Shoothill

Shoothill is a Shrewsbury-based software business specialising in data visualisation and web based applications, which has been supported by UK Trade & Industry.

Sector: Software development; web based application; data visualisation

Location: Shrewsbury, Shropshire

International trade advisor: Richard Smith

UKTI services used: Business Opportunities; market and visit support (including grants to make market visits and on-the-ground support and market intelligence); strategic export support.

Snapshot – impact of UKTI support

Secured Microsoft Vendor status as a non-US registered business.

Attendance at key events and shows in the US thanks to UKTI funding

About

Shoothill is Shrewsbury-based software business specialising in data visualisation and web based applications.

Established for 10 years it counts amongst its clients the BBC; BT; Dreamworks Pictures; the Environment Agency and Formula 1.

It has won a number of industry awards, including a prestigious Open Data Innovation Award from the ODI (Open Data Institute) and has global expansion at the heart of its 2016 strategy.

The business challenge

Having been established for 10 years and having enjoyed considerable success with its suite of flood mapping tools, Shoothill, a Shrewsbury-based software house with expertise in data visualisation, has its sights on global expansion.

Managing Director, Rod Plummer, comments: “Expansion in the North American market makes perfect sense. It’s a large market with plenty of scope for our growth; there are no language barriers and it has a varied climate that lends itself well to our range of river level mapping tools.

“However, the simple reality is that it would take an enormous amount of our man hours to establish relationships with the key contacts to whom we’d want to introduce Shoothill and our products. We’re therefore talking to UKTI about hosting a series of events via the British Embassy and Consulates in the US to facilitate this.”

UKTI is also currently working with Shoothill examining opportunities to meet with potential customers in Saudi Arabia, Germany and Japan.

Rod adds: “Having the support of UKTI has already proved incredibly valuable. The team there provides a route through which we can start to access and examine potential new markets and it opens doors for us that we wouldn’t be able to do ourselves in a cost and time efficient way.”

How UKTI has helped

Richard Smith, UKTI, adds: “Shoothill has a number of products with real USP which lend themselves perfectly to overseas markets.

“We are currently exploring further opportunities with our UKTI colleagues in the US with a view to supporting Shoothill as they secure more business in this important market.”