In Collaboration
Pattern x Innovation SuperNetwork
THE CLUSTER MAN
Wayne Bryant is Digital Cluster Manager at the Innovation SuperNetwork, and is part of the team enabling innovation and collaboration across a varied range of sub-sectors, from fintech, to edtech, to AI and data. As the project draws to a close, we speak to Wayne about cluster development, and hear from three businesses who have benefited directly from Innovation SuperNetwork’s support.
Words by Arlen Pettitt
Photography by Christopher Owens
Wayne Bryant's route into innovation isn't what you'd expect.
Growing up in Whitby, he initially faced down a lack of opportunity.
“There were no jobs in Whitby, unless you wanted to work in the scampi factory or a chip shop,” Bryant says, tongue in cheek.
That obviously wasn't completely true, because he found work in the home care sector. That started the first act of his career in healthcare.
After a spell training to be a nurse, he moved to North Tyneside, eventually managing a home care branch there, before working in stroke rehab and with NHS Direct just as the 111 service was being launched.
It was at this point that innovation started to enter his working life.
“It’s absolutely essential that we continue to work together to ensure the sector we love, and the businesses we support, can continue to thrive”
A role with RTC North focused on NHS technology transfer led to Bryant working on intellectual property and innovation strategy in the healthcare sector for four years. He looked after a portfolio of technology intellectual property held by the NHS, which was then licensed to businesses to develop products.
He was with RTC North for a total of eight years, and his work spanned other sectors, including work on a project tasked with extracting technology from the fusion industry and exploring other uses.
Bryant has been with the Innovation SuperNetwork for just over two years, playing a leading role in digital cluster development.
One of the things which attracted him to the organisation was its willingness to engage with innovation in a different way, adapting to the changing priorities of the businesses on its programmes.
“We’ve started to meet businesses who say ‘I’m less concerned about making money. I want to attain net zero. I want to have better equality and diversity in my business’,” he says. “And then innovation changed in a way, because you started working with these companies and their core goals aren’t making money or saving time. I like that the Innovation SuperNetwork does that sort of work.”
Innovation SuperNetwork have been Digital Cluster Managers in the region for the past six years, publicly funded through a number of programmes. The focus of Bryant and a team of innovation managers over the past three years has been to support the development of six sub-clusters around financial tech, cyber security, health and medical tech, data and AI, net zero tech, and education.
Cluster development has lots of different definitions, and to an outsider it can be difficult to grasp. But Bryant is clear about what Innovation SuperNetwork is trying to achieve.
“We have a number of small businesses, startups and SMEs in a certain area,” he begins, “and we go ‘if they were to succeed, that would be a real industry strength in the region’. So, we put an arm around them, we put an infrastructure around them to make sure they have access to everything they need – the people, the support, the finance – to have the best chance of success.”
What that looks like in practice is different for every cluster, and the support required is different for every business.
One area that has been a big focus for Bryant is the fintech and cyber security clusters.
“Both quite mature in their existence,” Bryant says, “and in the cyber security cluster we had a commercial vehicle in CyberNorth run by Phil Jackman. So, it was linking up with them and finding out what they were doing and how we could support that, how we could help the team build the cluster with start-ups and SMEs in mind.”
“Opening doors and making connections is easy, It’s not hard to be well-connected. Valuable connections and preparing people for those connections, that’s what makes you successful.”
“In financial tech,” he continues, “we were lucky a strategy had just been published by a company called White Cap Consulting, largely funded by our funders the North East Combined Authority, outlining how financial tech could grow. So, I had a crib sheet there.”
That strategy sets a goal of growing the fintech sector’s contribution to the North East economy to more than £400m annually, adding more than 2,000 jobs and nearly doubling the number of firms operating in the space to over 80.
So, the prize for getting cluster development right is substantial, and is the core of what the Innovation SuperNetwork, and their funders, are keen to see.
For businesses, it’s about finding ways to make them feel supported, and part of something, Bryant says.
Peer-to-peer support is hugely important, as is the right, valuable connections. It’s not good enough to just find a start-up solicitor, for example, it has to be one who will understand their business, understand the wider tech sector, and is attuned to the industry through things like flexible payment terms.
Wayne uses the example of Harding Education, who are part of the education tech cluster with their Winning With Numbers business, which helps schools, parents and tutors support children with learning maths.
“The edtech cluster was really fantastic,” Bryant says. “We were first to market really with the edtech cluster recognising the potential for it to grow and have a real impact in the region. We’ve spent considerable time through roundtables with stakeholders in getting to know what this embryonic cluster really needs to take off. Harding Education came to us with questions about intellectual property and all of a sudden they’re engaged in the cluster.”
Bethan Harding, a teacher and former head at schools in Wales and in the North East, has a track record of success at schools in deprived areas, and has used her expertise to support and train teachers.
Her and her husband Ben, also a headteacher, identified an opportunity to support in the delivery of numeracy in the curriculum. This became Winning With Numbers, a programme which they describe as like ‘phonics for maths’.
“It’s a number curriculum and learning platform,” Bethan tells me, “to get children fluent and confident with numbers by the age of ten.”
“Being headteachers, having an education background,” she continues, “we know the data that goes along with maths is a concern. The anxiety and self-esteem issues that go along with struggling with maths is also an issue.”
The Winning With Numbers curriculum contains 300 ‘wins’ which takes children through from first starting to count, up to multiplying decimal point numbers. There’s training for teachers on how to deliver the programme, and videos to use in the classroom, and videos for parents explaining exactly what their children are learning.
“Lots of parents say ‘they used to teach it differently when I was at school’,” Harding says, “then there’s friction then at home and there’s a negative maths mindset at home. So, there are videos for parents that say ‘this is how they are being taught and what you can do to help’. They’re totally empowered to help their children.”
Harding calls the edtech cluster “a vibrant, creative group”, and one which she hopes will continue growing and gaining strength.
The specific support on IP has been accompanied by connections into the industry, and various opportunities for profile raising.
“I’ve been really impressed with the amount of support there has been in the North East,” Harding says, “and the Innovation SuperNetwork has been part of that. The key thing that it’s done for us is give us a platform to showcase what we do, through that we’ve made lots of connections to really relevant people.”
They are currently working on a research project with Dr Wayne Harrison, who they met through the cluster, to prove the impact of Winning With Numbers before targeting growth in the schools and tutors market.
“Then our real target,” Harding concludes, “is the potential to go international!”
Bryant talks a lot about building trust and being part of the digital sector. In the case of Harding Education, it meant they trusted the support from the SuperNetwork and the digital cluster to help them solve a problem, but it can also be about making the most of an idea.
Wayne gives the example of Beam XR.
“The Beam XR lads I play football with,” Bryant says, “they said ‘Wayne, we’ve done something, let me tell you about it, will you help us?’ So, because of the work I’d done to integrate myself into the tech industry, they came to us when they did something big and positive.”
What was that big breakthrough? Henry Coggin of Beam XR explains how something which began with thinking about a training and development tool turned into a business targeting the gaming industry.
“You know how people watch streams of other people playing games?”, he begins. “At the moment that’s not really possible with VR, because there’s no way of streaming what’s happening in the headset outside of that. That’s what we solve.”
“They just really know their stuff,” Henry says of the Innovation SuperNetwork team, “they’ve got a big team who each have specialisms. We’ve been working with Wayne on the IP stuff, getting ourselves into line with that because we don’t have that legal background, and it will probably have some value with investors.”
“We’ve been working with Charlotte [Scott] and Andrew [Hodgson] in the Access to Finance team as well,” he continues. “They’ve got the network, and have given us some fantastic advice, connections and opportunities to pitch, and helped us with our Innovate UK grant.I couldn’t recommend it enough, it’s great.”
Coggin anticipates huge growth in the virtual reality and extended reality industry, as something which is still a bit “gimmicky and funky” becomes more ubiquitous, and we all learn to use it and its mechanisms day-to-day, as we have with smartphones and touch screens. Beam XR sees what they do as bridging the gap between the headset and the outside world.
When you’re there to support businesses pushing at the boundaries of technology and trying to do something genuinely new, a lot comes down to building understanding and building trust.
Bryant explains this process takes time. It’s often months of working with business, and longer of being present in a sector, before you have the right foundation.
It’s striking speaking to the Innovation SuperNetwork team how they’ve all been there and done it themselves. They aren’t working from a script, or only a couple of pages ahead of the people they’re working with in a textbook titled “How To Innovate”. Instead, they are people with years of experience from running projects, embedding technology or working start-ups themselves.
The lack of playbook, and the need for patience, is something which can lead to difficult conversations with funders.
Bryant says this wasn’t the case with the digital clusters project.
Instead, the funding came through the North of Tyne Combined Authority, recently expanded into the North East Combined Authority, as part of a broader ‘Home of Digital’ programme of investment to support the tech sector. The programme took a holistic view of what the sector needs, from inward investment to innovation to skills.
“It’s only been a positive working with the Combined Authority,” Wayne says, “because their vision for the sector has been embedded amongst partners and stakeholders, so we all know what each other is doing and we have an active support network that can better help the businesses access what they need. It also helps that the Combined Authority has embedded themselves into the tech industry to an extent as well. You’re having a more rounded conversation about things that everyone knows are going on.”
“Ultimately the goal is to ensure businesses can better access what they need to thrive within the digital cluster, and that the North East continues to be recognised for its strengths in this area.”
As well as patience in building trust and forming clusters, there’s also patience needed with innovations themselves.
Bryant recalls his time working with NHS Trusts, when research showed it took seven years between having an idea and bringing about change in the organisations.
Things can move far quicker in other sectors, but Bryant and his team still find themselves telling the stories of the work they are doing, explaining “this is big for edtech, this is big for data and AI, this is big for financial tech,” he says.
With that potential disconnect - between those who are in tech and might get the significance of innovations, and those in the traditional industries which might be changed by it - how do you bridge that divide?
Bryant refers back to healthcare again, and the North East’s undoubted strengths with outstanding universities, high-performing hospitals, and world-leading medical research.
But when it comes to new technologies in areas like diagnostics and detection, they are less strong, Bryant argues.
He uses a Digital Showcase event they hosted as an example, where stakeholders from multiple sectors, including health, gathered to hear from digital firms on what was possible. People don’t need to be talking for long, Wayne says, before “pennies start dropping.”
“Opening doors and making connections is easy,” Bryant says. “It’s not hard to be well-connected. Valuable connections and preparing people for those connections, that’s what makes you successful.”
Not being well-prepared means a business won’t make the most of a connection, and they might not get the opportunity to speak to the same potential buyer or investor again. A part of cluster development, and of working with businesses, is making sure they are ready.
Preparation often means being good at talking about what you do.
Eric Guo is founder and CEO of Spark EPoS, and tells me of the importance of educating customers as you work with them.
“Education is a huge part of our job,” Eric says, “sometimes it’s even bigger than our sales process. We have to pave the way and prepare the right mindset to get people to open up. I often say innovation comes with a cost, sometimes it’s not a financial cost, it’s a cost of adaptation and execution. When technology changes the way you operate, it requires a pioneer mindset.”
Spark provides point of sale technology for the hospitality sector, bringing together and streamlining various business functions - from stock ordering, to customer relationships, to reporting - into one place. On top of that, they do robotics, with front-of-house robots designed to cover duties like greeting guests, cleaning and food delivery.
“I enjoy the thrill,” Guo says. “Working business to business, you’re a part of their journey. You get involved, know the real-world problem, discover the pain points and offer a solution. As a start-up, you always have those worries, the burdens, the stress, but the difference you make and your customer’s positive feedback. That’s such a good reward.”
“The Innovation SuperNetwork has been instrumental in our growth and development,” Guo continues, “especially our brand presence. We’ve had invaluable support through the network, met industry experts, had opportunities to showcase to funders, and been connected to potential partners and investors.”
Given that kind of impact, it’s no surprise when Wayne talks about his passion and commitment to the region’s tech sector, and to the individual businesses he’s working with. He and his team intend to be there for them as they continue their journeys.
The digital cluster programme is coming to an end, but the Innovation SuperNetwork are continuing this work as Cluster Managers for the Innovate UK Digital Technologies in North East England Launchpad.
“ The experience we’ve built over the years around cluster development best practice has laid the foundation of how we take the Launchpad forwards,” Bryant says, “it’s complex and nuanced, but ultimately the goal is to ensure businesses can better access what they need to thrive within the digital cluster, and that the North East continues to be recognised for its strengths in this area.”
The essence of the offer - supporting people bringing innovations to market - doesn’t need to change, nor does the work connecting people to buyers or specialist advice, but in future it can happen without silos.
That’s a huge benefit to the region’s tech sector, because those peer networks and opportunities for working together are so valuable.
“I think solo founders are lunatics!”, says Henry Coggins from Beam XR. “I don’t know how anyone could ever do it on their own, you know? Fair play to them. What’s good about the North East is it’s a small number of people in the tech community. That has its problems, but it absolutely has its benefits. No one’s gatekeeping, and because the network’s compact everyone knows each other and you can speak to the right people. We’re lacking investment and lots of other things up here, but we do try hard to help each other.”
That culture of support and collaboration will continue to be applied in the new Digital Launchpad project, which has plans to work with industry to bring new market opportunities to digital businesses operating in the cluster. It will also work with founders from under-represented groups to ensure they have equitable access to the opportunities on offer.
“I’m proudest of people knowing what clusters are and what we’re doing,” Bryant concludes. “But, successful clusters are made up of many players and it’s absolutely essential that we continue to work together to ensure the sector we love, and the businesses we support, can continue to thrive.”
