In short: The SPARKies 2025, held at Green Park Station in Bath on 18 July 2025, recognised technology companies and people from across the South West. Winners included Astral Systems, Signable, DRIFT Energy, iCOMAT and Neuronostics. Walmer Group sponsored the HealthTech Business of the Year award.
Key takeaways
- The South West tech sector now spans healthtech, fintech, cyber, climate, engineering and creative technology, not one dominant niche.
- Winners ranged from an early-stage fusion company to an established e-signature scaleup, which says something about the region's ability to grow companies as well as start them.
- Four of the awards went to people, not companies. Mentors and community builders matter as much as cap tables.
- The open question for the region is what happens after the awards: funding, customers and talent.
Does UK tech really begin and end in London?
Listen to enough panel discussions and you could be forgiven for thinking so. An evening in Bath suggests otherwise.
The SPARKies, run by techSPARK, is the South West's annual technology awards night. The 2025 edition took place on 18 July at Green Park Station, a converted Victorian railway station, which is a fairly good metaphor for a region that keeps finding new uses for old engineering skills.
We were proud to support the night as a partner and as sponsor of the HealthTech Business of the Year award. The more interesting story, though, is who won and what that says about the region.
Who won at the SPARKies 2025?
Eighteen awards were handed out. A selection:
- Startup of the Year: Astral Systems
- Scaleup of the Year: Signable
- Most Exciting Investment Deal: iCOMAT
- HealthTech Business of the Year: Neuronostics (sponsored by Walmer Group)
- People's Choice: Neuronostics
- Best Tech for Good: DRIFT Energy
- FinTech Business of the Year: Loqbox
- Best Cyber Firm: SudoCyber
- Engineering Product or Business of the Year: NPK Recovery
- Commitment to Talent: Future Space
- Founder of the Year: Dr Asel Sartbaeva
- Mentor of the Year: Rick Chapman
- Community Award: Elly Rowley
- FutureSPARK: Iryna Erin Okhrymenko
Congratulations to Neuronostics in particular, who went home with two trophies and, presumably, a slightly heavier bag.
What does the winners list say about the region?
It is broad
A fusion company, an e-signature platform, a composites manufacturer, a neurology diagnostics business and a company making green hydrogen at sea all appear on the same list. That breadth matters. A region built around one sector is exposed when that sector has a bad year. A region with engineering, health, finance, climate and creative technology under one roof has more ways to keep growing.
It can scale companies, not only start them
Awards for startups are easy to fill. Awards for scaleups and investment deals are harder, because they need companies that have survived long enough to raise serious money and sell to serious customers. The South West now has a healthy number of both. That is a different stage of maturity from having a lively startup scene.
Purpose is not a side project
DRIFT Energy and Neuronostics are commercial businesses with a clear reason to exist beyond the next funding round. Neither would describe itself as a charity. Investors increasingly do not see a conflict between the two either, which is a welcome change.
People still do the heavy lifting
Founder, mentor, community and emerging talent awards sit alongside the company categories for a reason. Regional tech communities are built by people who make introductions, give up their evenings to mentor, and open doors for others. None of that shows up in a funding announcement. It is worth an award.
Why does the South West work as a place to build?
A few ingredients keep coming up in conversations with founders in the region:
- Universities and research groups with real depth in engineering, robotics, health and materials.
- A long industrial history in aerospace and advanced manufacturing, which leaves behind suppliers, skills and customers.
- A creative sector that sits unusually close to the technology one.
- A growing group of investors who no longer require founders to get on a train to Paddington.
The useful part is the overlap. A climate technology company can borrow engineering talent from aerospace. A healthtech company can work with a university research group down the road. Those connections are much harder to build from scratch than a co-working space.
What comes next?
Awards celebrate what has been built. The harder question is what the winners need over the next three years.
For most, the answer is some mix of customers, capital and specialist talent. For the more technical businesses, it also means funding long development cycles without giving away the company before the product is finished. That is where grants, R&D tax relief and patient investors each have a job to do, and where a bit of planning goes a long way.
The talent is here and so are the companies. Is the funding keeping pace? That depends on how well the region keeps joining the dots.
Frequently asked questions
What are the SPARKies?
The SPARKies are annual technology awards for the West of England and wider South West, organised by techSPARK. They recognise startups, scaleups, founders, mentors and community organisations across the region's tech sector.
Where and when were the SPARKies 2025 held?
The 2025 ceremony took place on 18 July 2025 at Green Park Station in Bath.
Who won Startup of the Year and Scaleup of the Year in 2025?
Astral Systems won Startup of the Year and Signable won Scaleup of the Year.
Which award did Walmer Group sponsor?
Walmer Group sponsored the HealthTech Business of the Year award, won by Neuronostics.
