Northamptonshire tech firm named Rising Star finalist in national CRN Channel Awards
One of Northamptonshire's fastest-growing technology businesses has been named a finalist in one of the UK's leading awards for the IT channel.
Simply Techspace has been shortlisted for the Rising Star Award at the 2026 CRN Channel Awards following a record number of entries to this year's national awards programme.
The category celebrates young resellers, managed service providers (MSPs) and technology integrators demonstrating exceptional growth, disruption within their sector and significant potential for the future.
Founded in 2023 by Matt Dann and Jon Bautista with no external investment, Simply Techspace has grown from two founders to a team of 25, supporting more than 250 customers across the UK and internationally.
Turnover has increased from £1.45 million in its first year to more than £4 million during 2025/26, representing growth of more than 175% since launch, with the company now consistently onboarding between 10 and 15 new customers every month.
Despite this rapid expansion, Simply Techspace has maintained 100% customer retention since launch, with approximately half of all new business generated through referrals from existing retained customers.
Jon Bautista, co-founder of Simply Techspace, said: "What makes this recognition particularly special is that it reflects what the whole team has built together in such a short space of time.
"We've always been ambitious, but growth has never been about numbers alone. It's about creating a business where talented people can thrive and customers genuinely want to work with us. To be recognised nationally by CRN is a fantastic achievement for the whole team."
Matt Dann, co-founder of Simply Techspace, added: "We've grown incredibly quickly, but what I'm most proud of is the way we've done it. We've always wanted to challenge the traditional perception of IT companies and build a business that puts people and relationships first.
"Our customers, partners and team have all played a huge part in that journey. Being recognised as a Rising Star is brilliant validation of what we're building and gives us even more confidence about where Simply Techspace can go next."
During the award qualifying period, Simply Techspace continued to expand its UK presence, integrated Red Dragon IT and its contracted customer base, developed its operation in the UAE and secured a place on the Crown Commercial Service procurement framework.
The company has also delivered increasingly complex projects for organisations including Delapré Abbey, Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce and Celtic Credit Union. Its work with Delapré Abbey has transformed connectivity and operational resilience, modernising the historic attraction's technology infrastructure and creating a long-term IT strategy to support future growth.
Its next phase of growth will include further investment in cyber resilience through Simply Secure and the commercial development of s-impl, its internally developed software platform.
Simply Techspace is forecasting turnover of £8 million to £10 million in its next financial year, with ambitions to exceed £20 million by 2029.
The CRN Channel Awards are the UK's most prestigious and respected channel awards programme, recognising the organisations, teams and individuals driving excellence across the IT channel.
The Rising Star winner will be announced at the awards ceremony on 12 November 2026 at Battersea Evolution in London, where more than 1,200 senior channel leaders, vendors, distributors, resellers and service providers are expected to come together to celebrate the industry's achievements.