Northern Ireland’s TapSOS has been ranked as one of the UK’s ‘best and brightest’ in the latest Tech Nation ranking in late March. TapSOS was selected out of a pool of 400 applicants for the Techs Nation ranking. The winners of Tech Nation’s Rising Stars competition each received a bespoke package of support, including an opportunity to showcase the company to investors, accelerators, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and the UK tech community.
A spokesperson from Tech Nation commented, “artificial intelligence and deep tech have consistently been the most prominent technology sub-sectors over the last 5 years of the competition, with big data becoming increasingly common over the last two years and mobile apps becoming less common.”
TapSOS was founded in 2016 by Becca Hume, a multi-disciplinary design graduate with a passion for inclusive tech. Conversations with a deaf colleague made her realise that people who cannot speak on the phone do not have the same access to 999 as those who can. That idea helped create a public safety software ‘TapSOS’, that focuses on inclusion and accessibility for those most vulnerable in society.
TapSOS is a free app available for download to anyone, including a detailed medical profile, GPS location tracking and access to the UK’s Police, Ambulance, Fire & Rescue and Coastguard services. Integrated with BT, TapSOS helps 999 call handlers access the information they need to send the right help as quickly as possible.
Being the first accredited app with access to all four UK emergency services, and can be used anywhere in the UK. The app is accredited by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and by the British Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (BAPCO), the UK’s leading association for Public Safety technology.
Co-Founder Becca Hume told The Business Post, “we feel honoured, in part, to represent Northern Ireland’s tech community, along with being delighted to share our own story in building public safety software which helps protect, preserve and predict for our citizens.”
Sources: TapSOS, The Business Post
