Greenshoots: Scottish start-up Pogo Studio plans for expansion after client wins

Edinburgh-based software development startup Pogo Studio is planning to grow its headcount before the end of the year following a series of recent client wins.

Greenshoots: Scottish start-up Pogo Studio plans for expansion after client wins

Jack Francis, Neil Francis and Paul Reid of Pogo Studio (Photo: Stewart Attwood)

The firm’s client wins include Signal Mutual, one of the US’s largest shipping and port authority insurance groups, NHS Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland/NatWest, Miller Homes and social enterprise Hey Girls

Pogo Studio, founded by CEO Jack Francis in 2016, is planning to add at least four people to its headcount of 10 over the next few months, with US-based Signal Mutual appointing the Edinburgh-headquartered software specialist as its main agency to manage a number of website and digital projects over the next twelve months. 



Pogo, which is chaired by Jack’s father Neil, is targeting developer roles and a medtech non-executive director appointment in its next phase of growth having earlier this year appointed Trickle Founder and CEO Paul Reid to its board. 

Jack Francis, founder and CEO of Pogo Studio, said: “We’ve really doubled down during Covid and it’s great to see the client roster growing with activity across the commercial and public sectors, including the growth of business outside the UK. It’s testament to the hard work of our team and we’re excited to move into hire mode and our next phase of growth.” 

The company launched a Digital Healthcare unit this year, with its first product Tailored Talks having already generated almost £200,000 in revenue within the NHS.  Tailored Talks is a digital platform that enables clinicians to get the right information to patients and carers, supporting the hospital to home journey and is currently being trialled with NHS Lothian in partnership with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland. Pogo is also developing a patient management solution called Patient Calendar. 

Mr Francis added: “We see the greatest growth potential in our Digital Healthcare unit where we have already developed a product in the form of  Tailored Talks that has gained favour with leading academics, clinicians and health boards.  Overall, we’re on track to increase revenue by around 50 per cent across the business in 2020 and we think the digital health sector is going to ramp that up in the months and years ahead.”

Pogo Studio is set to embark on its first external investment round in Q4, targeting angel syndicates, venture capitalist firms and social impact funds, and has just appointed Chiene + Tait as its corporate finance adviser. 

Neil Francis, chairman, Pogo Studio, commented: “We’ve seen some world-class software development companies come out of Scotland in recent years, startups like Kotikan and Cultivate, and we want to be one of the next big success stories in the space.  Finding the right investors to help fuel this ambition is part and parcel of the strategy and we are now beginning to engage with the investment community across the UK along these lines.”  

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