Success Stories

Spotlight on Manchester

An impressive number of incredibly successful tech companies began in Manchester, including Boohoo, Wakelet, Missguided, ao.com, Social Chain and Laterooms. We're collecting the origin stories of Manchester's most inspiring digital businesses; their stories are testament to the opportunity, enduring ambition, drive and determination that characterises our city.

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  • While studying at The University of Salford, founder Jamil Khalil became frustrated at having to send long lists of links whenever he wanted to share online information with friends and colleagues. He created Wakelet, a platform that allows users to streamline and curate content in effective ways. Launched in 2011, Wakelet secured £1.1 million in startup funding from angel investors in Manchester. Backed by tech figures including the creators of Angry Birds, the Spinningfields-based company is set to take the world by storm.

  • Founded in 2012 by Garry Partington and Rolfe Swinton, RealityMine provides mobile research technologies and behavioural data. Headquartered in Manchester, RealityMine has offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Silicon Valley, Sydney and New York. In 2015 the company joined ELITE – the London Stock Exchange’s European programme for high growth businesses. In 2016 RealityMine reached a revenue milestone of £195 million and was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

  • Online fashion retailer boohoo.com was launched by Mamud Kamani and Carol Kane in 2006. Leveraging their extensive experience in the fashion industry, Mamud and Carol created this budget priced clothes retailer aimed at 16-24 year olds. In 2014 boohoo.com floated on the London Stock Exchange, with a valuation of £560 million.

  • Brothers Steven, Paul and Tony Walsh founded LateRooms.com in 1999 in Salford. Originally a site for booking unsold hotel rooms on the day of reservation, LateRooms soon evolved into a comprehensive, user-friendly hotel booking service. Now operating from Manchester city centre, the company offers more than 150,000 properties worldwide. As a globally recognised brand with a plethora of awards under its belt, LateRooms is the definition of tech success built in Manchester.

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