Elemental Concept, a London-based technology consultancy with operations in seven countries, has joined Applio Ventures' SME Champion Scheme. The scheme involves an exclusive group of professional service firms that will engage directly with UK policy-makers working on the government's £150 million professional services strategy.
Industry connection
The SME Champion Scheme connects selected firms to officials developing the government's Industrial Strategy. Areas of focus for the strategy include boosting exports, helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) access international markets, accelerating digital adoption, and increasing the UK's pool of artificial intelligence talent.
With roots in the UK and a team of 120 across countries including India, Singapore, Thailand, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, the US, Italy, South Africa and Hong Kong, Elemental Concept has recently focused on expansion through the acquisition of New Zealand consultancy Purple Shirt and launching a new operation in Germany.
Policy engagement
By joining the SME Champion Scheme, Elemental Concept is positioned to share expertise in areas such as export growth, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, and technology-enabled scaling. The company will participate with a small number of other UK-headquartered professional service firms in policy research and events, contributing perspectives from their international operations.
Engagement in the scheme is timed as the government pushes to strengthen the UK's position as an exporter of professional services, with an emphasis on digital capabilities and artificial intelligence.
Expanding influence
The selection of Elemental Concept highlights its international operations and recent growth, with its CEO and Founder Bimal Shah pointing to the firm's contribution of global insights to UK policy debate. The company sees the platform as an opportunity to demonstrate how technology consultancies can shape policy in areas crucial to sector competitiveness.
"We're delivering serious consulting and technology solutions on the international stage, but doing it with a very human approach," said Bimal Shah, CEO and Founder, Elemental Concept. "There's a gap between what innovative SMEs are doing and what gets heard in policy circles."
Sector ambitions
The government's strategy aims to support a services sector that has provided a steady source of export growth. Matching this ambition, officials are targeting the improvement of digital skills and the fostering of technology partnerships among UK SMEs. Applio Ventures' CEO Ejaaz Patel described Elemental Concept's participation as emblematic of what the strategy seeks to achieve.
"The professional service sector is one of the UK's strongest export stories, but too many SMEs remain disconnected from the policy-making process. Elemental Concept embodies the kind of ambition, delivery, and international reach that the Industrial Strategy was designed to champion - a firm that not only delivers world-class consulting and technology solutions but also represents the best of British professional services entrepreneurship," said Ejaaz Patel, CEO, Applio Ventures.
