A NORTH-EAST man has launched an online marketplace to help Internet of Things (IoT) companies explain their technology and its value. 

Paul Wealls, from County Durham, came up with the marketplace after realising the IoT industry had one main problem: it was difficult to connect with companies looking for solutions.

Through this tool, which is recently out of beta, providers can connect with companies looking to adopt IoT technology as part of their digital transformation strategy.

It is part of Mr Wealls' IoT North platform, designed to accelerate the adoption IoT.

He said: "Sometimes as technologists, we become so familiar with the language that we forget it can be quite an alien landscape for others to navigate.

"The marketplace presents an opportunity to break down barriers and demonstrate the true value to customers at a clear and understandable level for everyone.

"We advise on wording members when they submit their use cases to ensure they clearly demonstrate the value of their solution, this can sometimes be hard when your very passionate about the technology."

IoT North first launched in 2018, with 30 members, as IoT Newcastle.

Mr Wealls, 45, organised beer, pizza and a platform for anyone to talk, network, demo, workshop or raise questions.

The community today represents over 5,000 members across the UK and Europe, highlighting the benefits of incorporating IoT into almost any sector.

Mr Wealls said: "IoT started as a true passion project, I love developing tech communities and connecting people. What I have found over the past few years is that businesses are confused on what the actual value is of IoT, and so to make that easier I planned to develop the marketplace.

“While the roots of the group are firmly established from the north, the platform extends far beyond that."

Attendance at the monthly meetup has more than doubled during 2020 and this growth was officially recognised at the North-East tech industry awards Dynamo's Dynamites.

Mr Wealls, who has "big plans" for IoT North including hackathons, also hosts a weekly IoT North panel show each Thursday morning on LinkedIn.

To find out more, visit https://iotnorth.uk/ or @iotnorthu on Twitter and IoT North on Linkedin.