Case Study - Proxama
Norfolk: set to become the ‘mobile’ home of the future?
When Neil Garner launched his pioneering technology company Proxama, he had a choice: remain in his adopted county of Norfolk, or move back to the London area. The fact that he chose Norfolk speaks volumes for the available skills, business benefits and lifestyle in the county.
After visits to his wife’s family in Norfolk for several years, the Garners decided to make the county their own family home nearly seven years ago, followed by the launch of Proxama – which develops contactless payment software - in Norwich in August 2005. And neither Neil nor the business has looked back since.
“I could have gone back down south, but we were living in Norfolk and I thought ‘why shouldn’t I be able to do this here?’” he said.
“Initially I thought it was a little bit of a risk, but it’s worked out fantastically well. We have some fantastic and ambitious people employed from the University of East Anglia, and because of our location we have also attracted business grants from the East of England Development Agency.
“Personally, I’ve grown very fond of the place and this is now my home,” he added.
Proxama is right at the forefront of the consumer technology revolution, with the ubiquitous mobile phone set to become an ever-more integral device to the way we shop, travel and gain information.
Contactless payment software developed by the company, which employs 11 people, will be trialled in London before going mainstream.
Pretty soon, you will not only be able to make calls, browse websites, download applications and take photographs and video on your mobile phone – you will also be able to use it to buy goods in stores, book tickets direct from a poster advertising a concert, or download time-limited money-off vouchers from promotional posters.
For example, you will touch your phone to an in-store poster and the phone’s software will read product information from a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on the poster. The information will be displayed on your handset’s screen, together with a money-off voucher which can be redeemed at the till just by touching the phone to a special reader.
Proxama is already heavily involved in contactless smartcard technology, which works in a similar way to the Oyster card used to make instant payments by touching the card to a reader.
The company has already worked closely with BT, MasterCard and Virgin Mobile to bring these mobile technologies ever closer to the mass market in the UK.
For Neil, simplicity and security are the watchwords for a fast-growing industry he is positive can be heavily influenced from a Norfolk base.
“If we were based in London there would be more competition for good quality staff, comparatively huge overheads and I simply would not have the quality of life that I do here,” he said.
“I would endorse Norfolk 100 per cent – both the business and personal side of things worked really well.”
Fact file: Why Proxama?
- Proxama leads the way in the UK with cutting edge mobile payment solutions
- Proxama technology expected to be mass market within two years
- Clients include MasterCard, John Lewis, BT and Virgin Mobile
Fact file: Why Norfolk?
- Availability of high quality computer sciences and electronics staff from the UEA
- Close to key technology industries in Cambridge
- Great place to live, with the opportunities for a good work/life balance – short commutes to and from work
- Grant aid from the East of England Development Agency
- Significantly lower overheads compared to being based in London
