Tech Companies to Watch - Where are They Now? Financielle

The Candidate is thrilled to announce its continued sponsorship of the Prolific North - Tech Companies to Watch list for the second consecutive year! This list serves as an excellent platform for recognising and celebrating the region's most promising tech startups, highlighting their potential for growth and innovation.

We're excited to reach out to some of the companies that made it onto last year's list to catch up on their recent achievements, their big dreams, and how being featured on the list has influenced their journey.

Financielle helps women take back control of money. They specialise in providing tailored financial advice and guidance to their clients, helping them make informed decisions about their finances. With a commitment to personalised service, Financielle aims to empower individuals to achieve their financial goals and secure their future. We spoke with co-founder Holly Holland about their biggest achievements, going viral on TikTok, and being scrappy...

Holly Holland and Laura Pomfret - Founders of Financielle

When Financielle made it onto the "25 Tech Companies to Watch" list back in 2022, what were your main goals and aspirations as a business? Have those goals changed or evolved since then?

Back in 2022 we were thrilled to be included in the “25 Tech Companies to Watch”, considering we were still early stage at the time and our app was very much an MVP. Our goal at the time was to build and deliver a new version of the Financielle app. In January 2023 we got Financielle 2.0 into both app stores, the app upgrade was so well received by our original users and new members alike.Being recognised as one of the industry’s rising stars in the North is an amazing achievement! How has it impacted your company's visibility and growth in the tech scene?

Being recognised as part of the cohort has meant our visibility has increased across the North tech sector. People regularly ask us to speak at events and position us as thought leaders within the North West Fintech sector - specifically direct to consumer of which there aren’t many.

What are the major milestones or achievements your company has hit since the list came out? What's been your proudest moment during this time?

Above launching the app, we’ve won a number of awards and recently Apple featured us as App of the day in the App Store. We’ve sat side by side in the finance charts with the likes of Starling, NatWest and MoneySavingExpert - this makes us very proud.

No doubt the tech journey comes with its fair share of surprises. Have there been any unexpected challenges or hurdles along the way, and how did you manage to tackle them?

As a team of 3 we’re extremely lean so rely on bringing in fractional help as and when we need it. We’ve worked on a number of different projects this year where tech features heavily, it’s crucial we don’t move too slowly but that we also don’t burden the business with heavy tech costs. We’re big on experimenting which means we build the smallest slice of what the end feature will be and test, test, test!

Are there any new and exciting products, services, or projects you've launched or are planning to launch after making it on the list?

We’re working on a number of new features to help enhance the Financielle’s user experience. As we’re so early stage there are a number of growth experiments we haven’t even explored yet but that are on the backlog. We’re hoping to launch our brand new feature in the coming weeks so be sure to keep your eyes peeled!

How has your team grown or changed over the past year? Did you bring in some fresh talent or venture into new territories?

We’re still a full time team of 3 but pull in fractional help as and when we need it. We’ve always recognised the importance of building out your home market before expansion but due to our TikTok virality we’ve been pulled into International markets which is an exciting time for us. 

Collaboration and partnerships can be vital for growth in the tech sector. Have you joined forces with other any companies, organisations, or institutions that have positively influenced your progress?

We have great relationships with the Exchange programme hosted at Department Bonded. We were based there in the early days and it really opened up the doors to the vibrant tech scene in Manchester. We also stayed connected with other early stage tech founders, it’s invaluable to lean on them when you need help, advice or just a friendly ear. We try to offer the same back to people in anyway we can.

Can you give us a sneak peek into any exciting future plans or upcoming initiatives your company has in store?

We’ve been accepted onto the inaugural Baltic Ventures Accelerator in Liverpool - the first of its kind which we are excited to be a part of. We have great relationships with some of the founders based out of Liverpool, it’s really exciting to see the region flex its tech startup muscle on the world stage.

Looking back at your journey since being featured on the list, what advice would you give to aspiring tech start-ups or companies hoping to make a similar impact in the industry?

Be scrappy! You’re never going to be happy with the first app you build, the first logo you create, the first client you sign. We meet so many startup founders who delay getting their businesses out there because it’s not quite perfect. We always think, “If we don’t get this out now, how many people have we missed helping?"

Thank you so much Holly!

You can find out more and nominate your business for the 2023 list by clicking here.

Take a look at all of our live jobs!

Check out our latest opportunities in:

You can also read our latest blogs on industry news and advice!