South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)

Solent Company Beats a Path to Secure Enterprise Hub Showcase 2007 Award

28 February 2007

Winners: Chief Operating Officer of Path Intelligence, Sharon Biggar centre with colleagues

Path Intelligence, a company whose unique FootPath system provides data to understand how shoppers flow through retail centres, has scooped the £25,000 prize at the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) Enterprise Hub Showcase 2007, held last week at the QEII Centre in Westminster, London. Following a series of regional heats among dozens of Hub companies across the South East, Path Intelligence beat off stiff competition from five other Hub businesses, all with unique, high growth business propositions.

FootPath is a technology that uses a series of monitoring units to measure accurately the signals from consumers' mobile phones, literally following their footsteps. The system provides retailers and shopping centre management with information such as the shops or public amenities that are most frequently visited. Data is accessed via Path Intelligence's secure web-based reporting system. FootPath is the only system available on the market today that can gather information on shopper paths continuously, accurately and anonymously.

Since its formation in July 2004, the company has been supported by the Solent Enterprise Hub, one of 22 Hub locations throughout the South East of England. At an early stage the Hub was able to help with advice on the right funding options, which enabled the company to grow to the pilot stage of the technology and to make a crucial introduction which lead to the first live trial of the system.

Commenting, Solent Hub Director Arthur Monks, said: "Path Intelligence has all the attributes of a very successful venture with a bright future – a ready market, a good team and novel technology with strong Intellectual Property. I'm absolutely thrilled that the company and its team have been recognised as a winning business with massive growth potential."

In a Dragons' Den style set up, the judging panel included Fiona Pollard, SEEDA Board Member, Robert Spencer, Chairman of Finance South East and, Julian Shepherd, Solent Enterprise Hub Champion, and Peter Gardner, Technology Sector Head at 3i plc.

Chief Operating Officer of Path Intelligence, Sharon Biggar, said: "The Solent Enterprise Hub has been fantastic, with support on patenting our technology finding funding and ultimately introducing us to our first client. We were very surprised to win the competition, as the quality of the other finalists was exceptional. We are planning to use the prize money to undertake further research and development improving our technology so that it can deliver data in real-time."

The SEEDA Enterprise Hub Network began in 2000 as a flagship programme to accelerate the rate at which entrepreneurs, companies and academic researchers could produce successful businesses out of new ideas and concepts originating in the South East of England. The Network is currently working with over 1,500 businesses spread throughout the South East, including Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Thames Valley, Portsmouth, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.

The Enterprise Hub Network provides a unique level of support to companies that need trusted and expert help in their fledgling growth periods. They receive tailored advice and help provided by the Enterprise Hub and access to a network rich in knowledge, experience, connections and expertise. As well as providing an insight into the success of the Hub since its formation, this event provided a shop window for investors on the look out for successful businesses of tomorrow.

Since 2000, The Enterprise Hub Network has evolved and expanded to help hundreds of entrepreneurs and organisations bring highly pioneering and distinctive concepts to market. Many of the companies simply would have failed or not have accelerated their business propositions without the support of the Hub Network.

The five other finalists were Alinea Interactive, Bac2, Intelligent Retail, Sports Analysis and Synapse Medical.

For further information about the Enterprise Hub Network and more details on the finalists, please visit: www.enterprisehubnetwork.co.uk/showcase-event.php.