestone – hand over of the first pier in January 2019.”

David M Robinson doubles its floorplate at Equitable Building

Blog

Sam Whitear

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17/08/2018

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The jeweller, David M Robinson, has doubled its retail space within Henry Boot Developments’ (HBD’s) Equitable Building in a deal that illustrates the continued strength of the city centre jewellery district in and around St Ann’s Square, despite the challenging retail environment.

David M Robinson will extend its existing 2,734 sq ft space into an adjacent unit which is currently vacant, doubling its total floorplate to 4,832 sq ft over two floors.

The jeweller has taken the space on a 15-year lease.

The 28,500 sq ft Equitable Building forms a prime retail pitch onto St Ann’s Square, opposite the Grade I listed church. The building dates back to the late nineteenth century and lies within the St Ann’s Square conservation area.

The square has established itself as home to Manchester’s luxury jewellery stores, including Fraser Hart, Hancocks, Tag Heuer and Mappin and Webb.

Tom Dunn, Development Surveyor at HBD’s Manchester office, said: “We are really pleased to be adding to the good news stories surrounding St Ann’s Square. David Robinson will further solidify the established pitch in St Ann’s Square, which has seen a number of high profile lettings recently.”

“David Robinson represents an extremely well-respected brand in Manchester. It’s a reflection both of the strength of its offer and its location that David Robinson has decided to double its floorplate at the Equitable Building.”

“We remain heavily invested in the square and are excited to bring forward our wider proposals for the Equitable Building. St Ann’s Square is a hugely attractive part of the city, sitting within the conservation area and home to the beautiful St Ann’s Church. One of the most pleasant parts of the city, it’s one of the few places that benefits from a sense of tranquility at the heart of the bustle.”

Established in the 1960s, David M Robinson is one of the UK’s most well-established jewellers, creating exclusive designs for its showrooms in London, Liverpool, Manchester and Altrincham, with customers travelling large distances to have bespoke pieces commissioned. Its extended Manchester showroom is illustrative of the continued growth of the business and the reputation cultivated by the city’s jewellery district centred at St Ann’s Square.

BDO inspires the talent of tomorrow with NCS partnership

Education

Sam Whitear

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16/08/2018

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BDO’s Manchester office has once again set out to inspire the city’s young people, welcoming more than 1,000 students over the Summer as part of the Government-funded National Citizen Service (NCS).

The NCS programme, delivered locally by charity, Salford Foundation, aims to engage 16-17 year olds with new experiences that will support them in their future working lives. The four-week programme helps build self-confidence and instils young people the self-belief that they can take on and achieve anything in life.

For the third consecutive year, volunteers from BDO have worked with teams of students to help them learn about making business decisions and budgeting as part of their preparation to pitch for funding to deliver a project in the community.

This year’s project focused on setting out a business plan for a music festival in Spinningfields, bringing in BDO’s involvement with the Bee in The City initiative.

Patrons of the NCS include David Cameron, Baroness Brady of Knightsbridge CBE, Carolyn Fairbairn of the CBI and Bear Grylls.

Jillian Smith, who leads CSR for BDO in the region and is a senior manager in the BDODrive Solutions team said: “We’re pleased to be supporting the NCS programme once again this summer, it’s a hugely valuable initiative that teaches young people important skills that can’t be taught inside a classroom.

“The ethos behind the NCS programme is also very closely aligned to BDO’s values and our commitment to opening up the accountancy profession to young people of all backgrounds. We hope that, by spending time in our office working alongside our team, we can provide some inspiration and guidance by helping them think about themselves, where they want to be in the world of work, their place within it, as well as whether accountancy could be the right career for them.”

Internationally renowned leadership expert, Dr Simon Hayward, accepts honorary professorship from Alliance Manchester Business School

Education

Sam Whitear

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16/08/2018

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Dr Simon Hayward, founder and CEO of Cirrus and author, has accepted a prestigious honorary professorship from Alliance Manchester Business School.

An internationally renowned thought leader and Alliance Manchester Business School DBA and MBA alumnus, Honorary Professor Hayward, is a published author of two bestselling books, Connected Leadership and The Agile Leader, and founder and CEO of multi-award winning leadership consultancy, Cirrus. A book launch for The Agile Leader will be held on 3 October at Alliance Manchester Business School’s new Executive Education Centre.

Hayward’s 30 years’ experience has seen him create strategy and leadership development programmes for some of the world’s leading organisations, earning the business an international client base spanning Europe, Asia Pacific and North America.

He has long been an active supporter of Alliance Manchester Business School. He was chairman of the global alumni association for six years and class president on the DBA programme from 2010 to 2015.

Simon Hayward, Honorary Professor at Alliance Manchester Business School, said: “Alliance Manchester Business School is an internationally renowned institution. As an alumnus, I’m proud to have been associated with the School for more than thirty years and look forward to working closely with both students and staff in the future. I will continue to research what makes great leadership in our changing digital world, to enhance the reputation of the School on the international stage.”

Intelligent healthcare company Rinicare announces completion of financing

Blog

Sam Whitear

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16/08/2018

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Rinicare Limited, a leading Manchester-based intelligent healthcare company has announced the completion of its financing round by welcoming new investors Catapult Ventures and NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia Fund Managers and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

The funding will be used to support the commercialisation of Rinicare’s digital healthcare portfolio, which is designed to provide solutions that improve outcomes and reduce costs in a number of settings such as emergency, primary and community care as well as progress its AI-powered predictive algorithm for intensive care.

Healthcare providers around the world face the challenge of maintaining sustainable healthcare systems in light of an ageing population and continuously increasing costs. Rinicare’s approach to addressing these challenges is based on a collaborative effort with clinicians and end users to design advanced wireless communications, innovative prediction algorithms and enhanced software technology solutions that demonstrably improve outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.

The company markets its wireless physiological signs technology (PRIME) and its falls prevention system (SAFE) globally in a number of healthcare solutions, which are tailored to individual needs.

In addition to its expanding marketed solutions, Rinicare is developing its AI predictive system, Stability, which is initially focused at intensive care and addresses a global market for predictive healthcare analytics. This fast emerging area of healthcare is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 25%, reaching an estimated global market value of $24.6billion by 2022.

Stuart Hendry, CEO of Rinicare, commented: “We are very pleased to welcome such high-quality investors in this financing round. We will be using proceeds to support the ongoing commercialisation of our PRIME and SAFE based healthcare solutions in the UK and abroad as well as continuing with the development of world-leading Stability AI intensive care programme that has already captured data from several thousand intensive care patients.”

Dr Vijay Barathan, Life Science Partner, Catapult Ventures said: “We are excited to work with Rinicare as they commercialise their intelligent health product portfolio in the UK and international healthcare markets. Each product represents an innovative solution and significant market opportunity.”

Dr Mark Wyatt, Investment Director at Mercia, said: “I am looking forward to working with the Rinicare team, and I am excited to see their technologies drive efficiency gains and patient benefits into the healthcare system.”

Sue Barnard, Senior Relationship Manager at British Business Bank, said: “The healthcare market is evolving rapidly, and is expected to grow significantly over the next few years. The North is home to many innovative businesses in this space, such as Rinicare, and NPIF is pleased to support those looking to enter the next phase of growth.”

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.

HRC Law flexes commercial property muscle with Gym King

Property

Sam Whitear

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16/08/2018

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Manchester-based full-service commercial law firm, HRC Law, has advised on the latest lease in growing creative space Tanzaro House, as popular fitness and lifestyle brand Gym King prepares to move in.

Tanzaro House, owned by property investment and development business Charlton Manor Estates Limited, is a dynamic space for fashion brands overlooking Ardwick Green in Manchester. The space has built a solid reputation within the industry as a hub in the North comprising a mix of office, studio and showroom spaces. It’s currently home to over 15 brands, agencies and distributors, including Just Consultancies, Two Squared Agency and The Couture Club, with their newest neighbours, Gym King, taking a 2,000 square foot unit.

The transaction was led by commercial property partner at HRC Law, Helen Marsh, who worked alongside Matt Illingworth of Hynes Illingworth, the appointed letting agent, to secure the lease.

Helen commented: “Charlton Manor Estates and their tenants are a prime example of how innovative thinking is shaping the future of fashion. The multi-purpose building provides a flexible space for businesses to grow and be part of a community – and fashion brands are queuing up to join the Tanzaro house community.”

Just three years since launch, Gym King has fast become one of the UK’s popular urban wear brands, stocked in the likes of ASOS, JD Sport and Footasylum. The business’ new space in Tanzaro House signals the brand’s expansion as they take up office and showroom space.

Tanzaro House is currently at full capacity, with a waiting list of retailers and wholesalers wanting to move in. The firm’s other properties are also situated on Ardwick Green and include The Ardwick Grove, Milford House and Charlton House.

Simon Kilham, Charlton Manor Estates, commented: “Our properties tend to attract and cater best to tenants in the artistic and creative sectors. It’s crucial for us to work with advisors that understand our industry and our tenants’ sectors. It was clear that Helen and the team at HRC Law could offer valuable insight which offered a seamless transaction for all parties. We’d like to extend our thanks to the team and a warm welcome to Gym King who we’re confident are going to be very happy in their new home.”

e3creative grows leadership team with two key hires

Sam Whitear

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15/08/2018

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e3creative has appointed Lucy Gregory, Production Manager and Niall Morrison, Technical Delivery Manager to lead the technical and creative teams within their Manchester studio.

Gregory joins e3creative with over 16 years of experience leading integrated teams for large digital agencies across the UK including Manchester’s Building Blocks and TBWA Manchester. She’s a proven leader with a strong track record of introducing new processes to streamline communications between departments and improving operational efficiencies.

Gregory said: “it is exciting to join an agency that is achieving unprecedented levels of business growth whilst continuing to set the bar for quality and innovation on an international level.

From their diverse, skilful teams to the prestigious brands they collaborate with, there is so much opportunity at e3creative that I’m looking forward to maximising.”

Gregory is now overseeing the entire production department at e3creative including areas of design, app and mobile development, UX, testing, project management, as well as Digital Operations Services (DOS).

Concurrently, Morrison was enlisted to manage DOS, a new and flourishing division at e3creative introduced just over a year ago, due to his vast experience in coding and managing reactive development teams. Prior to e3creative Morrison was employed for 3 years in the Manchester branch of the globally operating digital agency Building Blocks (Dept UK).

Commenting on his new position, Morrison said: “e3creative is an agency I’ve followed throughout my career, am constantly impressed by and anticipate big things from.

Their fast-paced movement is a welcome new challenge. The trajectory of the business is extremely positive and DOS is a huge part of their plans, which is invigorating for me stepping in.”

Managing Director of e3creative Jake Welsh, added: “ Lucy and Niall have both entered e3creative championing our vision and brand values. Collectively, as well as individually, the pair have a clear passion for digital and demonstrate superior levels of leadership that will play a huge part in the evolution of the agency.

In an industry that is so reliant on talent, we’re extremely fortunate to have secured these two key recruits during a pivotal point.”

e3creative is an integrated digital agency with a full-time staff of 56 and a head office in Manchester city centre. In 2017, the agency turned over £2.55m annually and forecasts that amount to increase to £3.5m by their 2018 October year-end.

Northern Entrepreneurs invest £1m to accelerate early-stage companies

Blog

Sam Whitear

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15/08/2018

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Manchester and Leeds based entrepreneurs Matt Haycox, Simon Leeming and Dave Watson have launched The Elevate Programme, an initial £1 million investment fund for North West SMEs. The fund will act as an accelerator programme for early-stage companies with aggressive growth plans.

Headquartered in Manchester, The Elevate Programme will provide equity funding and acceleration support tailored to each company in the programme. It is now open for applications with the first cohort beginning in October 2018.

Dave Watson, Co-founder of The Elevate Programme, said: “We aim to bring the best of both worlds – angel investment with a hands-on accelerator programme. We know there are a number of fantastic mentoring and support resources out there, but we really want to provide something truly personalised for the companies we are investing in.”

The programme is being run with specialists from key functional areas across business strategy, sales & marketing, recruitment, finance and accounting. Companies who receive funding will also benefit from strategic guidance so they are set up with a scalable platform for growth.

Simon Leeming, Co-founder at The Elevate Programme, added: “We have seen the gaps in the funding market – we want to offer more than just financial investment and give companies the best chance to grow in the most profitable way possible. The Elevate Programme will enable our investees to execute their growth strategies at a much faster rate with the support network they need to lean on.”

Each investment and support programme will have a tailored solution outside of the mould of a standard investment programme. Matt Haycox, explains:

“We know and have experienced the challenges that business owners have when trying to scale a business. There are a large number of incredible companies with exceptional products and services who are operating on a month-to-month basis, running into cash-flow issues, or simply have the directors too involved with the day to day running of the business. These are some of the common challenges we aim to address to enable entrepreneurs.”

The Elevate team have run multiple successful businesses, as well as providing funding and investment in a multitude of successful companies over the last 15 years. The network they have built will be key to helping companies on the programme making connections with new customers, suppliers and future investors alike.

Shoosmiths advises video game developer Firesprite on exclusive PlayStation VR deal for The Persistence

Blog

Sam Whitear

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15/08/2018

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The Intellectual Property & Creative Industries team at Shoosmiths has advised leading video game development studio Firesprite Ltd on an exclusive license and distribution agreement with global interactive entertainment giant Sony.

Headed by partner Laura Harper, Shoosmiths’ IP & Creative Industries experts have advised Firesprite on a major licensing and worldwide digital and disc distribution deal for its new virtual reality game The Persistence.

The team also provided advice on brand protection and trade mark registrations.

The deal will see Sony take exclusive ownership over the license and global distribution of The Persistence on PlayStation VR (PSVR), which has already received a raft of praise in reviews from across the games community.

Liverpool-based Firesprite have previously collaborated with some of the games industry’s biggest names including Sony PlayStation’s Japan Studio.

Graeme Ankers, CEO at Firesprite, said: “Whilst we are very much an established AAA games developer, because of the confidential nature of the work that we do, we’ve never really shouted too much about ourselves before, our work has generally been in the background, like collaborating with Japan Studio on new hardware projects.

“We’ve delivered a lot of incredible projects, but The Persistence is really the first time we are talking about our work because it’s our own Intellectual Property (IP). It’s been a labour of love that we’ve worked on for three years and we feel that we’re ready to really talk about that now for the first time.

“Laura and her team at Shoosmiths worked with us on this project and have handled all of our legal and business affairs and IP over the last five years. They have provided specialist contractual and intellectual property support for The Persistence and importantly, helped to negotiate our agreement with Sony”.

Laura Harper added: “It was a delight to work on this project with Graeme and continue to provide support for the growth of Firesprite as a leading game development studio. In particular, we have enjoyed working with the company to negotiate this major deal with Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe and Sony Interactive Entertainment America for one of Firesprite’s own VR titles.

“Firesprite’s latest game is already drawing great excitement from across the games industry and we’re pleased to have been able to support the team on this significant deal for the PSVR platform.

“Shoosmiths specialise in advising games studios and our experts negotiate development, licensing and publishing deals for our clients and work with accountants to draft tax structures which assist developers to maximise their VGTR and R&D relief. We are committed to maintaining and growing our leading reputation for working with businesses across the UK’s vibrant and diverse creative and digital sector and supporting the growing demand for high-quality, accessible legal expertise across the north west region and beyond.

“Our IP & Creative Industries team is enjoying a fantastic period of growth and this has been fuelled in part by the growth of the UK games sector, particularly in the North. We’re looking forward to the future as we continue to expand the practice and our offering even further.”

Shoosmiths’ IP & Creative experts are set to have doubled the team’s 2016/2017 turnover by the end of this financial year, having advised a broad range of clients including technology companies, games developers, fashion and retail brands, communications and design agencies, arts organisations, television production companies and music businesses. The team also acts for many of the country’s leading consumer and retail brands.