Despite the second 4-day week in a row, there’s been a lot going on in the Tees Tech community - from new hires, to Parmo Powered AI (you read that right). We’ve also got a healthy list of upcoming events for you, as well as a ‘save the date’ for the renowned Refresh Teesside Summer Party.
Keep reading for all of the above, but I’m going to start with my personal highlight…
This week saw the launch of the Tees Tech Startup Competition. Eight businesses pitched at Flok Coworking Space on Tuesday for a place in the final at the Tees Tech Awards, where the three shortlisted will pitch again for the audience to decide the overall winner! From a personal point of view, I thought the event was amazing - the pitches were delivered at an extremely high level making it very difficult for the judges, and the atmosphere they created alongside host Jimmy Lees playing up to the audience was brilliant. Congratulations to the three shortlisted;
You can read more about it here
This Week’s News
Wander Films appoint former Channel 4 Commissioner as Head of Development
Ramy El-Bergamy joins Wander Films to scale up their TV department, drawing on vast experience in the television industry, including working with ITV and Channel 4. Wishing you all the best in your new role, Ramy!
CORE Systems Software is revolutionising construction projects around the world
Paul Bass’s CORE, based in Darlington’s Business Central, is ensuring projects are managed and delivered using its specialised contract management software and 3D virtual scanning services to help build, manage and deliver construction projects in the most cost-effective and sustainable way possible.
https://teesbusiness.co.uk/2023/04/17/darlington-firm-embracing-the-future/
TVCA is seeking business leaders for their Business Board
‘The board will represent the voice of local business, feeding into the work of the Tees Valley Combined Authority, to advise on, establish and help lead projects, schemes and programmes that deliver real change to our local economy.’ It would be great to have a mix of digital sector leaders providing insight on this.
10th annual Thinking Digital Startup Competition open for entries
Entries are now open for the Thinking Digital Startup Competition which aims to offer ‘a platform to innovative and ambitious tech startups from around Europe.’ Hosted by the brilliant Jamie Hardesty, the event will see 8-10 tech startups pitch for a place in the final at the Thinking Digital Conference, where the final two will pitch again for the audience to decide the winner. Sound familiar? This was very much the inspiration behind the Tees Tech Startup Competition.
https://thinkingdigital.co.uk/startups/
Parmo Powered AI
The first ‘Tech on the Tees’ event, hosted by SeerBI, took place at Flok this week. Attendees explored just how you can use AI to unlock your creativity, when it comes to everything from writing to design. The ‘hands on technical event’ used collective skills on the night to explore our local delicacy, ‘The Parmo’, whilst also combining efforts to create the next big dish in local delicacy! You can see the outcome here
Upcoming Events
Game Bridge returns on the Thursday 18th May at The Hub at Teesside University. Meet other developers, industry professionals, indie devs, graduates and games students. Have a drink on the house, and come and be part of our North East UK pressure-free networking event! Register here
ExpoTees Animation, VFX & Games
Hosted by The School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies, ExpoTees Animation, VFX & Games is designed to showcase the fantastic work of final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students. ExpoTees is a great opportunity to recruit great talent into your organisation. Register here
Middlesbrough Front End Meetup
Join us on Wednesday 24th May, for a free to attend evening of Front End talks, networking and pizza. Big Bite CTO, Jason Agnew, and web accessibility enthusiast, GrahamTheDevRel have already been confirmed as guest speakers! Register here
North East Dev Community - Teesside Social
In what is just their second event, the North East Dev Community Social comes to Middlesbrough on the 15th June. Taking place at Flok Coworking Space, the event is designed to offer insights into companies and dev roles within through a series of lightning talks, as well as a chance to network. Register here
Refresh Teesside Summer BBQ
Save the date! The Refresh Teesside Summer BBQ returns on Thursday 27th July. One of the biggest events in the digital community calendar, you’ll surely not want to miss it. More information to follow soon.