Twenty ambitious North East businesses with the potential to become some of the region’s most significant companies have been unveiled at a special event bringing together around 100 entrepreneurs and investors.
The inaugural Ones to Watch Index, created by the Entrepreneurs’ Forum in partnership with Castrius Capital Partners, was revealed at Durham University Business School.
Selected from 110 nominations, the 20 businesses represent some of the most exciting emerging entrepreneurial talent across the North East, spanning life sciences, health tech, advanced manufacturing, technology, energy, professional services, and consumer brands.
The Index has been created to put these businesses on the radar of people across the region who could help them grow, whether through investment, introductions, mentoring, sharing experience, or becoming customers.
The launch brought together the entrepreneurs behind the businesses with experienced founders and investors, and featured Mark Edmondson, co-founder and chief executive of Inflo, the North East audit technology business tipped as a potential future unicorn.
Mark shared his experience of building and scaling Inflo internationally, while taking questions from an audience of entrepreneurs and investors.
Elaine Stroud, chief executive of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, said:
“We’ve got some fantastic businesses being built across the North East, but a lot of them are flying under the radar. We wanted to find 20 that we genuinely believe can go on to become really significant, and make sure more people know about them.
“What we really want is for people to get behind them and help however they can. That might be making an introduction, sharing some experience, opening a door, or investing. It doesn’t always take something enormous to make a difference, but we know that, sometimes, the right conversation at the right time can completely change things.”
The businesses featured in the Index demonstrate the breadth of entrepreneurial activity taking place across the region, and include:
Low Carbon Materials, the Seaham-based business led by Dr Natasha Boulding, was a finalist for the prestigious Earthshot Prize and is preparing to significantly increase production of its innovative construction materials, which lock away carbon and help reduce the environmental impact of roads and buildings.
In Newcastle, Circadacare, led by Dr Tallie Bush, is developing smart lighting technology that combines artificial intelligence with monitoring systems to help people with dementia live independently for longer.
Tiba Tempeh, founded in Ponteland by Ross and Alexandra Longton, is taking its plant-based food products into the mainstream, securing investment to support growth and expanding into major supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, and Ocado.
In Middlesbrough, X-Heat, led by Thomas McGee, is developing innovative heating systems designed to reduce energy consumption and operating costs for industrial and commercial customers.
Transmission Dynamics, founded in Cramlington by Professor Jarek Rosinski, is using advanced sensors and artificial intelligence to help businesses around the world monitor critical machinery and identify problems before they cause costly breakdowns. The company received a King’s Award for Enterprise in 2025 and was named one of just three finalists for the prestigious 2026 MacRobert Award for engineering innovation.
The 20 businesses were chosen by a panel of experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and professional advisers. They were assessed on their commercial progress, growth opportunities, potential to break into larger markets, leadership, and financial foundations.
Castrius Capital Partners, a new North East-focused growth investment business created by Fairstone Group founder Lee Hartley, is the official partner of the Ones to Watch Index. Having built Fairstone from a North East start-up into a major national financial services business, Lee is now focused on helping other ambitious businesses grow through Castrius.
Lee said:
“When you’re building a business, you quickly realise how much difference the right people around you can make. I’ve been through that journey, and know there were plenty of times when good advice, an introduction, or someone challenging your thinking made a real difference.
“That’s why we’re backing the Ones to Watch Index. There are some great businesses coming through in the North East, and we need to make sure they have the opportunity to go as far as they can.
“If we want to see more substantial businesses being built and staying here, we need to get behind the people with the ambition to make it happen. And there’s no reason every one of the businesses on this list can’t go on to achieve something pretty special.”
The Entrepreneurs’ Forum intends to make the Ones to Watch Index an annual initiative, tracking the progress of the businesses over the next five years and encouraging continued engagement from the region’s entrepreneurial and business support community.
All 20 businesses will also be in contention for the One to Watch Award, which will be announced at the annual North East Entrepreneurial Awards at Hilton Newcastle Tyne Bridge on 19 November.
Ones to Watch Index 2026: The full list
- Aelius Biotech, Dr Peter Chater (Newcastle)
- AnFiTest, Henrietta Newble (Newcastle)
- Boniplas, Will Halford (Durham)
- Circadacare, Dr Tallie Bush (Newcastle)
- Crowd Threat, Michael McCabe (Newcastle)
- GainsBio, Dr Ciarán Kelly and Dr Emma Riley (Newcastle)
- LightOx, Professor Carrie Ambler (Newcastle)
- Low Carbon Materials, Dr Natasha Boulding (Seaham)
- Magnitude Biosciences, Dr Fozia Saleem (Sedgefield)
- Mutha Cuva, Amy Mooney (Newcastle)
- MySalesCoach, Kevin Beales (Newcastle)
- NunaBio, Joe Hedley (Newcastle)
- Probe Industries, Victoria Taylor (Bedlington)
- Seriös Group, Lee Rorison (Newcastle)
- Southern Asset Management, Steve Southern (Stockton-on-Tees)
- Surghive, Dr Rachael Coates (Middlesbrough)
- Tiba Tempeh, Ross and Alexandra Longton (Ponteland)
- Transmission Dynamics, Professor Jarek Rosinski (Cramlington)
- X-Heat, Thomas McGee (Middlesbrough)
- XR Therapeutics, Billy Webber (Gateshead)
The launch sets the scene for North East Entrepreneurship Week, taking place from 11 to 20 November under the banner The Place to Rise. The region-wide programme will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, universities, and business support organisations through a series of ScaleUp Summits, workshops, mentoring opportunities, entrepreneurs going back to school, and fringe events designed to help more North East businesses start, grow, and scale.