Last Word: Rich Himsworth

Congratulations on your £2.75 million funding boost, which you received from NPIF II – Mercia Equity Finance. How will the backing fuel Salesfire’s growth ambitions?

We’re always looking for ways to grow and expand, and with this funding boost, we can access resources that will allow us to deepen our product offering and develop even more advanced tools for online retailers.

The funding will enable us to continue with the development of our new e-commerce solution Salesfire AI.

This technology enables e-commerce brands to identify more of their anonymous website visitors, facilitating more accurate retargeting and helping boost their online sales.

Over the next two years, we plan to create more than 20 jobs, taking our total number of employees from 65 to more than 80.

These will be primarily developer roles, allowing us to continue building revolutionary technology for the e-commerce industry.

Our vision is to push the boundaries of artificial intelligence to become a globally known name in the e-commerce tech space, helping brands across the UK and US scale and succeed.

As technology continues to advance, so does the use of artificial intelligence across everyday society. Much has been made of the technology replacing human interaction, but how do you view the dynamic?

Like with any new technology, I think it’s normal that artificial intelligence is receiving some pushback as people get used to how it fits into their lives.

However, we understand the value of real human relationships and, therefore, I believe artificial intelligence should work alongside humans to enhance their interactions, rather than replace them completely.

Artificial intelligence can provide opportunities to smaller businesses that would otherwise not be accessible.

Our Salesfire AI technology, for example, allows SMEs to provide a level of personalisation to their customers that was once only available to large corporations such as Amazon.

For enterprise businesses, artificial intelligence can automate manual tasks that would normally be time-intensive for marketers, freeing up more time to focus on getting creative with their e-commerce strategies.

That can only be a good thing.

Salesfire is headquartered in Middlesbrough, which has earned great repute as a digital hub thanks to a strong educational ecosystem led by Teesside University and other providers. How has being based in the town supported the company’s growth, and how will it aid your expansion blueprint?

Being in Middlesbrough has been a key factor in our growth journey.

It’s thanks to the wealth of local talent offered by the area that we have been able to bring our ambitious ideas to life.

The town’s transport links have also been fundamental in supporting our office-first culture which, despite being unusual for a business in the tech industry, has directly contributed to the level of innovation we have been able to achieve.

We are all still continuously learning, and working in the office promotes the sharing of knowledge and encourages creativity, allowing us to continue advancing our products.

We are also surrounded by so many inspirational local businesses, and seeing other Teesside- based companies thrive is really motivational, pushing us to aim even higher.

www.salesfire.co.uk