Jamie’s startup Scannetix working to curb utility accidents piques investors’ interest at roadshow

Entrepreneur Jamie Tong and his startup Scannetix have turned heads at the South East Startup Roadshow with ambitions to revolutionise the utilities sector.

Hosted by South East Angels, the roadshow brought together a number of innovative Hampshire startups to pitch their early-stage ideas before investors.

Jamie’s own business idea came about three years ago after seeing a colleague injured in a utility accident.

These ‘utility strikes’, in which underground pipes and cables are damaged during construction work, are potentially life-threatening – and 60,000 of them occur across the UK every year.

Jamie Tong

Curious to find out how future accidents could be prevented, Jamie set to work on a research paper into the causes and implications of utility strikes, with the backing of The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and The Worshipful Company of Constructors.

He’s now turned that initiative into a business – Scannetix – which works to push new industry legislation and hosts webinars to advise utility workers on safe practices.

The startup has also partnered with Innovate UK to develop B-UDS, which they hope will be ‘the new gold standard of excavation’ – standardising methods in order to prevent accidents and save lives.

Jamie said: “Being able to pitch Scannetix at the Southampton event was a privilege and has allowed us to accelerate our funding round.

“We look forward to closing deals from this event to develop our much-needed life-saving device.

“Thank you to South East Angels for having us and to the judges for awarding us the best pitch.”

The South East Startup Roadshow is currently touring the region in partnership with NatWest, with the final event hosted in London this November.

Jamie was among a host of entrepreneurs looking to use the platform to connect with potential investors, gain exposure and receive feedback on their ventures.

Kristina Pereckaite, Director of South East Angels, added: “The standard of pitches at this event was extremely high.

“Jamie delivered an excellent pitch that used the perfect combination of storytelling and data, leaving an imprint in everyone’s mind long after the pitch.

“Scannetix is solving a really important problem, and I think there’s huge potential in this space.

“Jamie and his team are great contenders to solve it with their innovative solution.”

• scannetix.com
• southeastangels.co.uk

Read more – From fires to frying pans: ex-chimney sweep launches new oven cleaning business