The Tech South West Awards 2022 took place on 10th November 2022 at Aerospace Bristol, with over 300 representatives of the South West tech sector in attendance.
25 trophies were awarded to companies and individuals from across the region.
We had the honour of sponsoring and supporting the development of the Tech South West Awards 2022. The Tech South West Awards celebrate and showcase the best of the sector across the entire South West region; with a particular focus on skills development and education outreach.
We were delighted to see that all of the hard work over the last 3 years has resulted in some outstanding achievements for Cornwall Council Services and Cornish tech businesses. Cornwall came away with an incredible seven out of twenty-five awards, demonstrating that the mark that Cornwall is leaving on the tech sector is getting greater every year.
Here are Cornwall’s Tech South West Award winners:
Best Education Initiative – TECwomen CIC
The judges said “TECwomen CIC stood out amongst a high-quality shortlist. They were won over by the wide age range covered by TECWomen, the number of initiatives and the scale of ambition as they work hard to close the gender gap.”
TECwomen delivered a programme of events and workshops across Cornwall as part of the Tresorys Kernow project which was supported by Cornwall Council’s Community Renewal Fund. The programme, a collaboration with Cornwall Museums Partnership and Creative Kernow, reached thousands of families during 2022.
Commitment to Diversity – TECwomen CIC
Taking home their second award of the night. The judges said they were “convinced by their all-female team, purpose-led approach and their proven track record of seeding early careers in STEMM.”
We have worked with TECwomen to deliver the first series of TECwomen Connect events and have supported Caitlin Gould (who is also the DSP chair) in growing the organisation.
TECwomen’s planned programme includes a brand-new college course introducing women to tech careers, along with workshops and events designed to increase the numbers of women and non-binary people working in the sector.
CreaTech Award – Real Ideas Organisation
The judges said, “Real Ideas is a social enterprise working at the intersection between creative industries and technology. They have supported over 100 startups and work with key partners, including the Universities of Plymouth, Exeter and Falmouth, Plymouth Culture and Creative UK to develop the immersive tech sector in the region.”
Real Ideas Organisation is also represented on our Digital Skills Partnership’s board.
Supporting the Sector – Aerospace Cornwall
The judges said, “they loved Aerospace Cornwall’s work enabling businesses to pivot into the sector, as well as building on a unique area of industry for the region, helping cement Cornwall as a centre of excellence for the South West.”
The Local Enterprise Partnership for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has created a Local Industrial Strategy to drive the growth and prosperity of Cornwall. The accelerated growth of the Data and Space sectors will play a key part in growing the Cornwall economy over the next 10 years.
Chloe Rickard, our DSP coordinator is part of the Data & Space steering group.
Tech Cluster Award for Cornwall – Melissa Thorpe
Melissa oversees the entire Spaceport Cornwall project, guiding the team to a successful satellite launch in 2022 from Cornwall Airport Newquay with launch partner, Virgin Orbit. It is great to see the growing Space sector recognised.
Women in Tech Award – Tanuvi Ethuandan and Erin Morris Data Duopoly
Tanuvi and Erin met through the Falmouth Launchpad startup incubator in 2018. They went on to launch Data Duopoly, a company that harnesses satellite data and Wifi triangulation to improve visitor experience at venues. Their technology has been used by organisations including the Eden Project, Cornwall’s tin mining coast, and Falmouth University.
Tanuvi is a member of the DSP board and a passionate advocate for our work.
TeachTech Award – Caitlin Gould, TECgirls
And taking home a 3rd award…The judges praised TECgirls’ fantastic approach to helping raise excitement and interest for working in the tech industry. They said “TECgirls had shown a fabulous amount of diversity in generating new ideas and opportunities to grab the attention of young girls and get them into ‘tech’.”
