12 businesses ready for major growth this year
WALES has a host of great businesses that are poised for major growth in 2017. From innovative life sciences and technology businesses to established property developers, here are 12 companies that are ones to watch in 2017 and beyond.
ZIP WORLD
Adrenaline fuelled attraction venture Zip World will be very much in expansion mode this year.
The Gwynedd-based business, which opened its first attraction with Europe’s longest zipwire at Penrhyn Quarry, Bethesda, in 2013, plans to open a similar zipwire at the five-star Celtic Manor Resort in Newport later this year.
And work is under way on a kilometre long rollercoaster in Snowdonia National Park.
The £1.5m Zip World Fforest Coaster, which will be the first of its kind in the UK, is designed to run on rails that skirt through trees on elevated tracks.
The toboggan ride is scheduled to open in time for Easter.
RIVERSIMPLE MOVEMENT
Riversimple Movement, based in Llandrindod Wells, Powys, has spent 15 years working on its hydrogen fuel cell car – the carbon-fibre Rasa.
The first hand-built models of the Rasa will each cost £100,000 to build.
And this year is a key one for the innovative business as it looks to move into full production in 2018.
MOTONOVO FINANCE
Car finance and insurance firm MotoNovo Finance is creating nearly 600 jobs in Cardiff in a major expansion of its operation.
The company will more than double its existing workforce over the next five years – taking its total headcount to over 1,000 as it also looks to move into new markets.
MotoNovo, whose ultimate parent is South African-based FirstRand, recently moved to new large headquarters at the 1 Central Square regeneration scheme in the centre of Cardiff.
VEEQO
One of Wales’ leading technology firms, Veeqo is currently looking to raise a further £1m through crowdfunding which will help it create 75 jobs over the next three years.
The Swansea-based firm is looking to raise growth finance through the Seedrs platform, having already raised £1.4m to date.
Its last fundraising round was over-subscribed by 271%.
The company provides an inventory management software system to e-commerce businesses.
VIZOLUTION
Last year the investment community gave a huge thumbs-up to the commercial potential of software business Vizolution when it raised £5m.
HSBC led the investment while Finance Wales contributed another £1m.
The Port Talbot-based firm develops customer service software for financial services, telecoms and utility companies.
And this year it has significant growth targets both domestically and internationally.
The firm also intends to expand its presence in North America and develop new products.
BLUESTONE
Luxury tourism attraction Bluestone National Park Resort is to create 300 jobs over the next few years following a multi-million-pound investment and new ownership deal that gives workers a 30% stake in the expanding business.
As well as funding the acquisition for an undisclosed sum, Barclays is backing a £7.5m investment in new all-weather facilities that will open by 2020.
Occupancy at the resort was 95% in 2016 and things are looking extremely good again for 2017.
RIGHTACRES PROPERTY
Family-owned property development firm Rightacres Property is behind the one million sq ft Central Square regeneration project in the centre of Cardiff – where work is progressing on a new HQ for BBC Cymru Wales.
And 2017 will be the year when plans are finalised for its largest proposed project to date – the Central Quay regeneration scheme covering the site of the existing Brains Brewery immediately south of Cardiff Railway Station.
With Network Rail land and the existing BMW car dealership site on land currently located off Penarth Road, Central Quay could eventually see up to three million sq ft of new office, residential and leisure space built.
BRIGHTER FOODS
Brighter Foods, based in the seaside town of Tywyn in Gwynedd, has shown itself to be a phenomenal start up success.
Established in 2014, the firm achieved £2.7m in sales in its first year of trading and provided 37 people with full-time employment.
Since then turnover has increased to over £10m. And having just commissioned its second production line, Brighter now employs more than 150 people.
And things are looking very positive for the next 12 months in terms of new clients and orders.
WEALTHIFY
The financial technology (fintech) sector is poised for huge growth and Wales’ first robo-investment firm Wealthify ticks all the right boxes.
The business plans to create 39 jobs over the next four years on the back of a successful crowdfunding round.
Wealthify plans to use the capital
raised to support the next stage of its customer acquisition and growth strategy, creating national brand awareness, introducing new sales channels and extending products and services to include pensions and other types of ISAs.
TRAKCEL
One of Wales’ leading life sciences firms, TrakCel is looking to the US as it looks to expand globally, while tripling its headcount.
The Cardiff-based firm, a leading provider of cellular orchestration technology to aid in the delivery of regenerative therapies, last year successfully secured a multi-million dollar investment from San Francisco-based Telegraph Hill Partners (THP) to support its global growth activities.
The deal saw private equity firm THP taking a controlling equity stake in the business, which currently employs 35, but which is forecast to reach 100 by the end of this year.
It is currently recruiting for software and clinical analysts to manage a range of therapy deliveries in oncology, leukaemia and rare diseases.
JELLAGEN
Jellagen, based in Pembroke Dock and Cardiff, is developing nextgeneration materials from collagen harvested from jellyfish.
These could have a wide range of medical and non-medical applications.
It was recently boosted with a £1.53m equity investment.
The latest investment round will be used to expand its jellyfish collagen processing capacity and recruit a further six staff over the next two years.
HYDRO INDUSTRIES
Hydro Industries, based in Llangennech, has developed groundbreaking water purification technology.
And this technology is now being deployed across the world providing clean water to communities, including those in conflict hit countries such as Somalia and Sudan.
It also sees India as a huge growth market.
With water an increasingly in demand and scare resource, Hydro is well placed for accelerated growth in 2017 – having been crowned Wales’ fastest growing firm in the 2014 Wales Fast Growth 50.