How can the Tees Valley nurture innovation, and grow a reputation as an innovative place?

Support a good cause by sharing your thoughts.

In 2024, we asked the Tees Valley region what does innovation mean to you, and why? The answer: “new, efficient, and iterative”.

Now, we’re looking to understand whether the Tees Valley is delivering on its own definition. Further, we’re looking at what’s needed to make the region more attractive to outside innovators and investors, and how we can grow our reputation as a home for innovation on a national and international scale.

Mark your calendar…

Tees Valley Digital Innovation Survey: Launching January 12th, 2026

Embeddable, like so many others are proud to call the Tees Valley home. A region of rich industrial history, with a future that has the potential to lead the way in digital on an international scale.

For that potential to be realised though, requires a significant amount of creativity, resilience, support, investment, communication, and much more. Not just from those in the region already, but those outside of it.

With that in mind, this year’s survey focuses on two things:

Does the Tees Valley already have a reputation as “innovative” to build upon?
What is needed for the region to be able to better nurture innovation?

Innovation can apply to every business and therefore this survey is open to every business, both those inside of the Tees Valley with “insider” knowledge of our innovation efforts, and those outside of the region, where our innovation efforts to date may or may not have reached.

Our goal is to understand what we do well, and what is needed to improve, for people and businesses to succeed with innovation in the Tees Valley.

While you wait for the survey to launch…

Nominate a charity that will receive up-to £1,000 for your contributions.

As part of the 2026 survey, Embeddable will donate £1 for each completed survey entry to a charitable cause, up-to £1,000. Before we launch the survey on January 12th, we’d like your help to select that charity.

Tees Valley and North East-based Expert Insight

The 2026 survey will feature commentary from a number of key figures both inside and outside of the Tees Valley.

Foreword by Bob Makin

Bob has nearly 20 years of experience in the video game industry, including 10 years as CEO of SockMonkey Studios in Middlesbrough. Bob co-founded the studio in 2013, and lead the growth of the studio from 2 to 50 people, and through its acquisition by Canada’s Behaviour Interactive in 2023.

Bob continues to run the studio as General Manager of UK Studios at Behaviour Interactive.

About Behaviour Interactive

Tees Valley Expert Insight

Sharon Starkey

Resolution Communications

Sharon Starkey is managing director of Resolution, a strategic marketing agency based in Stockton. Passionate about purposeful communication, she leads a skilled team creating outcome-focused campaigns that help clients grow and engage effectively.

Sharon champions Teesside’s talent, combining creativity, strategy and results-driven storytelling to elevate brands and businesses.

About Resolution

Bev Goodall

Abacus Bean

Bev is a qualified chartered accountant and MD of AbacusBean Limited, based in Stockton-on-Tees.

Abacus Bean specialise in looking after tech businesses and making sure they do the right thing, at the right time in terms of tax and accounting. You do the innovation and – in Bev’s own words! – AbacusBean deal with the boring bits!

About Abacus Bean

Rebecca Minchella

Maven Capital Partners

Rebecca is an Investment Manager at Maven Capital Partners UK LLP. Maven is one of the UK’s most active SME investors, and Rebecca is part of the North East regional investment team based in our Middlesborough, Newcastle and Durham offices.

Rebecca is originally from Billingham, Teesside and has a strong network across the Tees Valley and the wider region, working with ambitious founders to understand their funding requirements for growth

About Maven

Out-of-region Insight

Simon Green

EDGE Innovation

Simon has a background in corporate innovation at Procter & Gamble, leading projects in Africa, Latin America and Asia for five years. He subsequently set up and ran technology businesses in healthcare and transport before moving into innovation support and access to finance work, generating over £25m in funding for innovative businesses over the past decade.

Simon set up Edge Innovation in 2015 as an independent innovation agency, focused on using design thinking, open and lean innovation principles to improve product development and commercialisation. Edge works with everything from large corporates and public authorities through to pre-start innovators.

About Edge Innovation

Closing Remarks by Peter Calvert

Peter Calvert is the Founder of Embeddable and a proud Teessider who is passionate about technology, innovation, and supporting businesses to succeed with tech on their side. As a fractional CTO, Peter supports startups and scaling businesses with board-level technology expertise that allows them to raise investment, grow safely, bring new products to market and, ultimately, reach their own definition of success.

About Embeddable