Nine Software Is the Tech Standout in This Year’s Fastest 50
The Newcastle firm ranked 11th with average growth of 45.92%, ahead of every other pure software business on Ward Hadaway’s list.
- Nine placed 11th with average turnover growth of 45.92% over three years.
- Sunderland’s Procure Smart ranked ninth; The Media Den was fourth and the fastest-growing small company.
- Leighton, Praesto, Labman Automation and Arctic Wolf Networks UK also made the 50.
Law firm Ward Hadaway has published its 2026 North East Fastest 50, which ranks the region’s profitable private companies by their average turnover growth over three years.
The Nine Software Company is the clearest technology name on the list. The Newcastle business placed 11th with average growth of 45.92%. It builds bespoke software, mobile apps and digital transformation products, and counts police forces and NHS organisations among its clients.
The other tech names on the list
Sunderland’s Procure Smart reached ninth, though it sits closer to the technology-enabled end of the market than pure software. The Media Den came fourth overall and was the fastest-growing small company in the ranking. Ward Hadaway describes it as a marketing business, but its model includes technology-powered comparison sites and online marketplaces.
Further down, Darlington technology consultancy Praesto placed 36th and Leighton came 42nd, with turnover of £10.1m and average growth of 22.04%. Middlesbrough’s Labman Automation, which builds laboratory robotics and automation systems, was 43rd. Arctic Wolf Networks UK, the Newcastle arm of the international cybersecurity company, took 50th place with turnover of £35.1m.
Why it matters
Only a handful of the 50 are pure digital businesses, and the line between software companies, technology services and tech-enabled firms is often blurred. Nine finishing just outside the top ten stands out at a time when AI is reshaping much of the software industry, both for better and worse.
