‘When you start a new business, you need all the help you can get and, for a young company like ours, that support is massive’
Ash Cane, social values executive at Quickline, with grant recipient Alex Sparkes, and his fellow Heuro Studios director, Rand Nessif.(Image: Quickline)
A young East Yorkshire entrepreneur has been given a business boost by a major Hull employer. Alex Sparkes, 21, has teamed up with fellow University of Hull graduates Rand Nessif and Jack Shanks, also both 21, to launch Heuro Studios, a new venture which turns ideas into interactive technology, making digital content more accessible, simple and enjoyable.
Alex, from Hornsea, and his new colleagues – all computer science graduates – have set up the company in Hull city centre’s K2 building, where they are now focusing on making immersive digital experiences, apps and websites. Heuro Studios primarily works on educational and heritage projects, including recent work bringing historical figures to life using AI, for the team at Hull Minster.
Now the new business has tapped into a grant through an innovative partnership set in motion by communications business Quickline. The rural broadband provider announced the two-year partnership with the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank (JCYEB) earlier this year as they joined forces to support digital inclusion and youth entrepreneurship across East Yorkshire.
The partnership forms part of Quickline’s wider commitment to Project Gigabit, the UK Government programme aimed at helping hard-to-reach and rural communities access fast, reliable gigabit-capable broadband. Alex was awarded £728.97 by Quickline, which he is using to buy a camera, tablet and website domains to enhance work for their clients.
He said: “A big part of what we do is making digital content more accessible, whether that’s turning a board game into a digital learning tool, or helping a costume business reach new audiences. Having the right tools to do that matters, and this grant has made sure we’re not held back by equipment when the ideas are there.
“When you start a new business, you need all the help you can get and, for a young company like ours, that support is massive. Quickline have been so supportive and this will really help our business offering, as lots of clients need new, high quality images for their websites.”
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Designed to help remove digital barriers and enable young people to start, sustain and grow their businesses, the partnership offers digital inclusion grants of up to £1,000 to young entrepreneurs aged 16 to 29 who live in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The initiative is delivered by JCYEB, working alongside partners including East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Yorkshire in Business, C4DI, Hull City Council ’s Making Changes for Careers (MC4C) programme and the Smile Foundation.
The grant was awarded after the Heuro Studios team sought support from the MC4C programme, in which Rand, of West Hull, was awarded a test market grant of £741.37 to further help with the firm’s growth.
Charles Cracknell founder and secretary the JCYEB, said: “We welcome our partnership with Quickline, which has enabled us to give even more support to young East Riding entrepreneurs. It’s thanks to them that we plan to support at least 25 enterprising young people over the next two years.
“We’re now in our 23rd year supporting young entrepreneurs and, thanks to companies like Quickline, have issued more 1,500 grants to aspiring young entrepreneurs and enterprise projects in the Hull and East Riding area.”
Ash Cane, social values executive at Quickline, added: “We’re delighted to support Alex in growing his business and it means a huge amount to us to create these exciting opportunities for young entrepreneurs, opening up new doors. It’s helping them to get a foot on the business ladder and hopefully providing that first stepping stone to a long and successful career.
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