Coderus receives a boost to accelerate growth plans

Coderus, a software development business at Adastral Park in Suffolk, has received a grant of £25,000 from the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, as part of the Small Grant Scheme.  The grant has been awarded to support diversification into new Internet of Things (IoT) markets including the Home, Care, Automotive and Yachting sectors.  Coderus is one of a few digital technology businesses in East Anglia to receive this grant and is keen for others in the tech sector to follow their lead.

Peter Lee, business development, marketing and PR at Coderus said, “We received fantastic support from William Millar and the team at the New Anglia Growth Hub.  Following a discussion about our growth plans they signposted us to the Small Grant Scheme and helped us fill in the short 4-page application form.  William advised us about what is in scope, which in our case includes market research, digital marketing, attendance at trade shows, IT equipment and software licenses.”

The Small Grant Scheme, funded by the European Regional Development Fund, provides grants up to £25,000 to help businesses grow.  If you have plans to grow your business, you could benefit from a grant of between £1,000 and £25,000 from the New Anglia LEP.  The grant can pay up to 20% of the total costs of your plans and some areas in Norfolk and Suffolk may be eligible for up to a 30% contribution.

• Are you expanding your business?
• Do you have plans to improve productivity or efficiency?
• Are you launching new products or services?

Call the Growth Hub on 0300 333 6536 or email growthhub@newanglia.co.uk to discuss your plans with a Business Growth Adviser.  

William Millar, a business growth adviser at the New Anglia Growth Hub said, “I’m really pleased to help Coderus access the Small Grant Scheme.  We hope more digital tech businesses will contact us and benefit from a financial contribution to support their development plans.  UK tech businesses are growing 2X faster than non-digital businesses.  These businesses are creating jobs, generating wealth and supporting the wider economy.  Moreover, by stimulating new technologies, innovations and efficiencies in other sectors, they boost productivity across the board too.”

Nataliya Klymko, growth programme coordinator at the New Anglia LEP added, “The Small Grant Scheme has awarded over £862,000 to 95 projects, generating nearly £4.2 million of private match funding.  We are keen to support many more Small and Medium Enterprises invest in growing their businesses, especially those in the digital tech sector.  Combined with our support to deliver the Digital Skills Plan to grow 10,000 new tech roles in Norfolk and Suffolk by 2024, plus our investment in TechEast, the voice of local tech businesses, this is a good time to invest in tech in our region.

Mark Thomas, technical CEO at Coderus commented, “This is a real boost of confidence in our business development plan.  The grant supplements and helps to de-risk my own personal investment in Coderus, which has grown from 2 people to over 20 in just over 5 years.  As part of our plan we aim to secure ISO 27001 accreditation plus invest in kit to develop new software services.  The whole package will benefit existing clients including BT and Bowers & Wilkins with enhanced levels of quality and service, as well as offering new clients access to our bespoke embedded and mobile software development expertise.  We are thankful to the LEP and look forward to sharing prosperity in 2018.”