Tech Innovators 2014: B2M Solutions measures functionality of mobile devices

With smartphones, tablets and other devices infiltrating every part of our waking lives, B2M Solutions is providing a way for businesses to gauge the effectiveness of them when deployed.

With smartphones, tablets and other devices infiltrating every part of our waking lives, B2M Solutions is providing a way for businesses to gauge the effectiveness of them when deployed.

As one of the early pioneers behind the development of a mobile infrastructure, Julie Purves has used her experience to build B2M Solutions – and has landed a spot in the GrowthBusiness Tech Innovators 2014 listing.

Now growing fast after securing investment from corporate backer Motorola, B2M Solutions has a list of clients that most would be envious of.

B2M Solutions

Based in: Oxfordshire

Founded in: 2002

No. of employees: 30

Company founder: Julie Purves                          

 B2M Solutions founder Julie Purves

Founder profile:

Julie Purves is an international entrepreneur with 25 years of leadership success. Purves leads a senior-level team of professionals focused on developing and deploying mobile solutions that deliver value to the enterprise. She has extensive experience in establishing businesses, strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, staff empowerment and company-wide change management.

Background business profile:

B2M Solutions delivers software services that provide valuable insight and actionable analytics for the mobile enterprise. These real time, business centric analytics can be acted upon immediately to optimise operational efficiencies, increase employee productivity and improve customer satisfaction.

Inside track:

B2M Solutions provides analytics tools for businesses deploying mobile devices on a large scale, and this year secured the backing of corporate backer Motorola Solutions Venture Capital.

For companies such as parcel delivery companies, B2M Solutions helps achieve insight and improvements in terms of efficiencies.

Purves’ knowledge of building a software company began at Fujitsu ICL where she spent over 12 years at an organisation that owned ‘huge amounts’ of UK IP and was a great place to learn, she says.

It was while working at Intermec during the late 1990s that Purves observed a trend that would go on to define her entrepreneurial endeavours. With two key players driving mobile in terms of delivering mobile devices for industrial use, it was a partnership with Parcel Force that opened her eyes.

‘At the time it was the largest mobile project in the world. The application allowed them to schedule jobs for drivers, it was real bleeding edge stuff,’ Purves says.

‘The device was the size of a brick and had voice capabilities on it, kind of Heath Robinson type of kit.’

At this point, Purves says she saw a market which was set to explode but also understood that to make mobile deployments successful, organisations would need intelligence on how they were being used.

Leaving the corporate world behind, and taking a small team with her, the new entrepreneur set up B2M Solutions 2002. Whether a business needs to find out if mobile devices are running out of battery or networks aren’t performing in certain areas, B2M Solutions provides intelligence analytics.

See also:

Recent milestones:

  • Mprodigy was selected by SITA in 2011 for its Halo application at EasyJet
  • In 2012, the company started development of an MDM agnostic, cloud-based product, Elemez, the next generation in mobile analytics and insight into enterprise deployments
  • Motorola Solutions selected Elemez in 2013 as an embedded client on new TC55 Android devices
  • The company recently completed a round of funding receiving significant investment from existing and new investors including Motorola Solutions Venture Capital 

Upcoming milestones:

  • Establishment of new legal entity, expansion and investment in the US to support our recently opened US HQ in Atlanta, USA
  • Further development of partner portfolio
  • Partnerships with additional Original Equipment Manufacturers

Recent technology:

Companies are demanding more from their mobile deployments. Just managing the devices is no longer sufficient to ensure full utilisation and a solid return on investment. The creation of actionable analytics is the next wave of technology required by the mobile enterprise. B2M delivers innovative software solutions that provides real-time, business centric analytics that can be acted upon immediately to optimise operational efficiencies.

Products:

  • mprodigy®, a mobile enterprise management platform that delivers mobile business process-centric analytics
  • elemez®, a MDM agnostic cloud hosted analytics service that enables enterprise customers to optimise mobile deployments by applying real-time, focused analytics and delivering actionable information

Investors:

  • Founders – 11 per cent
  • Original investors (Dolphin Head Group) – 34.7 per cent
  • UK Syndicate investors (led by Kevin Lomax, now B2M chairman) – 25.5 per cent
  • Motorola Solutions Venture Capital – 17.8 per cent
  • Other minority investors – 10.9 per cent

Contact details:

The Core Business Centre, Milton Hill, Abingdon, OX13 6AB

Tel: (215) 272-1525

Email: catherine.derkosh@B2M-solutions.com

Website: www.b2m-solutions.com

View all 23 companies contained within Tech Innovators 2014

Hunter Ruthven

Hunter Ruthven

Hunter was the Editor for GrowthBusiness.co.uk from 2012 to 2014, before moving on to Caspian Media Ltd to be Editor of Real Business.

Related Topics

Innovation in Business