Techspert Finalist: Exe Squared at The Nottys 2025
We’ve been named a finalist in the Techspert category at The Nottys 2025 — the South West business awards run by NOTWORKING, where entries are validated by the team and judged by captains of industry. The ceremony took place at Sandy Park in November 2025.
The Techspert award recognises technology businesses that are ahead of the curve — companies using innovation to solve real problems and deliver genuine value. Being shortlisted alongside other strong South West tech businesses is something we’re genuinely proud of.
What The Nottys Recognised
The Nottys aren’t a technology-specific awards programme, which is part of what makes them interesting. They cover everything from hospitality to construction to community impact. The Techspert category sits alongside awards for fearless leadership, sustainability, and customer experience. Being recognised in that company means the judges saw something beyond just technical capability — they saw a business making technology work for people.
Our entry focused on what we’ve built over the past 15 years: a software development consultancy that combines deep technical experience with AI-augmented workflows to deliver faster without sacrificing quality. We talked about our work with clients like Ad-MOTO, Blue Horizon, and the Department for Education. We explained how we’ve integrated AI tools into every stage of our development process — not as a gimmick, but as a genuine force multiplier that lets a small team punch well above its weight.
Three Finalist Nominations in 18 Months
The Nottys Techspert nomination follows our two finalist spots at the Computing Digital Technology Leaders Awards 2024, where we were shortlisted for both Digital Service Company of the Year and Digital Transformation of the Year (the latter alongside Ad-MOTO for the Mobile Video Advertising Platform).
Three finalist nominations across two national award ceremonies in 18 months. For a 14-person team based in Exeter, that’s not a bad run.
I say this not to boast — we’d genuinely rather let the work speak for itself — but because it validates something we believe strongly: that a focused team of experienced developers, working with modern tools and a disciplined process, can produce work that competes with agencies many times our size.
The Judging Panel
The 2025 Nottys were judged by a panel chaired by Craig Greenwood of NorDan UK, alongside Nina Sarlaka from Plymouth City Council, Natasha Pavis from Exeter Rugby Club and Sandy Park, Andy Cooper (former Devon Life editor), and Maria Whitton from Whittons Auctioneers. The diversity of the panel — spanning public sector, hospitality, media, and manufacturing — meant that entries had to demonstrate broad business impact, not just technical sophistication.
What It Means
Awards are nice. They’re not why we do this work. But they serve a purpose beyond the certificate on the wall: they signal to potential clients that independent judges — people with no reason to be generous — looked at what we do and said it was worth recognising.
If you’re considering working with a software development partner and wondering whether a small team in Devon can deliver at the level you need, these nominations are one data point. The case studies are another. And the best data point of all is a conversation about your specific project — get in touch and we’ll give you an honest assessment of whether we’re the right fit.
