News in brief: CSol; Intechnica, Bramall Hall

A COMPANY which creates software for analytical testing in laboratories has received a cash injection of £100,000 for its expansion.

The support for CSols is combined funding managed by the Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF) from the Regional Growth Fund and the North West Fund for Micro Loans.

CSols is the brainchild of Dr Phil Goddard who set up the company, based at The Heath in Runcorn, 15 years ago.

The software interacts with sophisticated analytical instruments used to test samples including water, food, pharmaceuticals, environmental and chemical.

CSols has an international customer base which includes water companies, hospitals, laboratories and industrials, including Shell, Proctor & Gamble and Castrol.
Dr Goddard said: “We have aspirations for very rapid growth over the next two years and need funding to grow the business by selling more products into more application areas and expand internationally.”

MSIF investment manager Sue Chambers said:  “CSols is a very exciting business which has built up an impressive blue chip client base.  The company is run by a strong management team who are leaders in their field and there is potential for some really significant growth particularly around export.”

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A MANCHESTER digital company which helps online retailers keep their sites up and running during periods of peak demand has secured a six-figure investment to launch its latest product and target the US market.
 
Intechnica has secured backing from The North West Fund for Venture Capital, managed by Enterprise Ventures, and the Greater Manchester Investment Fund. It is the second major investment by the funds, which first backed the company in 2013.
 
Intechnica’s new product TrafficDefender ensures websites can continue generating revenue even when there is excess traffic, by placing visitors in an orderly queue. It sits alongside the company’s performance testing tool TrafficSpike.
 
Both products help retailers which have to deal with surges in demand caused, for example, by the Black Friday sales or the so-called ‘Kate Middleton effect’ – when shoppers flock to a site to buy outfits seen on celebrities.
 
The company, which serves major customers throughout the UK including Marks & Spencer, ASOS, Unilever and Network Rail, says it has now set its sights on entering the US market. Founded in 2007 by Jeremy Gidlow and Andy Still, Intechnica is based in the Northern Quarter and employs 53 staff.
 
Intechnica managing director Jeremy Gidlow said: “Slowdowns and outages can cost online retailers tens of thousands of pounds a minute in lost sales, not to mention the damage to their reputation. Our products can help fix the performance issues for companies worldwide. With the latest funding round and the launch of TrafficDefender, we have our sights set on the US market.”
 
Doug Stellman of Enterprise Ventures, which manages The North West Fund for Venture Capital, said: “Over the past few years Intechnica has secured a very impressive customer base across the UK including many of the leading retailers. The time is now right for it to target the global marketplace.”
 
The North West Fund for Venture Capital is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank.

The Greater Manchester Investment Fund is supported by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund.

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A NEW operator has been appointed to run the cafe at Bramall Hall near Stockport once its restoration programme has been completed.

This follows a grant of £1.6m from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The existing cafe closed at the end of December and a regional marketing campaign was undertaken by CBRE’s Manchester specialist markets team to search for an operator to run the cafe in the stable block.

Mosaic Hospitality has been chosen to run the cafe, which will be named The Stables Kitchen at Bramall Hall.

Mosaic also runs the Tudor Barn Cafe at Arley Hall in Northwich and the Garden Cafe at Ness Botanic Gardens in Neston on the Wirral. Its sister company, RW Bespoke, has provided wedding catering at Bramall Hall for 10 years.

Cllr Patrick McAuley, Executive Member for Regeneration at Stockport Council said: “Mosaic Hospitality is already a successful operator in the North West.

“We are delighted to have them on board. Their passion for food and hospitality will enhance the quality of the visitor experience at Bramall Hall following its magnificent restoration.” 

The café will be renovated alongside the project to restore historic parts of Bramall Hall.