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MUTANT LABS SCOOPS INNOVATION AWARD WITH SUPPORT FROM LLOYDS BANK MENTOR

MUTANT LABS SCOOPS INNOVATION AWARD WITH SUPPORT FROM LLOYDS BANK MENTOR

An award winning mobile app and game developer has credited the ongoing support it receives from a Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking mentor for boosting its success as it moves to pursue growth opportunities overseas.

Mentor Duncan Webster and Plymouth-based Mutant Labs won the Innovation category at the inaugural Excellence in Enterprise Mentoring Awards.

The firm, which was also shortlisted in the Export category, has been mentored by Lloyds IT Manager Duncan since June 2012 and specialises in developing games and apps for tablets and smartphones.

The business, which was founded in 2009 with six employees, has clients including Moshi Monsters, The Gadget Show Live, Absolute Radio and Oxford University Press, and has a healthy pipeline of ongoing projects.

Mutant Labs is currently recruiting and is also now working on its own game after securing grant funding.

Co-founder Alex Ryley said: “Working with a mentor has given us a new perspective on the business and how we can tackle challenges and set ourselves goals.

“Duncan has great experience in the tech world and has helped us stay on the right track to success.”

Mentor Duncan Webster, IT Manager, Global Payments, supported the team by helping develop an action plan to achieve its goal of building revenue from overseas markets.

Duncan, who is aligned to Business Mentors South West, said: “Working with Mutant Labs has been really satisfying, especially helping them develop a long-term strategy to create a self-sustaining business.

“I have learnt a lot from the process and it has given me the opportunity to give something back to UK businesses.

“I have received additional training to become a ‘champion mentor’, which involves promoting enterprise mentoring, recruiting and supporting new mentors within Lloyds Bank.”

As well as Duncan, three other Lloyds Banking Group mentors and their mentees were finalists in all five categories of the Enterprise Mentoring Awards, which were designed to celebrate mentoring partnerships that have delivered sustainable growth to businesses, boosting sales and profits.

They were Cardiff-based cycle repair firm Outdoor Cycles and mentor Martin Lewis in the Start Ups category and Sheffield caterer Street Food Chef and mentor Chris Perkins in the Growth category.

Leicester sport training business SportsinU and mentor John McKenzie were also finalists in the Diversity category.

Two other mentors and their mentees were shortlisted for awards but did not make the finals.

They were Barry Woods, who mentored Sam Zawadzki of Edinburgh online letting agent AdvancetoGO, and Ian Jackson, who mentored Jane Blackwood of Godalming-based human resources adviser HR Business Consultants.