Flybe / July 2019

73 / 116

JULY 2019 / Flight Time / 73
Promotion
IS
BLUEFRUIT
CORNWALL’S
FASTEST
GROWING
TECH
COMPANY?
When people hear
“Cornwall”, they’re
more likely to think
of beaches, pasties,
and Poldark—not
lifesaving medical
devices or cutting-edge
laboratory equipment.
But it’s these high-tech
products that Bluefruit
Software’s 60 strong
engineering team specialise in. Started in 2000 by “one
man and his dog”, Bluefruit was founded by Paul Massey,
who set out to build an embedded software company in
his home county of Cornwall.
How did a little local company become a multi-
million-pound success? Founder and Technical Director
Paul Massey explains what has led to Bluefruit’s growth:
“People don’t realise, but embedded software is
everywhere. Powering everything from smart thermostats
to industrial equipment. As the world continues to
demand more intelligent and connected devices, we’ve
seen a steep rise in projects.
“We decided early on to create a company that
provides a healthy environment for developers. This has
helped us build a strong and diverse team. Alongside our
Lean-Agile approach to software development, we have a
reputation for delivering high-quality code.”
What does the future look like for Bluefruit?
According to company Director Caitlin Gould: “We plan
to stay in Cornwall. We love it here. Bluefruit has clients
around the world and improved travel connections mean
Cornwall is not as far away as it once was.”
With growth expected to continue, recruitment is
at the forefront of Bluefruit’s mind. Caitlin adds, “We’re
currently aiming to hire two people a month, recruiting
software and test engineers. But it’s not easy. There’s a
global shortage of software developers. London is known
for big salaries but also huge burnout rates. We’re big
believers in flexi-time so our team can recharge. With a
modern office building, more affordable housing and a
beach only a few miles away, ours is a pretty unique offer.”
In addition to attracting talent from the rest of the UK,
Bluefruit also nurtures local talent. This includes working
with schools, colleges and universities offering training
and apprenticeships. Paul says: “We have a fantastic Tech
Sector in Cornwall. We all get on and have successfully
launched community projects, like Software Cornwall.
There are nearly 1,000 tech companies here and it’s
exciting to see how quickly the sector is growing!”
With its great quality of life and companies like
Bluefruit continuing to see strong success, it’s easy to
see why Cornwall is consistently touted as the UK’s next
Tech hot spot.
Photograph by Jamie Turnbull