International law firm Addleshaw Goddard has launched its search for the best high-growth tech businesses to join its AG Elevate programme – an accelerator for those looking to scale up.
AG Elevate is a fast-track 10-month programme designed to advance tech businesses in all sectors of the economy through legal challenges that arise as they grow.
Since it launched in 2017, the programme has supported almost 50 high-growth businesses. Back in 2019, Edinburgh-based Amiqus was one of nine businesses selected to join AG Elevate and has since not looked back – it now counts the firm, which gave it the opportunity on AG Elevate, as one of its newest clients.
Amiqus is a market-leading compliance platform helping businesses digitally manage onboarding and compliance for new clients and staff, and is one of the UK’s fastest growing Fintech companies. The business began when CEO and founder Callum Murray noticed a gap in the market for a solution to complex, time-consuming and expensive compliance challenges for businesses across sectors.
What he created is now Amiqus – which helps regulated businesses and organisations, including law firms, overcome practical obstacles in compliance and onboarding new clients or staff digitally.
As all entrepreneurs know, the journey from the Eureka moment to having a successful, sustainable business is fraught with difficulty and rarely follows a straight path. For the business, which specialises in the legal sector, being selected to participate in AG Elevate was an opportunity that came at the perfect stage in their growth journey.
Amiqus applied for a place on the programme and was selected by an independent panel for the 2019 cohort. If that was good fortune, giving Amiqus’ product the opportunity to get insight behind the scenes at an international law firm was invaluable.
Along with the rest of the cohort, Amiqus was assigned a legal mentor and a package of legal support. Successful applicants also receive access to professional industry networks, bespoke resources designed by AG and the chance to build networks with like-minded people and businesses in the tech ecosystem.
Since 2019 Amiqus has seen its turnover double year-on-year and its client list grow to include some of the leading organisations and professional services firms in the country. For good measure, Callum has recently been shortlisted as a regional finalist for EY’s entrepreneur of the year.
Callum Murray, CEO at Amiqus, said: “The Elevate programme provided us not only with invaluable support and insights but also a great peer cohort of other high growth companies based around the UK. Going full circle and now supporting Addleshaw Goddard with our software is of course the icing on the proverbial law tech cake.”
Elvan Hussein, partner and co-lead of the AG Elevate programme, said: “It’s great to see another success story from the programme, and perhaps the first which we at AG have gone on to become a client of. Callum and the team have thrived and it’s fantastic that AG Elevate has played a small part in their story. Our team of legal mentors have a comprehensive understanding of the priorities and potential obstacles that fast growing and scaling tech businesses encounter which provide substantial benefits to AG Elevate members beyond just legal input.
“Our mentors also possess a thorough understanding of the perspectives and motivations of technology investors and acquirers, which enables us to assist the businesses in achieving their commercial objectives. As innovation and disruption continue to be in high demand across all sectors, we are excited to see the businesses that can follow in Amiqus’ footsteps.”
The application process for businesses that would like to be considered for the 2023 AG Elevate programme is open and can be found on the Addleshaw Goddard website.
To qualify for consideration for a place on the programme, businesses must have received external funding.