Digital school of thought sees tech entrepreneur shortlisted for national award

The Founder of a fast-growing North East technology business has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award.

29-year-old Jack Deverson, co-founder and managing director of Evidence Based Education, has been named among the 'Young Entrepreneur of the Year' finalists in this year's Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Evidence Based Education was set up in 2015 to deliver both online and on-site training to teachers and schools, both nationally and internationally.

It was set up by academic and former teacher, Prof. Stuart Kime, and Jack Deverson, who is fluent in both Chinese and German. EBE aims to deliver teacher training in a way that is both sustained and sustainable, delivering long-term benefits for schools and their staff.

The company has since gone on to provide training to over 40,000 teachers across the globe, from the UK to as far afield as China, the UAE and the US, and is hoping the launch of its new cloud-based platform, the 'Great Teaching Toolkit', will see the company continue to chalk up success as it continues to innovate and grow.

Jack said: "It really took me by surprise when I received the email this week informing me that I'd been shortlisted for the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.

"Over the past few years, it felt like we were spinning plates at times when launching the Great Teaching Toolkit as we were balancing recruiting and onboarding staff, with investing in the new product development, and all the while keeping the day-to-day business running - providing our schools and teachers with great-value and top-quality training and support.

"We're now in a position however where we're seeing all of that hard work really come off and I can't thank the team enough for their efforts. Since launching in September 2021, the GTT has been accessed by more than 12,000 teachers across the globe and has really helped the business grow."

The shortlisting isn't the first time Evidence Based Education has received national acclaim. As well as having been supported by Cambridge University in the past, the company also made headlines when it was awarded a Queen's Award for Enterprise for Innovation in 2019.

The Queen's Award for Enterprise is one of the most prestigious accolades to be bestowed upon businesses, with successful entrants having to meet the strictest of criteria and show true innovation and international success for their ventures.

Deverson added: "Since those initial conversations I had with co-founder Prof. Stuart Kime prior to launching the business, we always had an inkling that we were on to something that could really transform the education sector, but even we have been surprised by the company's success to date.

"This may be a 'Young Entrepreneur of the Year' award but, for me, it is a personal award in name only. It would never have been possible without the work of our team and it is an award that we should all be incredibly proud to be shortlisted for and I'm sure we'll all enjoy the night in London to celebrate."

The company relocated to Sunderland from Durham in January 2019 and has been supported by Sunderland City Council's Business Investment Team from the outset. Cllr Graeme Miller, leader of the council, has heaped praise on Jack and the team for their continued success.

He said: "Jack and the team have shown real ingenuity and determination to grow the business at such pace and to such success over the past few years and we're incredibly proud to have supported them on their journey.

"To be shortlisted for yet another national award is not only a proud moment for the team, but for the entire city as we celebrate another of our fantastic businesses disrupting industries not only in the UK, but across the globe."

For more information on Sunderland as a city to do business, visit: https://www.mysunderland.co.uk/business-and-investment or follow: @investsunduk