A SOFTWARE AS a service start-up company has its sights on success, after taking up a permanent base in Sunderland.
Cornerways Consulting, which was set up by proven IT professional David Copple, has plans to grow at pace, after winning its first major contract that will see the company develop a complex software programme that will allow video content to be tagged and referred to quickly and easily.
The project, which has been commissioned by newly-formed Newcastle business Refract, will allow meetings and presentations to be video recorded, and key moments in time can be tagged, allowing the user to play back the clip and jump straight to sections of the recording that they can discuss.
The company will develop a range of software products – initially bespoke solutions to meet clients’ needs – and it is expected this will allow Cornerways to grow its team and develop its own products, which can eventually be sold to generate greater income for the business.
Mr Copple said: “Software is a high growth sector, and with innovative ideas and a skilled development team, both of which Cornerways has, we believe that we can grow the business quickly.
“The work we do initially is very much about building a strong track record as a business, and from there, we believe we can start to develop some of the software solutions we have already started to think about. This is where we see significant growth potential for the business.”
Cornerways has already taken on a team of four, and the intention is to add to the team this year, as the business secures more projects.
The company boasts an experienced team; Mr Copple worked on numerous national and global projects over a 15 year career, most recently as CTO of The Test Factory, which was sold in August 2014 to assessment company GL Education Group.
Cornerways builds on the experience Mr Copple gained during his time as a developer, as well as a Director of The Test Factory, which went from a standing start to being a team of more than 40 within seven years.
Mr Copple added: “Being part of more than one phenomenally successful software business based here in the North East, and of course, driving the rapid growth of The Test Factory, has given me a unique insight. It is fantastic to be able to take the skills, experience and contacts I have gained and bring them to the fore in a new software business, which will hopefully enjoy the same level of success.”
The company helps businesses follow the increasingly popular lean start-up approach, reducing product development times, gaining client feedback throughout the process and realising a return on investment quickly. Cornerways’ support for Refract has worked in this way, and means that the client owns the intellectual property (IP) for the solution, but keeps its overheads low by outsourcing initial IT build costs.
Cornerways already has a number of ideas in the planning stage for products it would like to develop in its own right, which will then provide scalability allowing the company to grow at pace.
The company has been supported to date by Sunderland City Council, as well as Sunderland Software City (SSC) who Mr Copple works closely with, as a member of an advisory board that is shaping the development of a Digital Catapult Centre, that is run by SSC.
Councillor Paul Watson, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “Cornerways is a really exciting start up, headed up by an individual who has a proven track record in this field.
“We are delighted that the company has chosen Sunderland as its base, something that is owed to the great level of support we are able to offer businesses in this field and we hope to continue to support the business, at every stage of what we hope will be a fast growth trajectory.”
For more information about Cornerways Consulting, visit www.cornerwaysconsulting.com, email info@cornerwaysconsulting.com, or call +44 (0)7469150927 or for information about Sunderland as a place for software and digital businesses, visit www.makeitsunderland.com, follow @MAKEitSund, find us on Linked In or email info@makeitsunderland.com or call +44 (0)191 561 1194.