Tech firm on Rise with new London offices
ONE of Wales’ leading technology firms, DevOpsGroup, has opened an office in London as part of its ambitious growth plans,
The Cardiff-headquartered business, which specialises in DevOps (development and operations) and cloud engineering, has made Rise London the newest addition to its UK locations.
Located in the heart of Shoreditch, it is home to a community of fintech companies and the Barclays Accelerator. DevOpsGroup plans to use the contemporary tech hub as a base for staff, client engagement, recruitment, and community events.
Earlier this year the company, whose clients include Waitrose, Admiral and Vodafone, secured a £3m equity investment to support its growth plans from the Business Growth Fund.
James Smith, co-founder and chief executive of DevOpsGroup, said: “We’re thrilled to be expanding to London with an office at Rise, a catalyst for innovation in the capital. Our new office will allow us to continue diversifying our team, generating value for our customers, and supporting the fast-growing DevOps and fintech communities in London and beyond.
As well as the investment from the Business Growth Fund, this year the firm has hired 35 people and rebranded from DevOpsGuys to DevOpsGroup to reflect growing diversity in the team.
Last month saw DevOpsGroup ranked 13th in the Fast Growth 50 list of Wales’ fastest growing companies. Between 2015-17, the consultancy saw growth of 286% and is on course to make a huge impact in a global market predicted to reach $12.85bn by 2025 (figures taken from Grand View Research).
Operating globally, Rise connects innovative start-ups and scale-ups to transform financial services and is backed by Barclays’ global network of experts, mentors, investors, and partners.
Steve Thair, co-founder and chief product officer (CPO) of DevOpsGroup, said: “Rise London is a great fit with our company values and ethos. As well as being a highly contemporary and vibrant location, the space is also home to a large community of technology businesses and entrepreneurs who are disrupting the industries in which they operate.”
Tony Margiotta, general manager of Rise London, said: “Rise brings together the world’s top fintech innovators to create the future of financial services. Having new members DevOpsGroup joining us part of our growing community is super exciting. I look forward to a great collaborative relationship here in our London home.”
Moreover, Cardiff-based Sure Chill has received a leading award in recognition of its innovation.
The company has won the UK Eagle Lab Innovation category at Barclays’ High-Growth & Entrepreneur Awards.
The firm is a resident of Barclays’ business support Eagle Lab venue in Cardiff, which opened earlier this year. It has developed a cooling technology approved by the World Health Organisation that ensures a refrigerator remains completely cool during any power outage.
The technology was first developed to protect life-saving, temperature-sensitive vaccines in emerging countries and vaccine refrigerator. And now it is being applied across even more industries from home refrigeration, to retail and logistics.
Nigel Saunders, chief executive of Sure Chill said: “The award is wonderful recognition of how far Sure Chill has come in so little time. Our technology transforms lives and is tackling the world’s most complex cooling challenges. This year has been a great year for the company.
“We are on an exciting growth journey and entering new markets taking our technology to all corners of the globe.”