The bespoke software and AI development agency has been shortlisted for Best User Experience, Going the Extra Mile, and Using Tech to Transform Business. 

Bath-based bespoke software and AI development agency Rocketmakers has been named a finalist in three categories at the 2026 TBE Awards: Best User Experience, Going the Extra Mile, and Using Tech to Transform Business.

The awards are run by The Business Exchange Swindon and Wiltshire and drew a record 140 entries this year.

Rocketmakers designs, builds and supports every project from its Bath base. All three shortlisted entries are for clients whose operations go well beyond the South West, and in some cases well beyond the UK.

In Best User Experience, Rocketmakers is shortlisted for a data mapping platform built for an international satellite technology company. The platform turns satellite images and irrigation and crop-health datasets into information that water regulators, agricultural planners, and farm managers can act on without specialist training. It was designed and built in under six months and is now moving into future phases of development and innovation.

The Using Tech to Transform Business entry is a real-time environmental monitoring platform for a global equipment hire company that serves construction and industrial sites. It brings seven streams of sensor data into a single live view for site managers and compliance officers. For the client, it means moving from hiring out equipment to building up and learning from ongoing insight into the risks that equipment controls and data-driven decision-making

The Going the Extra Mile entry is for a rescue project. A founder-led education startup came to Rocketmakers after a previous build left it with a product that was not providing the experience needed by its users. Rocketmakers delivered more than double the hours it was contracted for, without passing the cost on to a founder who was already out of pocket. The product is now live, with 150 families using it and 800 more on the waiting list.

Getting struggling or early-stage products ready to launch is one of Rocketmakers’ superpowers. This is especially true now that more businesses arrive with apps they’ve prototyped using AI tools.

Richard Godfrey, CEO of Rocketmakers, said:

“I’m really proud of the team for earning these nominations. Our clients could work with anyone in the world, and some of them operate in dozens of countries. They chose to work with us here in Bath, and every project we’ve been shortlisted for was designed and built right here.

“It means a lot to be recognised by businesses on our own doorstep. We love flying the flag for the South West, and we’re lucky to be part of such a generous local tech community. We want to keep showing what can be built here, and keep giving back to the people who’ve supported us along the way.”

Rocketmakers is a certified B Corporation. It contributes to the regional tech community through Bath Digital Festival and Silicon Gorge, and works in partnership with the University of Bath and Bath Spa University.

The shortlisting comes at a time of real change for software development, an industry where AI is reshaping how products get built and who builds them. Rocketmakers has built AI tools into its day-to-day delivery. Earlier this month, it made its first dedicated AI hire, appointing Adam Clarke as Senior Software and AI Engineer.

Matt Harris, Chief Information Officer of Rocketmakers, said:

“It’s a genuinely exciting time to be building software. AI is changing how we work faster than anything I’ve seen in my career, and rather than pull back, we’ve chosen to get behind it. That means investing in our people, their skills, and a tested way of using these tools well.

“What hasn’t changed is that clients want people they can trust with their problem. AI gives our team more time to focus on that, and it’s great to be doing it from right here in Bath.”

Winners will be announced at Komedia, Bath, on Thursday 5 November.

About Rocketmakers

Rocketmakers is an award-winning software design and development agency based in Bath, UK. We work with funded startups, scaleups, and corporate innovators to design, build, and launch software that makes a difference.