The Entrepreneurs' Forum has unveiled its inaugural Ones to Watch Index, naming 20 North East companies it believes could become some of the region's most significant businesses. The list, released on November 10, 2026, according to Chronicle Live, arrives just as North East Entrepreneurship Week opens, and it forms part of a wider effort to nurture the region's high-growth firms.
The selected businesses span technology, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and consumer brands. They were chosen by a panel of entrepreneurs, investors and professional advisers who assessed commercial progress, growth opportunities, market potential, leadership and financial foundations. The Forum intends to repeat the exercise annually and track the companies' progress over the next five years.
What the Ones to Watch Index reveals about the North East economy
For a region long associated with post-industrial decline, the list reads as a statement of intent. It includes Cramlington's Transmission Dynamics, winner of Business of the Year at the North East Business Awards, and Seaham's Low Carbon Materials, previously shortlisted for Prince William's Earthshot Prize.
The majority of the named firms cluster in Newcastle, but the list reaches across the region, from Bedlington to Middlesbrough and Stockton to Gateshead. Several are working in fields with obvious social value: Aelius Biotech has developed a model gut system that helps companies avoid animal testing, while Circadacare, led by Dr Tallie Bush, combines artificial intelligence with smart lighting to help people with dementia live independently for longer.
Crowd Threat, a Newcastle-based security risk firm, has just secured £1m of investment. Nuna Bio claims its DNA synthesis methods allow it to supply clients at a speed, scale and cost competitors cannot match. These are not lifestyle businesses; they are companies with exportable technology and, in several cases, global ambitions.
Why regional backing matters
Elaine Stroud, chief executive of the Entrepreneurs' Forum, said the initiative was born of a simple observation: much of the region's best work goes unnoticed.