Genie Ventures named finalist in Cambridge Independent's Business Awards
Sometimes receiving recognition feels that bit more special when it comes from home.
Genie Ventures was delighted to reach the finalist stage for the Mayor's Award for Scale-up of the Year at the Cambridge Independent's Business Awards, recognising the ways in which we’ve brought industry-leading digital work into the city and built career pathways for local talent.
Our founders, Ciaron Dunne and Paul Goodwin, met while studying at the University of Cambridge. Since it began, we’ve maintained our headquarters in the city, currently operating from Hills Road.
While some businesses are tempted to head for the glamour and buzz of London, or the allure of Silicon Valley, we knew that our Cambridge roots really mattered.
Ciaron and Paul stayed put, and Genie Ventures has grown into one of Cambridge's most successful digital businesses over the last 20+ years. In doing so, we’ve also attracted the kind of clients that rarely work outside London's traditional tech hub.
We’ve been delighted to partner with companies such as Sky, Currys, eBay, Google, and Meta. We’re especially pleased that these organisations have chosen to work with a Cambridge-based business, leading to substantial digital work flowing into the city, rather than out of it.
Beyond commercial success, we’ve also worked to embed Genie Ventures into our local community through deliberate partnerships that reflect where our company's leadership lives and works.
We’re extremely proud long-term supporters of Abbey People, a local charity addressing poverty and inequality in the Abbey area. For our founders who are living and raising their families in this ward, this partnership reflects a commitment to their own local communities, as well as Cambridge more broadly.
Genie Ventures has also backed Camfed, an internationally respected charity headquartered in Cambridge that supports girls' education, and we proudly sponsor Cambridge United Women and their team's wider mission to expand opportunities for women in sport across the region.
As Editor of The Cambridge Independent, and panel judge, Paul Brackley says: “The Cambridge Independent Business Awards are a showcase of talent. They demonstrate the ingenuity and hard work that drives the region’s economy and, I hope, will help inspire others.”
For Genie Ventures, reaching the finalist stage of these awards feels like true recognition of our business decision to build in, and on, Cambridge.
"Cambridge is proving a great home for our business," says Co-Founder, Ciaron. “It carries a strong tech brand which is important for our customers and partners, and it's stacked full of interesting people from all backgrounds."
“It is fantastic to be recognised in our home city, and we are thankful for our staff and leadership teams who have driven this growth and success." he continues. “We have built our business on many of the things that make Cambridge great: innovation, intelligence, and a desire to push the boundaries of how things can be done, and look forward to seeing where we go from here in the future.”