Fast 500 confirms UK's status as tech pioneer

UK firms occupy three of top five places in Deloitte's annual list of fast-growing tech firms

The UK’s status as a hub for high-growth tech firms was confirmed today as Deloitte released its 2010 Technology Fast 500 rankings.

The research ranks public and private tech, media, telecoms, life sciences and clean tech firms across the region based on their five-year fiscal growth rates.

Three of the top five firms were UK-based and only France had more entries in the top 500 (94 compared with 86).

Punching above its weight, Sweden finished third with 65 ranked companies. Western Europe's most populous nation, Germany, languished in joint eighth alongside Israel, with 20 entrants.

UK-based mobile and digital comms firm MIG topped the standings following 26,885 per cent growth during the period.

Security VAR Imerja was among the channel firms to make an appearance at 375th following 479 per cent growth.

Ian Jackson, managing director of Imerja, said: “Being listed in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 is a tremendous achievement and it is all down to the relationships that the team has fostered since we started in 2004.”

Other names familiar to the channel include Israeli network security outfit Tufin in tenth place, and UK email security vendor Mimecast in fifth.

Firms in the software sector comprised 40 per cent of the overall list, followed by internet firms (22 per cent) and telecoms and networking firms (15 per cent).