Why the West Midlands is optimum for no-code
No-code is cutting costs and reducing time to market for innovative tech ideas. A report by Gartner predicts that 70% of new apps will be developed using no-code and low-code by 2025. In the West Midlands support from Government and private enterprises is seeing a significant increase in no-code adoption. So, what is making the region such a hot spot for no-code development?
Suzi Evans, programme lead for SuperTech Seeds discusses.
No-code is becoming more and more recognised as the next generation of tech development, leapfrogging traditional coding for certain applications. There is always a need for quicker, more immediate tech solutions within business. Because of the time and investment needed, traditional coding is sometimes uncommercial. That is where no-code development comes in; to fill the gap and deliver solutions where traditional language otherwise cannot.
West Midlands-based SuperTech, the world’s first supercluster dedicated to the advancement of technology in professional and business services, has fully embraced no-code. It is the only body of its kind actively building new technologies through no-code. We have become the first mover in this space, delivering more than 20 new businesses in the last 18 months, training aspiring entrepreneurs and the next generation, and educating businesses and investors on the opportunity no-code presents.
Speed to market
Being the first to market is a commercial imperative across all sectors. The West Midlands was the first region globally to fully support no-code and continues to offer the most comprehensive backing to the technology of anywhere else in the world. Importantly, for the businesses, entrepreneurs and early-stage founders coming to the region, this means that we can help ambitious minds rapidly develop and ensure their solution is first to market. We have created and are building on an incredible anchor position as a hot bed of no-code and swift start-up development.
The competitive advantage this offers is enticing entrepreneurs and early-stage start-ups who need to move fast and keep costs low. But it doesn’t need to, nor should it, stop there. All business technology strategies would be well placed to turn their attention to the use of no-code for the same reason. Reduced costs, speed to market. What would have taken years to develop and £100,000s worth of investment can now be achieved in a matter of months at a fraction of the cost. Having seen no-code in action I have no doubt that some of the ProfTech solutions currently in the market could have been developed with greater efficiencies and profit margins, sooner.
Start-ups are founded on ideas. Ideas to improve an existing process, or to introduce a new way of working that doesn’t currently exist or to disrupt a market with an entirely new invention. With a shrinking economy, businesses that are struggling, an increasingly competitive market and rising demand for immediate solutions it’s important to be able to realise that idea, become active and start trading as quickly as possible. Failing to do so risks competitors soon catching on, getting into the market first, and taking that invaluable first mover market share. Once developed, all successful tech founders appreciate the need to scale and iterate. To continually challenge the technology and enable it to move with the requirements of the target user case. That technology must therefore be able to adapt and change to customer and client needs with minimal lag time, which is exactly what working with no-code offers.
A (not so secret) secret USP for a tech provider is to be able to take a base platform and offer the ability to tailor that solution into a bespoke and specific solution for any given client. The difference is that this can be worked on while the business is live, the app is running, and revenue is being generated. The need for initial investment, long technology development lead times and resultant time to market risks are no longer the barriers they once were. As a result, we’re able to launch more businesses be they FinTech, eCommerce, LawTech, InsurTech or PropTech.
Building new businesses using no-code
One of the biggest differentiators for the West Midlands is that we’ve already built new businesses using no-code in a process that has taken just 4 months. Talent Xchange, Ethical Equity, Talent Toute and Leasehold Advisor have all launched, with Ethical Equity having secured pre-seed investment, embarking on seed investment and Talent Toute already generating revenue. 20 more new businesses are currently in development. These include new solutions for health and safety, predictive mental health support, overseas property investment, cryptocurrency development and legal triage.
A special advantage of the West Midlands is that we have an incredibly entrepreneurial community. The region is repeatedly cited as having the highest number of start-ups for any region in the UK outside of London. More than 70 new business founders applied for the 20 places in our seeds campaign, all of which could have been developed through no-code. This is being matched by a growing market demand for innovative tech solutions along with support and awareness from commercial organisations.
Growing demand and commercial support
Technology, whether to improve processes internally or develop solutions for clients, is one of the biggest expenditures of the C-suite amongst firms globally. There’s a clear realisation that not every solution is going to be developed in-house. One of the advantages of a body like SuperTech is that it brings together innovators with major businesses and investors. Through our advocacy of no-code not only are businesses becoming more aware of what can be achieved using the technology, but they are actively promoting and sourcing solutions. BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Bruntwood SciTech are working with seven businesses to develop Fintech solutions. On 14 June 2022, Birmingham hosted, “Brum Prop Jam”, a no-code hackathon, to encourage citizen developers to think on specific challenges faced in the real estate sector. On 30 June 2022, 24 new businesses build on no-code through the support of SuperTech will demonstrate their solutions to investors. We have the UK’s leading no-code agency, Million Labs, which has already helped develop and launch more than 1,126 businesses globally using no-code.
However, as with anything new and unfamiliar, especially in the world of technology, the first step to address is educating the general population to help them understand what no-code is and what it’s capable of. As the only UK region promoting that message and developing solutions with the support of our commercial partners, we’re establishing an unrivalled position of established proven technologies, development capability, investor interest and commercial demand.
Developing talent and growing capability
One of the first measures SuperTech took was to help increase the capability amongst 40 individuals, training them on how to use no-code to develop their solutions. Since then, with our partner Million Labs, we’ve delivered courses for over 250 college students aged 16-19. Tutors are now working to create the legacy and continue to offer UK’s first ever no-code course in further education.
Capability and capacity are key to the West Midlands remaining the centre of no-code development. These initiatives, along with the connections we’re building with the regions eight universities will help ensure we have everything needed to keep developing no-code solutions for the foreseeable future.
The West Midlands is the UK’s centre of no-code development. Combining commercial and Government support, with a recognised rich and diverse talent pool. We are helping new businesses achieve first to market advantage. Awareness amongst our biggest firms and investors is creating solution-oriented demand. We have the ecosystem in place to drive the further development of no-code and a wealth of ideas that are set to become the next major advancement in FinTech, PropTech, InsurTech and LawTech. No-code is the next generation of technology development and there is no better place to realise the advantages of that than in the West Midlands.
For more information on our SuperTech Seeds no-code pre-accelerator visit: https://www.supertechwm.com/seeds