Leading voice and messaging tech provider for software systems, AQL, has announced a new telecoms partnership with CircleLoop.
The companies’ founders, Dr Adam Beaumont and David Hague, struck a deal on the outbound flight of the Northern Powerhouse tech trade mission from Manchester to San Francisco.
A delegation of 30 entrepreneurs, led by Beaumont, alongside Manchester-based Scott Fletcher of ANS, joined on the first trade mission of its kind via the first ever direct flight to the Californian tech hub.
The mission was a success, with relationships being established within the delegation as well as with investors and start-ups.
Attendees also gained insight into how to build the ecosystem to support scaling at the rate of the global tech platforms, such as LinkedIn and Salesforce.
Strong links were also forged with incubation experts, such as Rocketspace – the springboard of names such as Uber and Spotify.
When CircleLoop’s Hague and AQL’s Beaumont struck up a conversation on the flight, they realised there was business to be done.
Beaumont said: “We realised that CircleLoop were our ideal customer and we were their ideal supplier within a few minutes of conversation.
“Leading the trip and visiting several aql partners in the San Francisco Bay Area allowed the delegation to get a feel for how we work – which is about embracing an ecosystem.
“We look at not only how we can supply a start-up, but how we can drive opportunities for them, and we look forward to working with the CircleLoop team in the same way.
“I’m sure the aql-CircleLoop story is not unique and there are many opportunities for similar collaborations across the Northern Powerhouse cities and the clear benefits of bringing together dynamic businesspeople from the Northern cities.”
CircleLoop founder Hague said: “We are delighted to be working with aql as a part of our telecoms technology stack. They are proven leaders in the communications space and their quality technical infrastructure and industry expertise is something we will benefit greatly from.
“We believe telecoms remains a painful, complex and expensive area for many small businesses. CircleLoop has been built to offer a simple, flexible, self-service business telephone system, and with aql’s support we believe we can take on traditional telecoms providers and be a compelling alternative for businesses.”
CircleLoop is a cloud-based business phone system that can be setup online in seconds. Its desktop and mobile apps let customers make and receive calls anywhere, making phone lines, desk-phones and business mobiles redundant.
Joanne Roney, chief executive of Manchester City Council, said: “The Northern Powerhouse is all about the great northern cities working together to help the North realise its full potential and rebalance the national economy.
“Connectivity, whether through improved transport links such as high speed rail or digital infrastructure, is clearly key to this and it’s always encouraging to see examples like this of companies from our cities co-operating on this agenda.”