Nine create individual software packages to suit any business.

Byline: John Hill

RECENTLY launched software venture Nine is keen to tap into what it believes is a large potential market for bespoke software development in the North East.

DEF Apps founder David Frame has launched the joint venture with one-time One North East e-Business manager Andy Walton, having assembled a "headhunted" team of skilled programmers from both DEF Apps and beyond. The South Tyneside-based operation is around two weeks old, and is confident that there is a need for a skilled organisation willing to devote itself entirely to the art of coding bespoke software with clients that can improve their business processes.

Frame said: "This is a pure software development house. There's a lot of web development agencies around who will also promote their skills in software development, but we feel it can dilute the offering. We're focused solely on working with organisations that have a requirement for business process software that either doesn't exist on the market or doesn't quite fit what the client needs.

"We're dead set against expanding into areas such as telephony systems or other areas. We're a dedicated software house, and by being that focused we can build the best team and get better and better at what we do."

Nine currently has 13 staff, and is looking to tap into the opportunities available with North East clients, although it does have global ambitions down the line. It expects to increase its workforce to 20 within a year. Experienced board director Andy Walton has held roles at organisations such as Codeworks, DigitalCity, Adit North and North East Regional Portal, and came on board after meeting the team that had been assembled at Nine. Walton will serve as managing director at the company. He said: "David and I had a chat about his ambitions. I said I would be interested in meeting his team, and the quality of those guys is second to none. That's why I'm so enthusiastic about this project. There's no challenge these guys can't rise to.

"It might be the client's requirements are relatively small and the technology is largely in place, but it may be they have a project that might take months or even years to complete."

Nine is also hoping to attract companies to take advantage of Nine Labs, a scheme which invites firms to enter into partnership with the software house if they wish to create something that could revolutionise their industry. The thinking behind Nine Labs is that a business may dream up a product but not have the skills to create it, and Nine is open to entering into a business partnership and co-investing in order to make that idea a reality.

Walton said: "I believe there's a market right now for delivering the right solution affordably for a client. We've seen organisations get confused as to what their message is, and how they deliver it, but we're able to sit down with a client, work out exactly what their business is, and develop a solution that helps them perform better."

CAPTION(S):

OPPORTUNITIES David Frame and Andy Walton of bespoke software house Nine in South Tyneside

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Title Annotation:	Business
Publication:	The Journal (Newcastle, England)
Date:	Aug 4, 2011
Words:	522
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