Scale-Up Companies in Manchester: 44 Active Firms (2026)
Scale-up companies in Manchester grow revenue or headcount rapidly across sectors in the city and surrounding metropolitan area.
Buying centres vary because the Manchester cohort is cross-sector rather than organised around a single regulated industry category. Procurement usually sits with founders, finance directors, commercial leads or operating heads, depending on whether the supplier sells recurring services, regulated products, consumer propositions or operational capacity. Customer profiles tend to split between B2B accounts, consumer channels and regulated-market buyers. Engagements are usually commercial rather than exploratory: buyers expect evidence of repeat revenue, delivery capacity and management bandwidth before treating a growth-stage supplier as part of their operating base.
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Manchester has 44 actively trading scale-up companies, and reported headcount totals 668 employees. That makes the group a small but visible part of the metropolitan business base, more selective than a start-up inventory and broader than a single sector list. For researchers, the relevant unit is the operating company: firms may sit in services, consumer, industrial or regulated markets, but they share evidence of commercial expansion rather than a common product category.
Scale-up status does not create a UK permissioning regime of its own. GOV.UK frames high-growth enterprise status through the OECD/Eurostat concept, which looks at sustained expansion in employees or turnover, so the label is mainly a growth-stage classification rather than a sector code. Regulated activity still follows the relevant rulebook: financial-services firms remain under FCA permissions where applicable, including scale-up support for firms already within scope. The practical effect is a layered market structure: growth credentials may affect eligibility for support, while licences and conduct duties still come from the underlying activity.
Commercial maturity appears uneven, which is typical for a cross-sector scale-up cohort. Some firms are likely to keep moving through founder-led sales and local recruitment networks, while others tend to professionalise finance, compliance and account management before pursuing larger contracts. Scarcity of very mature operators may keep acquisition interest focused on category depth rather than Manchester presence alone. The more exposed parts of the cohort are likely to be those selling into regulated buyers, where diligence, procurement evidence and permissions can slow expansion even when demand is present.
What’s in the file
One row per company, 50+ columns — everything below plus each company’s verified directors, from Companies House filings.
Company data
Verified directors — included
44
Active firms
2026
14
Above £5M
reported revenue
6
Founded since 2022
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Key facts
About 31% of the trading cohort reports turnover above £5M (14 of 44 firms) — the rest sits below that revenue band.
13% of the cohort was incorporated since 2022 (6 firms), so a sizeable share is in its first few filing cycles.
Scale-up is a growth-stage classification rather than a standalone regulated industry category in the UK, so regulated firms follow the permissions and regulator for their underlying activity.
GOV.UK cites the OECD/Eurostat high-growth-enterprise test as average annualised growth greater than 20% per annum over a three-year period, measured by employees or turnover.
The ScaleUp Institute’s 2024 analysis puts the UK scale-up economy at 34,180 businesses, less than 0.6% of SMEs but half of SME turnover output.
GOV.UK’s 2023 high-growth-enterprise release reported 2,651 OECD-defined high-growth enterprises, with total reported turnover of £129.0 billion.
FCA solo-regulated pilot eligibility includes being FCA-regulated for at least three years, average income growth above 20% over three years, and gross annual revenue over £100M and/or valuation over £250M.
Top Manchester Scale-Up companies
Financial sub-scores
Computed from 5 filingsDevelops contract lifecycle management software that embeds contract request, drafting, review, storage and analytics tools into business applications such as Outlook, Teams and Word, using AI to…
Sells to B2B legal, sales, finance, HR and procurement teams managing contracts, with sector focus including business services, finance, manufacturing, media, retail, software, sports and…
Financial Health
StableStable · -45% CAGR over 5y
Location
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Develops data analytics and AI‑driven software for social housing providers, including tools for rent collection and arrears management, repairs and asset management, and property data analysis used…
Serves B2B social housing organisations, including housing associations, local councils, ALMOs and other social landlords of all sizes, from small local providers to large regional and national…
Location
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Develops data analytics and software for social housing providers, including tools for rent arrears management, repairs analysis, damp and mould monitoring, and property data insights using…
Serves UK social housing providers, including housing associations, councils, ALMOs and social landlords of all sizes, with buyers across income, repairs, asset management and service delivery teams.
Location
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Provides payments consulting and analytics services to large merchants, analysing payment processing fees, provider performance and transaction data to reduce acceptance costs, optimise payment…
Serves Global 500 and enterprise merchants in retail, fuel and convenience, food and drug, QSR and dining, fashion, digital subscription, travel, booking and ticketing sectors.
Financial Health
N/AN/A
Location
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Computed from 4 filingsProvides cloud-based HR software for small businesses, including tools for employee records management, absence tracking, document storage, team calendars, reporting, recruitment tracking,…
Serves UK small businesses and growing employers needing HR administration support, particularly owner-managers, HR teams and people managers with up to 10 users or expanding workforces.
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Hiring · 18% CAGR over 3y
Location
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Computed from 3 filingsDesigns and manufactures automated equipment for battery research and manufacturing, including systems for coin and pouch cell assembly, sealing, and electrode preparation. Supplies configurable…
Serves battery R&D labs, manufacturers and quality control teams worldwide that research, develop and test new battery materials, cell formats and assembly processes.
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · Hiring · 38% CAGR over 2y
Location
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Computed from 2 filingsDevelops an interactive media platform that enables broadcasters, sports organisations and content creators to integrate real‑time data, social media and user‑generated content into live streams and…
Serves B2B media and entertainment customers, including broadcasters, sports organisations, publishers, creators, gaming companies, brands and agencies seeking to engage and monetise fan audiences.
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Hiring · 64% CAGR over 1y
Location
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Computed from 4 filingsProvides on-demand 3D, animation and visual effects production services through a platform connecting companies with freelance artists and studios. Assembles and manages teams to deliver CGI, digital…
Serves B2B clients worldwide, including studios, agencies and global brands in architecture, automotive, fashion, film and TV, games and retail that need scalable creative production teams or…
Financial Health
DistressedDistressed · -11% CAGR over 3y
Location
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Computed from 3 filingsDevelops computer vision AI software for retailers that analyses in‑store camera feeds to detect self‑checkout errors, recognise produce, track high‑value items, and identify safety hazards,…
Serves B2B retail chains and store operators, especially grocery and self-checkout environments, targeting loss prevention, operations, facilities and customer experience teams, plus retail…
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · -87% CAGR over 2y
Location
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Computed from 4 filingsOperates an online platform for booking spaces in schools and community facilities. Lists sports pitches, halls, courts and rooms for hire for classes, games and events, and provides services that…
Serves schools with hireable facilities and local consumers, clubs, coaches, tutors, faith groups and event organisers looking for sports, education, meeting and community spaces across the UK.
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Hiring · 103% CAGR over 3y
Location
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Computed from 4 filingsOperates an online platform for discovering and booking events, including nightlife, music, festivals and social activities. Provides ticketing, promotion and event marketing tools for organisers and…
Serves a mix of consumers looking for nightlife, music, cultural, business and social events, and B2B event organisers and venues seeking ticketing and event marketing support.
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · Hiring · 10% CAGR over 3y
Location
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Develops data analytics and AI-driven software for social housing providers, including rent arrears management, repairs and asset management tools, and property data platforms that analyse tenant,…
Serves UK social housing providers, including housing associations, councils, ALMOs and social landlords of all sizes, with buyers such as income, repairs, asset management and service delivery teams.
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsDevelops an AI-powered community engagement platform delivered through a branded mobile app. Enables organisations to manage employee and customer communities, share updates, recognition and…
Sells to B2B organisations, especially HR, internal communications, IT, customer success and customer experience teams, across sectors including insurance, automotive, financial services, retail,…
Financial Health
WeakWeak · 0% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsProvides managed IT support and technology services for businesses, including cloud migration, cybersecurity and compliance, Microsoft 365 workplace solutions, backup and disaster recovery, IT…
Serves SMEs and growing businesses, including accountancy, AEC, healthcare, legal and private equity-backed firms, that either lack internal IT capability or need additional support for existing IT…
Financial Health
DistressedDistressed
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsProvides an audience design and advertising data platform that uses anonymised mobile network and transaction data to build behavioural audience segments, generate marketing insights, and activate…
Sells to B2B advertisers, media agencies and brand marketing teams running cross-channel campaigns, including financial services providers and other consumer-facing brands.
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · Hiring · 5% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsProvides ticketing and box office software for theatres, festivals, museums and visitor attractions. Platform includes CRM, marketing, fundraising, payments, event management, integrations, and data…
Serves arts and cultural live-experience organisations, including theatres, arts centres, festivals, museums, galleries and visitor attractions, targeting teams managing ticketing, box office,…
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Hiring · 34% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Provides an interactive media platform for broadcasters, sports organisations and content creators to integrate live audience participation, social media feeds, real-time data and user‑generated…
Serves broadcasters, sports organisations, publishers, entertainment companies, gaming businesses, creators, and brands or agencies with large fan audiences across digital, social, streaming, and…
Financial Health
N/AN/A
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsDevelops and provides AI software for customer engagement and contact centres, including conversational AI agents, voice automation, speech recognition, analytics, knowledge management, and quality…
Sells to businesses using AI for customer engagement, support and contact centre operations. Targets organisations across industries seeking conversational AI, voice automation, analytics and quality…
Financial Health
StableStable · -59% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsProvides study abroad advisory and application services through an online platform and counsellors. Helps students search courses and universities, submit applications, and arrange visas, education…
Serves prospective international students seeking overseas university study, plus education agents and higher education institutions recruiting applicants across destinations including the UK, US,…
Financial Health
StableStable · Hiring · 6% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsDevelops workplace reporting and compliance software that enables organisations to submit anonymous misconduct reports, manage investigations through case management workflows, and analyse risk…
Serves employers and institutions needing workplace culture and compliance support, including HR, people and culture, ED&I, student services and executive teams across regulated sectors such as…
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · 2% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 2 filingsDevelops and operates an IoT-based smart metering and revenue management platform for electricity utilities and off‑grid energy providers, including smart meters, data analytics, payment automation,…
Serves energy distributors and utilities in Africa, including grid operators and off-grid electricity providers, with buyers such as utility executives and revenue or operations teams.
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · -29% CAGR over 1y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsServes content marketers, designers, publishers, salespeople, social media managers and teams across publishing, education, nonprofits, real estate, retail, travel, design, marketing and PR.
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Growing · 0% CAGR over 5y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsDevelops cloud-based software for airport operations and passenger processing, including airport operations systems, flight and gate management, passenger flow monitoring using computer vision, asset…
Sells to airports, FBOs, ground handlers and airlines, targeting airport operations, IT and commercial teams that manage passenger processing, airside operations and passenger flow.
Financial Health
StableStable · -53% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsProvides a cloud-based platform for managing guest and staff WiFi networks in venues. Offers secure authentication, captive portals, analytics, and marketing integrations to capture visitor data and…
Sells to venue-based businesses and public sector organisations, including hospitality, retail, education, healthcare, transport, events, attractions, offices and residential operators, targeting IT,…
Financial Health
WeakWeak · -69% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 2 filingsDevelops and provides real-time liquidity management software for banks. The platform aggregates account and securities data to monitor intraday balances, manage cash and payment flows, run stress…
Serves banks and financial institutions, targeting treasury and liquidity managers, risk professionals, compliance teams and senior financial decision-makers responsible for intraday liquidity, cash,…
Financial Health
DistressedDistressed
Location
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Computed from 3 filingsDevelops cloud‑native SaaS software for insurance companies, providing core systems for policy administration, billing and claims management, along with customer portals, data analytics and AI‑driven…
Serves B2B insurance carriers and related providers in group benefits, property and casualty/general insurance, protection, and life and annuities, targeting teams responsible for core system…
Financial Health
StableStable · 0% CAGR over 2y
Location
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Computed from 2 filingsOperates a portfolio of brands supplying commercial and domestic appliances and related products. Manages product development, distribution, and brand operations, supporting sales of appliances and…
Sells to both businesses and consumers in the commercial and domestic appliance market, with brands also targeting the EV charging sector through industry partners and installers in the UK.
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Growing · 3% CAGR over 1y
Location
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Manufactures chilled and frozen pizzas for supermarkets and foodservice customers, producing private‑label and branded products. Operates pizza production facilities and manages product development,…
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Develops transportation analytics software and data services that analyse traffic, mobility and road network activity. Provides tools for cities, transport agencies, automakers and businesses…
Serves public-sector cities and transportation agencies plus B2B customers in automotive, insurance, real estate, media, software, logistics, financial services and retail.
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Computed from 3 filingsDevelops and operates a digital advertising technology platform that enables advertisers, publishers and retailers to manage programmatic campaigns, deliver and optimise ads across web, video and…
Serves global B2B customers in digital advertising: advertisers, media agencies, publishers, broadcasters/CTV providers and retailers running retail media or programmatic ad operations.
Financial Health
DistressedDistressed · -15% CAGR over 2y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsProvides cloud-based electronic data interchange (EDI) software that connects businesses with retail and logistics trading partners. Platform integrates with ERP systems to automate exchange of…
Serves small businesses to enterprise organisations, including manufacturers, suppliers, logistics providers, retailers and dropshippers across public sector, automotive, pharmaceuticals, food and…
Financial Health
StableStable · -69% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 3 filingsDevelops digital software and support services for health and social care organisations, including a virtual wallet platform for managing direct payments and personal budgets, payroll services for…
Serves the UK health and social care market, including local authorities, NHS and funding bodies, care and support providers, personal assistants, and individuals using Direct Payments or Personal…
Financial Health
StableStable · -89% CAGR over 2y
Location
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Computed from 5 filingsProvides cloud-based electronic data interchange (EDI) and supply chain integration software. Connects ERP systems, e‑commerce platforms, marketplaces and trading partners, and offers e‑invoicing,…
Serves B2B supply chain and commerce teams at manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and distributors needing EDI, e-invoicing and trading partner connectivity, including businesses upgrading ERP…
Financial Health
StableStable · -68% CAGR over 4y
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Computed from 4 filingsProvides digital marketing and lead generation services, creating and managing high‑volume advertising campaigns on platforms such as Meta and TikTok. Develops in‑house creative and technology to…
Serves businesses seeking high-volume lead generation and ecommerce growth, with particular focus on claims-sector firms and brands using paid social channels such as Meta and TikTok.
Financial Health
DistressedDistressed
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Develops software platforms for telecom operators including SIM and number management, service activation, customer value management and loyalty programmes, campaign and marketplace tools, dealer…
Serves B2B telecom customers, including mobile operators, carriers and CSPs from Tier 1 groups to boutique and greenfield telcos, across emerging and developed markets globally.
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Develops software platforms for telecom operators, including SIM and number management, service activation, customer value management, loyalty and gamification programs, campaign management, dealer…
Serves B2B telecom customers, including mobile operators, carriers and communications service providers, from Tier-1 groups to smaller and greenfield telcos across global markets.
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Computed from 5 filingsProvides virtual retail simulation software and services for retailers and manufacturers. Offers 3D store environments, shopper behaviour testing, visual merchandising planning, virtual commerce…
Serves B2B retailers, consumer brands and manufacturers worldwide, especially shopper insights, visual merchandising, category management, retail execution and ecommerce teams.
Financial Health
StableStable · 0% CAGR over 4y
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Computed from 5 filingsDevelops computer‑aided facilities management (CAFM) software used to manage property assets, maintenance and contractors. Platform supports reactive and planned maintenance, work orders, asset…
Serves B2B facilities management teams and property/asset managers in sectors including banking, education, hospitality, healthcare and retail, particularly organisations managing maintenance,…
Financial Health
StrongStrong · Hiring · 38% CAGR over 4y
Location
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Computed from 2 filingsProvides digital marketing and lead generation services, creating and managing large-scale online advertising campaigns, particularly on social media platforms. Develops in-house technology and data…
Serves B2C-focused businesses needing large-scale customer acquisition, particularly claims-sector firms and e-commerce brands using paid social channels such as Meta and TikTok.
Financial Health
DistressedDistressed · -33% CAGR over 1y
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Computed from 2 filingsDevelops AI-based software for road asset management. Provides a mobile app and cloud platform that captures road imagery, analyses pavement condition, detects defects, signs and markings, and…
Serves public-sector road authorities, municipalities, highway agencies, infrastructure asset management teams, and engineering consultants responsible for road networks.
Financial Health
HealthyHealthy · Hiring · 150% CAGR over 1y
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Computed from 5 filingsFinancial Health
StrongStrong · Hiring · 19% CAGR over 4y
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How Manchester Scale-Up companies work and how to sell to them
What they do
Manchester scale-ups usually earn money from proven propositions that are being industrialised rather than invented: subscription software, recurring managed services, product margin, usage fees, marketplace commission or regulated financial revenue, depending on the underlying activity. Pricing tends to move from founder-negotiated deals into rate cards, tiered subscriptions, retained service packages or volume-linked contracts. The common feature is not a shared product shape but the move from bespoke delivery towards repeatable fulfilment. Many still carry services or implementation work around the core offer, especially where buyers need integration, assurance or operational change before committing larger spend.
Who they sell to
Buyer profiles vary by model. B2B scale-ups typically sell to SME and mid-market operators first, then try to reach enterprise or public-sector buyers once referenceability and delivery processes are in place. Consumer-facing firms sell through direct digital channels, retail partnerships or regulated distribution routes. Decision-makers are usually founders, finance directors, CTOs, commercial directors, operations heads and procurement teams, with legal or compliance pulled in for regulated activity. Sales cycles are short where the purchase is self-serve or department-led, and longer where security review, budget approval or an RFP process is required.
What they buy
Most Manchester scale-ups tend to spend on systems that replace spreadsheets and founder-memory as the company becomes harder to run informally. Common categories include CRM, finance and billing software, forecasting, HR and payroll, recruitment support, customer support tooling, analytics, data warehousing, cloud hosting, cyber security and legal advice. Regulated or enterprise-facing firms are more likely to buy compliance support, audit preparation, information-security certification advice and contract review. Sales-led companies also buy demand generation, sales operations and partner management services, while product-led teams usually prioritise engineering workflow, testing, monitoring and incident response.
Why and how to sell to them
Buying intent often appears when informal processes stop matching the operating tempo. Triggers include a finance director joining, a first dedicated sales leader, new funding, a move into regulated customers, an enterprise procurement push, rising support volumes or a hiring plan that stretches local networks. Outbound works better when it is tied to a concrete pressure: shortening month-end close, improving renewal discipline, evidencing compliance to buyers, reducing manual onboarding or making management reporting less dependent on founders. Generic scale-up messaging is less useful than showing where the supplier removes friction from the next operating constraint.
How this list is built
Data sources
This list is built from UK Companies House filings, XBRL accounts data, and semantic analysis of each company's public website. Revenue and headcount figures come from the most recent filed accounts; where the company has not filed, values are estimated using a model trained on filed history and peer benchmarks and are labelled as estimates.
Classification
Rather than relying solely on SIC codes, Firmbase classifies each company semantically: the company's website is crawled, an AI model reads what the company actually sells, and the company is placed into the relevant industry and subsectors. SIC codes are used as one signal but not the only one. This means a company that registered under a generic SIC code but pivoted into (for example) fintech is correctly identified as fintech, not as its original SIC category.
Freshness
The underlying company data is refreshed from Companies House continuously; filings appear in the list within days of submission. The curated list ordering is regenerated when the underlying data moves meaningfully (company count changes by more than 5%, a new company enters the top-ranked segment, or the filed-revenue numbers for the top firms change). You can see the last-updated timestamp near the top of the page.
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Frequently asked questions
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Which are the largest Scale-up companies in Manchester?
What do Scale-up companies in Manchester actually do?
How does Manchester Scale-up compare internationally?
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How big are the typical Scale-up companies in Manchester?
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