Liverpool City Region’s top emerging tech companies named in 2025 Tech Climbers

Liverpool’s tech industry has once again shown its strength, innovation and resilience with the release of the 2025 Tech Climbers list — an annual showcase of the most promising product-led tech companies in the Liverpool City Region.

Now in its fifth year, the list celebrates 19 standout businesses, alongside 10 ‘ones to watch’, reflecting a sector that continues to grow in scale and ambition. The announcement was made on Wednesday 30 April at a sold-out event held at One Fine Day in Liverpool city centre, attended by some of the region’s most exciting founders and emerging talent.

This year’s data shows an ecosystem ready for expansion: 79% of applicants are actively seeking funding and more than 240 new jobs are projected. With AI continuing to drive innovation, 83% of listed businesses are developing AI-powered solutions. However, half of the businesses not using AI said they lacked the internal skills — highlighting a key skills gap the region may need to address.

Founder of Tech Climbers and CEO of Active Profile, Anna Heyes, said:

“We’ve now spent half a decade profiling Liverpool’s best and brightest product-led tech businesses, and as the sector matures, it’s just getting better. We’re seeing businesses in the region show how resilient they are. It’s no secret that the North has had to stand on its own shoulders to compete with the likes of London, and I’m so proud of where Liverpool is at today.”

The event data reveals that 66% of businesses had already raised funding, with angel investment still the leading source at 67%, supported by programmes like Baltic Ventures. Yet bootstrapped startups are on the rise, making up 34% of entrants, and over half of these have been operating for more than three years — another sign of staying power in a challenging funding environment.

Anna Heyes, added:

“And it’s testament to the resilience and talent of these businesses, that we are starting to see more higher-scale investment in the region, through the likes of Kyndryl arriving from the US to set up a base here, and innovation zone funding being put into our universities and hospitals.”

Sonya Barlow — broadcaster, tech entrepreneur and host of the reveal event — praised the strength of community in Liverpool’s tech scene:

“Last night, the energy in the room was electric. You could feel the community that Liverpool’s tech sector has built proudly from their city… solving real world problems and making Liverpool a rising hub for tech innovation.”

Among the companies featured on this year’s list are several health and social care innovators, including MyCardium AI (backed by Lyva Labs), digital health platform Blum Health, and maternal health startup DearBump — a graduate of Baltic Ventures. The region’s thriving health tech cluster has also been buoyed by Alder Hey’s £4m investment to establish a Paediatric Open Innovation Zone.

Startups like Nest Box Live are seeing real benefits from inclusion in the list. Founder Jamie Wright commented:

“I’m proud to be a founder from the Liverpool City Region. Initiatives like Tech Climbers help us connect with other founders to share learnings and profile our product to help us attract further funding from investors.”

This year’s Tech Climbers announcement follows a wave of positive developments for the city’s innovation economy — including the launch of Innovation Investment Fortnight and a £3bn innovation pipeline being promoted by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

The full Liverpool City Region Tech Climbers list can be found on the Tech Climbers website. 

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