A delegation representing coding bootcamp Northcoders this morning opened the London Stock Exchange.

The honour came about after it was was named Business of the Year at the 15th Annual Chamber Business Awards which took place in November. The team also won the Education and Business Partnership category at the same awards.

Chris Hill and Amul Batra, both directors of Northcoders, were joined by a host of supporters at the event including Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester;  Darren Earnshaw, Technology Director at Barclays Ventures; Tim Griggs, Associate Director at Arup; Emer Coleman, Technology Engagement at Co-op Digital; and Joseph Venables, Head of Business Development at Bruntwood SciTech. Several graduates from Northcoders’ courses as well as representatives from some of the firm’s hiring partners – including ThoughtWorks – also travelled to London.

After starting trading for the day, the British Chambers of Commerce hosted a breakfast reception where Andy Burnham and Amul Batra spoke.  Northcoders also used the event to detail two new initiatives that aim to encourage more women to pursue a career in tech. The first is a new scholarship programme for women with global technology consultancy ThoughtWorks; and the second is the launch of a number of accessibility places with InnovateHer – a Liverpool based organisation that works to empower girls and tackle inequality in tech. Adam Marshall – Director General of the British Chambers Of Commerce – also officially launched the 16^th Annual Chamber Business Awards.

Amul Batra, Director at Northcoders, said: “We felt proud beyond words to be named Business of the Year by the Chamber. Being recognised in this way encouraged us to reflect on our successes so far in helping the North to thrive and in helping individual people to change their lives. To be able to celebrate that by opening the London Stock Exchange with our supporters, including Andy, representatives from our hiring partners and our talented graduates was a real honour.”

One of the UK’s fastest growing and largest independent software testing companies, Edge Testing Solutions, part of Eurofins Digital Testing, has opened a fourth base in the UK in Manchester city centre, to service Edge Testing’s Northern clients and continue its UK-wide growth.

The Manchester-based Digital Test Hub (DTH) will be Edge Testing’s third one alongside its Scottish headquarters in Belshill and another at its Birmingham office. Edge Testing first launched the DTH concept in Scotland six years ago and it was the first of its kind in the UK. Founded to meet requirements for a low cost, on demand testing services, Edge Testing’s DTH operates as a challenger to offshored testing providers. The DTH can be accessed easily by organisations looking for a remote testing service for applications and back office systems.

Edge Testing’s third DTH in Manchester has created five new jobs in the area, with the aim of creating 60 new jobs in the area over the next two years, from experienced test managers and test analysts to trainee software testers.

Offering a wide range of testing services, Edge Testing provides device and compatibility testing, website monitoring and website performance testing to usability and accessibility testing, functional testing, regression testing, cyber security testing and test automation as well as an expert consultancy service.

The software testing consultancy addresses the shortage of testing skills in the UK by building a pool of trained testers through the Edge Test Academy. All Edge Testing’s employees are required to pass the testing certification ISTQB within the first six months of employment, and there is also further in-house training available.

Recently launched, the company’s Academy as a Service offers benefits employees as a fast-track development program, and enables clients to develop their own ‘super-charged’ testing resources without the burden of recruitment.

Sharon Hamilton, Managing Director, Edge Testing, commented: “We chose Manchester as our third English base and location for our Northern DTH as the city and wider region both have a strong technology focus and reputation. There is also plenty of talent accessible from the local universities and colleges. Our flexible testing models have proven a huge success with our customers and have been a key part of our success in the Midlands, London and Scotland. The North is a highly-valued area for us and our aim is to increase our existing client base across the region.”

Entrepreneur turned investor Paul Haydock has launched Founder Fundraising, a new service, based in Manchester, that has been set up to help Northern tech founders successfully raise investment.

Paul previously raised one of the biggest rounds of investment outside of London for one of his own businesses, DueCourse (now Autopaid). He has co-founded three technology businesses in the North and has over ten years of experience with investors, VCs and scaling businesses.

Having experienced first-hand the frustration of spending hundreds of hours travelling south to raise funding for his own businesses, Paul is determined to help close the funding gap between London and the North.

Paul said: “The funding gap between the North and the South isn’t a myth. It really exists. I personally want to help champion the region’s tech start-ups and level the playing field.

As a founder it is hard enough to grow your business, hire staff, build the product and service existing customers. To simultaneously plan and execute a professional fundraising campaign can often be a stretch too far for many founders.

Using my experience of raising investment, I can take some of the load off Northern founders and connect them directly to the right investors so they achieve the best outcome as quick and painlessly as possible.”

Having being based in the region for over 10 years, Paul sees the North West tech start-up scene undergoing massive expansion and technology is key to transforming the region’s economy, reputation, and talent base.

He added: “At the moment, around three-quarters of all investment goes to London companies. However investors from all over the UK and around the world acknowledge that significant innovation is happening up here. Despite the uncertain times we are in, the region is thriving and entrepreneurs from all walks of life are continuing to launch new products and services. I’m passionate about helping to grow the vibrant Northern tech scene and I’m now looking to actively connect with entrepreneurs who are thinking of taking on investment to accelerate their businesses.”