Matillion, FourNet, Force24 and Vypr honoured at the Northern Tech Awards

Four YFM-backed firms were listed in this year’s Top 100 Companies at the Northern Tech Awards. The GP Bullhound sponsored event took place yesterday evening at New Dock Hall in Leeds and was attended by CEOs, entrepreneurs and business leaders from across the region. The awards are now in their eighth year and aim to celebrate innovative technologies and leading businesses across the North of England, Scotland and Ireland.

The Overall Judges’ Award went to Matillion, the Manchester-based cloud data integration platform which was first backed by YFM Equity Partners in 2016. The company was also ranked No. 1 in the Top 100. In addition, Matt Scullion, founder and CEO of Matillion, received the Judges’ Entrepreneur Award.

Matillion has seen phenomenal growth having recently announced the completion of a $150m Series E funding round. This latest investment valued the firm at $1.5bn, making it the first ‘unicorn’ in the North West of England. YFM’s backing of the business five years ago facilitated the opening of its first US office and expansion of its product range. Three YFM-managed funds hold equity in the firm currently.

FourNet is a leading digital transformation specialist which was first backed by YFM in 2017. Also based in Manchester, the business now has annual revenues of £38m+ and employs over 100 people. YFM sold its stake in June 2021 as part of a secondary MBO which realised a 6x return for investors.

Force24 is a cloud-based marketing automation platform headquartered in Leeds. The firm delivers over 900m marketing emails each year and is trusted by many household brands including Michelin and the BBC’s Children in Need. In 2020, it received investment from YFM-managed funds to allow it to continue its rapid growth story.

Vypr is the newest YFM investment to make the Top 100 list this year. The Manchester-based firm received £2.5m of growth capital from YFM-managed VCT funds in January 2021. Founded in 2013, Vypr is a consumer insights business and counts brands such as Weetabix and Müller among its impressive client base.

Read more about the awards ceremony and the Top 100 Companies here.