A NORTH-EAST based technology company is celebrating an investment of £1.75 million after doubling the size of its team during the pandemic.

Leaf Grow, a Newcastle-based technology firm, has secured £1 million through the North East Development Fund, supported by the European Regional Development, and £750,000 through The Future Fund, a government scheme backed by the British Business Bank.

Leaf Grow will use the money, managed and led by Maven Capital Partners, to invest in its engineering and data science teams, marketing activities and expand operations.

The firm, which pivoted from music to managed services after the success of technology it built for itself, already works with big-name brands like GoCompare, Footasylum, Mastercard and Bibado.

Leaf Grow is one of 33 fast-growing firms on the Tech Nation upscale programme and is the only representative from the North-East.

After relocating from Costa Rica, where Leaf Grow still has a base, Gilbert Corrales and his co-founders joined the Ignite Accelerator to build a tool empowering musicians to engage, grow and monetise their fanbase directly.

In 2018, the team pivoted away from then-named Leaf Music to managed services after seeing the success of its proprietary technology.

Mr Corrales, chief executive, said: "We have an ethos that we always want to test out ideas out to see if they are possible. We did this with Leaf Music and nearly gave up but then found a bigger opportunity.

"This wasn't super easy for us but we had built it as part of the culture, we look at what we are doing and what we should be doing.

"But you have to be realistic about capacity and never do something if you are lukewarm.

"This change allowed us to grow rapidly and the pandemic made SMEs realise they are on equal footing with conglomerates as everything went online.

"We're computer engineers. We move fast, react to change and help others do a lot with little."

Leaf Grow today employs people around the world after doubling its headcount during the pandemic, now with staff in Amsterdam, Spain and India as well as Costa Rica.

The firm is still headquartered in Newcastle.

While many companies had to furlough their staff, Leaf Grow gave its team a bonus.

Mr Corrales added: "There are now more people who are new than who are old, that's the scary thing. How do you keep your culture?"

As part of its Upscale programme, Tech Nation recognises Leaf Grow among the UK's most promising technology companies.

Kate Patton, regional engagement manager for the North-East, said: "Leaf Grow is a great example of what is it possible to achieve in the region.

"I'm over the moon that Leaf Grow is representing the North-East in the Upscale Cohort."

Miss Patton is eager to see more technology companies on Tech Nation programmes in the future, with different cohorts for niches and business stage.