Industry heavyweights join SuperTech Seeds judging panel

We are delighted to announce Katie Garrett, Vice President at Goldman Sachs and Executive Director for GS Accelerate Business Entrepreneur programme, and Julia Streets Founder and CEO of Streets Consulting and leading commentator in UK FinTech, as judges on the SuperTech Seeds no-code pre-accelerator programme.

Joining Katie and Julia will be Jof Walters, Co-Founder of Million Labs and West Midlands FinTech Leader, and Hilary Smyth-Allen, Executive Lead at SuperTech and West Midlands regional policy lead for business, professional and financial services sector, GBSLEP. 

SuperTech Seeds is a newly launched Idea2App pre-accelerator competition which is seeking applications from founders with an idea related to  the professional services sector to access fully funded tech builds of their MVP (minimum viable product) to enable business launch.

Unlike other incubator or accelerator programmes, SuperTech Seeds is specifically focusing on addressing barriers facing new founders. All too often, developing technology comes at a cost and risk. As a result, getting a product to market is a slow process.

New innovations like no-code and low code can accelerate the development of a minimum viable product and bring ideas to life in order to attract investment.

SuperTech is working in collaboration with Birmingham based global no-code pioneers Million Labs with financial support from Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP to bring this opportunity for West Midlands and UK based entrepreneurs. 

Commenting on the strength of the panel Tim Pile, Chair of GBSLEP says:

“The knowledge, expertise and experience that our judging panel brings is testament to the region’s strength in the business, professional and financial services sector as well as our emerging innovative technology firms. With global investment bank Goldman Sachs opening a regional hub in Birmingham later this year, there’s huge scope for our local talent pool to gain employment and entrepreneurial opportunities.  I am delighted that GBSLEP is investing in the SuperTech Seeds no-code competition as it will enable business ideas to come to and create a skills pipeline into this innovative sector.”

Your SuperTech Seeds 2021 judging panel

KATIE GARRETT

Vice President at Goldman Sachs

Katie is a Vice President in the Goldman Sachs Firmwide Strategy division. She manages one of the Engineering-led Accelerate businesses, focusing on communication, stakeholder engagement and project management. In 2020 she was a part of a group that submitted a proposal for a new business to ‘GS Accelerate’ the firmwide platform for unlocking entrepreneurial talents and driving collaboration across the firm.

JULIA STREETS

Founder and CEO of Streets Consulting

Julia is the Founder and CEO of Streets Consulting, the international business development, marketing and communications consultancy. Since incorporating the business in 2007, Julia and her team have advised a wide range of firms in the world of capital markets, B2B and payments, and offering specialist technology including blockchain, artificial intelligence, cyber security and more.  

HILARY SMYTH-ALLEN

Executive Lead for SuperTech

Hilary has a wide ranging career spanning the professional and financial services sector, including 10 years in practice as a national director in Fortune 500 company AECOM. Since her time in practice, Hilary worked as Executive Director for a regional membership body for professional services for 5 years and has established herself as a key influencer in BPFS policy in the West Midlands.

JOF WALTERS

Founder of Million Labs

Jof is a banking innovator responsible for several firsts to market, who has also acquired and sold almost fifty companies, and now owns Million Labs which helps founders to launch start-ups with no-code. Last year Million Labs launched around 250 start-ups, which created an estimated 500 jobs.

The SuperTech Seeds programme is open to any UK national or British passport holder aged 16 and above. Ideas will be assessed by Katie, Julia, Jof and Hilary, with successful applicants being notified no later than the end of July.

Applications must be submitted online via the link below, no later than Monday 19 July at 5pm.