Istoria Group, the Bristol-based collective of creative agencies, has presented its inaugural Tim Marsh Memorial Award to the founder of a city-based tech business.
Angela Loveridge’s Better Together initiative supports parents to keep their children safe online by signposting them towards practical tools, techniques and resources.
It also facilitates safe spaces for awkward safety conversations and coaches parents so they are empowered to respond, not react, in a way that will keep channels of communication open with their children and encourage constructive conversations.
Istoria set up the award in memory of Tim Marsh, who died last year after a short illness.
Tim was head of technical and co-founder at Solverboard, a business in Istoria Group’s Incubator Hub, which supports fledgling businesses based on great ideas in their earliest stages, helping them develop and explore their potential until they become independent.
Management innovation platform Solverboard was a great success for all concerned, going on to be acquired last year by AIM-listed global software and services company Sopheon.
Tim led the programming team on the platform’s entire development, drawing on expertise from his background in large-scale technical projects for the Royal Mail, the Post Office and the RNLI.
Istoria Group CEO Sam Rowe, pictured, said Tim was an exceptionally talented person.
“He was highly regarded by his peers in the tech world and also hugely appreciated on a personal level by all who came across him because of his kindness and constant readiness to offer support and mentorship,” she added.
“Tim was a born educator and never happier than when sharing his expertise and helping bring people of all ages and backgrounds forward to realise their potential.”
The award is intended to further Tim’s legacy of ‘using tech for good’ while Istoria Group’s design team referenced Tim’s love of birdwatching by incorporating a bird icon into its logo.
The award will encompass an intense six-month programme of mentorship, aimed at helping an incipient tech business become market ready.
Mentorship is offered at director level by Istoria Group’s in-house experts and will cover every aspect of developing a tech business, along with marketing expertise and a web and brand refresh by sister agencies Tiny Spark and Phoenix Wharf respectively.
Half a dozen ‘Ask Me Anything’ sessions with Tim’s Solverboard co-founders Phil Atherton and Charlie Widdows are included, ensuring the recipient gets the very best real-world business advice.
Angela Loveridge’s innovation at Better Together is to recognise that people have very different parenting styles, meaning that safety guidelines need to be approached without judgment and adapted to and aligned with the unique needs of the child or children in any household.
Sam Rowe said: “We first met Angela as a finalist in our women-led Micro Business Incubator Hub Competition and were all very impressed by her as a person and also by her vision for her business.
“We knew at once Angela was someone we wanted to support, to help Better Together reach its full potential.
“When we launched the Tim Marsh Memorial Award, Angela immediately came to mind as the perfect fit.”
Angela, pictured, added she was “absolutely delighted and truly honoured” to be the first recipient of the Tim Marsh Memorial Award.
“Although I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting Tim myself, I can already sense that he was clearly a remarkable individual, both in terms of his talent and his commitment to using technology for good.
“The award is a wonderful initiative and the incredible benefits that come with it are very exciting. I look forward to working with the team so that Better Together can empower more parents to keep their children safe online.”
The Istoria Group includes:
- Exhibition and events specialists Ignition, known for being sustainable pioneers and as recipients of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development 2020-25,
- Hospitality and retail designers Phoenix Wharf, known for its work for regional operators such as Yeo Valley, The Bristol Loaf, Better Food and Spicer + Cole, as well as for national retailer SpaceNK and Apprentice winner Harpreet Kaur,
- Purposeful digital transformation experts Tiny Spark, whose virtual exhibit expertise during the pandemic helped Istoria Group survive the period’s challenging business conditions.
