Hull based HiiROC named KPMG’s UK Tech innovator 2022

KPMG Private Enterprise announces the winner of the top Tech Innovator in the UK competition

KPMG Private Enterprise announces the winner of the top Tech Innovator in the UK competiti

HiiROC, a Hull-based technology scaleup which has developed a low-cost, zero-emission, scalable hydrogen generation technology solution, has beaten off competition from fast-growth businesses from across the UK to be crowned KPMG UK's Tech Innovator 2022.

More than 250 tech scaleups from across the UK applied to take part in the competition, representing the best in tech innovation across a range of sectors. A shortlist of 80 of the most innovative businesses were shortlisted and took part in regional heats throughout June to find the final 12 tech titans of the future who went head to head in Leeds last night at Nexus, the University of Leeds’ innovation hub.

CEO Tim Davies delivered a winning pitch to a panel of judges from the tech industry and investor community. Working collaboratively with the University of Hull, HiiROC is a Hull-based small business that has developed Thermal Plasma Electrolysis which will accelerate cost-effective and climate-friendly hydrogen production using production units they have also designed, developed and built. Thermal Plasma Electrolysis has lower CapEx and lower operational costs than other technologies and offers a more energy-efficient solution than other methods, producing more hydrogen per kW of electricity and with use of onsite production units, removal of transportation costs and reduced storage & compression costs.

HiiROC were crowned the UK winner having competed against tech scaleup businesses from across the country offering the best in tech innovation across a range of sectors. Healthtech, cleantech, mobility and advanced manufacturing were represented by multiple finalists, all of which capture the essence of the competition by offering tech solutions and improvements to many societal challenges. HiiROC now join the impressive list of winners who have gone on to do great things, including companies such as FIDO Tech, VividQ and What3Words.

They will now progress to the global stage of the competition in Lisbon alongside Web summit, in November, to compete with tech innovators from 23 other countries. The winner of that stage of the competition will be crowned the Global Tech Innovator 2022.

Warren Middleton, lead partner for KPMG’s Emerging Giant Centre of Excellence in the UK said:

“The power of our technology sector to deliver impact on a global scale is more important than it’s ever been, and our UK innovators are a real success story. Despite the global economic challenges, our UK innovators are attracting record levels of VC investment, with over £15.7 billion raised in the first half of this year pointing to our ability to successfully create, attract and nurture entrepreneurs, disruptors and scaleups across the UK.

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“We had some amazing finalists here representing innovation across a range of sectors, all of which capture the essence of the competition by offering tech solutions and improvements to many of the challenges facing the world today.  HiiROC is a fantastic example of the growing number of innovative UK businesses who are proving that there is much opportunity for growth if businesses are prepared to think differently or come at the problem from a new angle. I wish them the best of luck as they move on to represent the UK at the global competition in Lisbon and we are excited to be supporting all of our finalists with their journey as they work towards becoming the tech titans of tomorrow.”

Adrian Poole, Director, Digital Natives, Google Cloud UKI and one of the judges on the evening, added:

“The judges had a very difficult task in having to choose one winner from these exceptional businesses who delivered some very exciting pitches. HiiROC was selected for their clear opportunity to solve a global challenge, strong management team and opportunity to scale quickly. We are delighted that they now have the opportunity to tell their story on a global stage in front of investors, experts and global corporates, as part of the KPMG Private Enterprise Global Tech Innovator competition in Lisbon later this year.”

Tim Davies, CEO and Co-founder of HiiROC said:

“We are delighted to have been named the 2022 KPMG Tech Innovator in the UK, particularly in the face of such inspiring competition from some really great businesses. This award is a reflection of our amazing team, the passion that they show and the fun we have on the journey. We are working to impact global net zero – which is everyone’s issue, and so the prospect of being able to showcase HiiROC in Lisbon to a global audience is an opportunity to gain some real momentum around new improved ways of making hydrogen. I am very much looking forward to meeting the other international innovators who, like us, are driving solutions for an important global issue. I feel like this is not only a win for us, but a win for the hydrogen sector to really get some momentum around an issue that will have a real impact on climate change.”

HiiROC will now go forward to the KPMG Private Enterprise Global Tech Innovator competition in Lisbon alongside Web summit, where the finalists will be invited to exhibit at the conference between 1 and 4 November.

The full list of 12 UK finalists :

Company

Sector

Region

Description

Magway

Mobility

London

a pioneering cost-effective, intelligent and sustainable system to move goods. It consists of carriages running at speed on a network of overground or underground pipes that are around one meter in diameter. The network can span a distance ranging from a few hundred meters to tens of kilometres.

Hoptroff

Space Tech

London

a plug and play software solution that provides precision timing for businesses globally, meeting their compliance obligations, improving operational efficiency, and reducing costs.
Our network-delivered solution provides compliance and security for global financial markets, media and broadcast, gaming, e-commerce, and distributed ledger technology.
It is highly resilient and secure, verified and auditable, quick and cost-effective to install, scale and maintain, and easy to use in real-time for compliance, ops and senior management.

Eatron Technologies

Mobility

Midlands

automotive software scale-up dedicated to making ‘software-defined vehicles’ a reality for vehicle manufacturers & Tier-1s worldwide to speed up the realisation of net-zero mobility.

We develop and sell/license connected & intelligent battery management systems to the automotive industry for serial production use in the new electric vehicle programs

Curvalux UK

Tech4Good

North East

delivers patented Fixed Wireless Broadband technology, offering telecom operators sustainable solutions to provide affordable high-speed and quality signal Internet to remote areas of low-income households with cost-effective investments.

HiiROC

CleanTech

North East

a low-cost, zero-emission, scalable hydrogen generation technology solution.

 

Inovus Medical

Health Tech

North West

provides the hardware and software platforms to allow simulation and training centres around the country to hold both face-to-face and remote surgical training. They connect both trainees and faculty through a system that allows for objective metrics and performance tracking, including video recording and the ability to give subjective comments from faculty prior to completion of formal assessments.

Nanoplexus

ESG

North West

offers MXene & 2D material solutions like aerogels, developed with our platform technology, for novel catalysts, composites and energy storage devices. This delivers on our goal of developing scalable and cost-effective clean energy infrastructures for a more sustainable future.

Novosound

Advanced Manufacturing

Scotland

design and manufacturing of ultrasound sensors using a groundbreaking thin-film technique to address the limitations of traditional ultrasound. This includes products and customisable solutions for emerging applications in industrial, medical, dental and wearable markets

Integrated Graphene

Advanced Manufacturing

Scotland

a technology development and integration company exploiting our unique patented 3D graphene foam “Gii®” as a component that enables higher performing, lower cost, more sustainable products in multiple $trillion markets.

ViridiCO2

CleanTech

South Central

a carbon dioxide (CO2) solutions provider, enabling high CO2 emitting manufacturers, such as chemical manufacturers and foundation industries, to utilise CO2 as a feedstock material in the synthesis of high-value chemical products.

Pockit Diagnostics

Health Tech

South East

a Cambridge based company that sells rapid blood tests for the diagnosis of Strokes

Naturbeads

Clean Tech

South West & Wales

commercialises an innovative process developed at the University of Bath to manufacture cellulose-based, biodegradable, perfectly spherical beads to replace currently used micro-plastics. 

 

Media enquiries

Emma Murray

KPMG Press Office

020 7694 6506

emma.murray@kpmg.co.uk

 

About the competition

The KPMG Private Enterprise Tech Innovator competition is being hosted in the following countries and regions.

Africa

Japan

Australia

Kuwait

Brazil

Mexico

Canada

Netherlands

China

Norway

Colombia

Portugal

Denmark

Qatar

Germany

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Gibraltar

Spain

India

Taiwan

Ireland

United Kingdom

Israel

United States

 

About KPMG Private Enterprise

You know KPMG, you might not know KPMG Private Enterprise. The KPMG Private Enterprise global network for Emerging Giants has extensive knowledge and experience working with the start-up ecosystem. From seed to speed, KPMG professionals are here throughout your journey. You gain access to KPMG's global resources through a single point of contact — a trusted advisor to your company. It's a local touch with a global reach.

 

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