From bullets to business

When I explain to our featured entrepreneurs that we’re looking to get a sense of their “journey”, I always apologise for using a word that’s straight out of The X Factor. But in Jon’s case, I can’t think of a better word. I knew he was an Army veteran who’d lost a leg late last year and was preparing to take on the Three Peaks Challenge in August 2021, but some of what he told me I wasn’t...

What’s happening in Hull? Look no further…

My first question to Dave was the obvious one. What’s it been like to run a what’s on listings business when there’s been, well… nowt on for the best part of 18 months? Pretty difficult, is the obvious answer. In January 2020, Dave had only just launched the new website platform that was part of his plan to build on his success in Hull and expand the What’s On Hub to cities around the country....

Saving the planet – one house at a time…

A lot of entrepreneurs will tell you their success is down to being in the right place, at the right time – and this couldn’t be more true of Glenn Paddison. It was a chance meeting that led to the launch of Cocuun, a company whose time is very much now. Glenn was working as a branch director for MKM Building Supplies when he met the hugely successful serial entrepreneur, Paul Luen, in 2015....

Demystifying digital marketing

Nick Cranwell and Emily Proctor founded Green Ginger Digital just before the pandemic hit – but they’ve had a hectic first year, as Sam Hawcroft finds out… Green Ginger Digital’s logo is clean and simple – the company’s name alongside a vertical rectangle. Except it’s more than just a rectangle. It actually represents what’s said to be England’s smallest window, which, as surely all Hullensians...

‘Connexin is a rocket – and we’re going to the moon’

Furqan Alamgir, co-founder of the multi-award-winning Smart Cities business, tells Sam Hawcroft of his ambitions to create the North’s very own Silicon Valley… Last year, Hull was propelled to sixth in Tech Nation’s city rankings for UK tech investment, eclipsing its previous high of 14th in 2017 and overtaking Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow and Cardiff, to name a few. The main driver was...