• Swindon & Wiltshire Tech
• Tuesday September 17 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Bristol’s Tech-Xpo celebrates 20 years shining a light on trailblazing startups

Tech incubator SETsquared Bristol will be celebrating 20 years of Tech-Xpo, its flagship pitch, demo and connect showcase, next week.

Sixteen startups will promote their innovative technologies to an audience of over 150 business leaders and investors on Wednesday, September 25 at the iconic Goldney Hall in Bristol, the venue that first hosted Tech-Xpo two decades ago.

Eight of the 16 participating startups are shortlisted to compete for Best Elevator Pitch on the night: Amutri, APS, Mapstack, Metasonixx, MyCopilot, Platipus, Taught by Humans and Wavesix.

This year’s event has a strong focus on tech for good, with companies across SETsquared Bristol’s early and later stage incubation programmes representing a diverse range of sectors from machine learning and AI to health and wellbeing.

Amutri are one of the eight companies competing for Best Elevator Pitch. The company has built the fastest way to transform product design data into 3D Experiences that inspire action.

Amutri’s CEO and founder, Michael Calver, said: “Amutri is excited to join Tech-Xpo to showcase our rapid progress following our recent fundraise. We’re eager to onboard innovative companies within manufacturing and engineering to join our early adopters, while inviting investors to join us on our journey to democratise 3D Visualisation.”

Last year’s winner, as voted by the audience, was digital physiotherapy tool SoleSense, whose shoe insole sensors are designed to aid stroke rehabilitation.

Caz Icke, SoleSense founder and CEO (pictured), said: “Tech-Xpo was a brilliant opportunity – the pitch training made it easy to get up on stage and do my best, and I was over the moon to win Best Elevator Pitch. It has helped build my confidence, as well as visibility and credibility for the business.”

Previous Tech-Xpo winners include Inclued, an inclusive marketing AI tool, Ferryx, which makes bacterial products capable of functioning during active disease, and KETS Quantum Security, a world leader in quantum cryptography hardware solutions.

Rick Chapman, entrepreneur in residence at SETsquared Bristol, said: “We’re looking forward to bringing our startup community together to celebrate two decades of incredible tech innovation and talent.

“This year’s pitching and exhibiting startups are no exception – definitely ones to watch in the future.”

The winner of Tech-Xpo 2024 Best Elevator Pitch will be announced on September 25. SETsquared Bristol is the University of Bristol’s tech incubator.

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