Bank helps Unitek accelerate success

No-code automation platform Unitek, has secured half a million pounds of investment after 18 months on the Ulster Bank Accelerator’s Next Level Programme.
CEO Martin Brown, UnitekCEO Martin Brown, Unitek
CEO Martin Brown, Unitek

The company, which currently employs 15 people at it’s offices in Lisburn and Antrim, now plans to use this money to create more jobs and pursue its ambitious plans to grow the business.

Founded in 2018 by CEO Martin Brown, Unitek describes their platform as ‘automation made easy’ for companies that love their customers. Its suite of products helps identify bottlenecks in processes and automates manual data entry and extraction saving companies cost and wowing internal and external customers by speeding up important processes. What makes Unitek unique is that there is no requirement for developers, data scientists or consultants to implement the platform making it much possible for SMEs to implement this type of technology that is normally reserved for PLCs.

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Having spent much of his early career working in the insurance industry, CEO Martin Brown saw first-hand how laborious data extraction was becoming for firms as it was largely a paper-driven process and data was being submitted on outdated technology. He set out to tackle this problem and began building his own technology which would lead to the effortless transformation of business, across any sector which relies on transactional processes.

Gabi Burnside, Entrepreneur Accelerator Manager with Ulster BankGabi Burnside, Entrepreneur Accelerator Manager with Ulster Bank
Gabi Burnside, Entrepreneur Accelerator Manager with Ulster Bank

Since 2018, the company has experienced a huge growth surge winning lucrative contracts with top tier firms in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and across Europe including Vodafone, Patrona and a FTSE 100 insurance company soon to be announced. With the investment secured to date, Martin and his team are scoping out global opportunities and are already making inroads within the US market.

While 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic did not disrupt operations for the tech company, it did put the brakes on Martin opening a new Belfast office and relocating team members to this base. Despite the pause, the Unitek team remains committed to Belfast and hopes to press ahead with these plans once restrictions on office work have been lifted.

Martin said: “Much of the last year has been spent focusing on funding rounds, which ultimately proved to be worthwhile for the company. When the pandemic hit, like most companies, we had to reassess our priorities for the year ahead and pivot slightly away from where we had intended to be. At this time we really leaned into the support offered to us by the team at the Ulster Bank accelerator and it was under their guidance that we decided to go back out to investors. Being part of the Next Level programme has been an excellent asset for us in terms of peer support and being introduced to the right networks, but it’s also helped us bring a structure to the business which wasn’t there before and think more strategically about our growth plans.”

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Gabi Burnside, Entrepreneur Accelerator Manager with Ulster Bank, who has coached Martin and his team for close to 18 months, said it was encouraging to see the team enjoy this level of success.

She added: “At the Ulster Bank Entrepreneur Accelerator, our goal is to provide businesses with the tools and networks they need to start or scale a business so it’s always rewarding to see a business you have worked with succeed. I know just how hard Martin and his team have worked during the past year to secure this investment and am excited to see their ambitious plans for Unitek continue to unfold.

“If you have an idea to start a business or if you would like to take your current business to the next level, then get in touch with our team and see how we can support you on your journey and how our programmes may be of benefit to your business.”

To get in touch with the Belfast Accelerator, email [email protected] or search Ulster Bank Accelerator to learn more about the work they do.

For information on Unitek, visit www.unitek.ai

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