Published: May 15, 2024 | Updated: 16th May 2024
As far as university spinouts go, Novatura is a special case: we didn’t start life in a campus pub (it was a cafe!). But where other startups might form around an idea, Novatura’s most important asset is 100% the team. As fresh faces in Hampshire’s tech scene, we wanted to formally introduce ourselves!
They say, “It’s who you know, not what you know”. With any project, the interplay and communication between team members can vastly affect the outcome. That’s why when we first noticed our complimentary skills and team chemistry, we felt the need to stick together.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing, but in our short time in business together, we’ve learned a lot. Not just about tech, but about each other as individuals. You should get to know us too!
Niall Morrison
“Hi, I’m Niall! I love running, cooking, playing guitar and tinkering with any tech (I build robots now!). I also have a shameless love for ‘dad rock’ as people would describe it.”
“My motivations for starting Novatura? For me it’s largely the fact I’m never bored in this role! We’re always working on projects with new twists/challenges, and it’s delightful to do that with such a closely-knit team!”
Fun fact: Niall spends a significant amount of time styling his afro every day.
Tom Mitchelmore
“Hey, I’m Tom, a web developer that also loves the outdoors and cooking.
“After a few years freelancing, I’m a bit of a jack of all trades – but I’m particularly interested in beautiful and intuitive user interfaces. I love coffee and craft beer (just not usually at the same time, as I’m sure you can understand).”
“I love being a part of Novatura for the simple fact I can freely experiment with different approaches to solving big, real problems!”
Fun fact: Tom’s first job was as a paid stunt actor in the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony.
Max Taylor
“I’m Max, I am a backend engineer who spends his time off in the countryside or watching movies.”
“I’m loving my time at Novatura as I think working in a big software company isn’t for me. I’d much rather be a large cog in a small machine, so my contributions feel meaningful. By taking on bigger responsibilities and self-managing, I learn and grow quickly.”
Fun Fact: Max’s pursuit of computer science was not by choice initially, but rather his high school pushing for him to study it at A-Level.
John Baker
“Hi, I’m John. I started my career as a frontend developer and haven’t looked back since! Like Tom, I’m partial to craft beer and coffee (sometimes at the same time).
“Novatura is a great opportunity for career freedom. Choosing our direction, culture and values is a big responsibility but massively rewarding.”
Fun fact: Before Novatura, I was a windsurfing instructor for a few years.
James Harcourt
“Hi, I’m James! I’m a keen software engineer whose interests are art, cooking and heavy metal. I’m also half Colombian, so I speak Spanish fluently!”
“My motivation for Novatura is fear of the graduate job market (just kidding)! I like working on fun projects and I really enjoy working with my friends. The accountability to learn and compete with each other is what keep me working hard!”
Fun fact: I used to play the trumpet in a Santana tribute band. My favourite gig was when we did the Silverstone Classics in 2019!
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That’s Novatura in a nutshell! With our one-year anniversary coming up soon, it’s quite surreal for us to look back on where we’ve been. Fortunately, our unanimous conclusion after a year has been to stick around and keep pushing forwards! Here’s what we’ve got planned:
Connect with us on LinkedIn to follow our journey!