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Leaders at exciting Tees Valley start-ups are benefiting from an innovative new programme proving advice and support on how to develop and grow.
Nine companies are taking part in The Stable - a six-month incubator taking businesses from early ideas and discovery through to market traction and funding.
The programme is run by Middlesbrough innovation consultancy Alt Labs on behalf of the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority and funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The Stable is part of the Tees Valley Labs programme which is tailored for entrepreneurs, start-ups, and scale-ups to receive expert guidance and mentorship.
Mateusz Maj is a director at up-and-coming Teesside gaming company Lynx Studios.
The firm is looking to develop a “racetrack tycoon” game where players get to design and make their own racetracks.
“It gets behinds the scenes of what it takes to run a racetrack, the challenges they face, the benefits they provide and how they evolved over time,” he said.
“We want to work very closely with the local and national UK Motorsports scene.”
The company has held early talks with the Silverstone Museum Experience and the 750 Motor Club to get them involved.
The programme has helped provide Mateusz and the team with a stepping stone into the industry.
He added: “It’s the stability it can provide, not only with the funding, but with the mentorship and the help from industry professionals they bring in, as well as the network the programme itself has. It’s only been a few weeks, but it’s been phenomenal and really amazing.”
As well as helping his firm avoid early pitfalls, the range of networking access provided by the programme has also impressed Mateusz.
He added: “We’ve had law and accounting firms – I’ve managed to speak to a lot of people who had similar interests to us with similar interests in our project, as well as others who’d worked in the gaming industry who I wouldn’t have known.”
Zeeshan Ali Mohammed is co-founder of Platvix which is developing a one-stop platform solution for start-ups and investors – and automating the investment process using AI.
The firm was part of the Teesside University Launchpad programme before joining The Stable.
Zeeshan said: “It’s been quite exciting so far – with networking, talking to different businesses and knowing their perspective. There’s a real diversity here – all of us are from different businesses, so everyone’s input really matters.”
He added: “This programme is a catalyst for us – it’s increased the speed in working towards deployment so when we go live in two months’ time, we have a scheduled plan.
“We want to go global and take the platform across the globe so it’s accessible to everyone.”
Graham Huntley is part of Booksmrt – a company developing booking systems dedicated to the escape room industry which aims to branch out.
Project Escape has been running for eight years from the Dundas Shopping Centre, in Middlesbrough, and now Graham has set up a new company to solve booking problems faced by the wider industry, with wider plans to compete with the bigger players in the market. He is full of praise for the programme.
Graham said: “It’s been fantastic – it’s taken me out of my comfort zone and put me in and around people with a completely different skill set to me.”
And he believed the course had already allowed the firm to take a deeper look into what the business is trying to do.
Graham added: “It has helped us plan what we want our outcomes to be and where we want to be in the market.
“We want to try and establish ourselves in the booking system industry and really challenge the corporate side of it. At the moment, a lot of corporate companies are buying out stand-alone companies. What we’re trying to do is to bring back the features that help us grow as a business but also give that opportunity to other companies within the escape room industry initially and then, further down the line, other industries.”
The variety of businesses on the programme stands out.
Sam Shenton has helped create Assessable to help teachers reduce the amount of time they spend marking work with the help of AI. She said the team had already gained a lot from The Stable.
“We’ve realised we need a strong driver for the project so we’re looking at a key person to tie all those other aspects together,” explained Sam.
“It’s been really useful. Our hope is to save the teaching crisis. We’re going to start with Key Stage Two English and then we’re going to build on to the humanities like Geography and History.
“That could be Key Stage 3 and potentially even all the way up to University level.
“We haven’t launched the product yet, but we’ve had talks with lots of people who would be customers and there’s really good feedback. It’s something that teachers are literally crying out for.”
As part of the programme, entrepreneurs draw down significant grant funding with a grant up to £15,000 on successful completion.
Matthew Ord, Deputy Chair of the Tees Valley Business Board, said: “The personalised support start-ups can access through this programme is crucial for fostering innovation and driving economic growth in the region.
“It's about creating a strong foundation for success, ensuring our local businesses have the tools and expertise they need to scale and make a lasting impact.
“It’s really promising to see companies benefitting from the help already.”
Dan Watson, Head of Ecosystem and Operations at Alt Labs, said: “If you look at the track record for Alt Labs, and the delivery of innovation programmes, we’ve run with the likes of LNER, GoAhead Group, Transport for Wales, I think businesses are aware of our track record of delivery as well as the wider partners we’ve brought in like Barclays Eagles Labs Brewin Dolphin, Ward Hadaway, Abacus Bean – it’s quite attractive in the support the businesses get, as well as the grant funding element of the programme.”
And Dan said it was satisfying to see businesses grow off the back of the support.
He added: “To see the impact on the ground in the local business community, that’s something pretty exciting.”
The Stable and The Forge, the incubator and accelerator programmes respectively, are now well underway with spaces filled.
However, there are still many ways to benefit from the initiative with free, in-person workshops for ambitious businesses being made available over the next six months.
To find out more about Tees Valley Labs, visit: teesvalleylabs.co.uk
