Recognising that the web had barely begun to transform the world of banking and finance, Will Grant and Steffan Aquarone put their heads together to change the way people used money.

By 2012, this vision had turned into the Droplet app. Aside from its initial aim of being a payment method, Droplet’s platform also facilitated mobile loyalty and marketing programmes.

Droplet planned to expand its reach to include national enterprise merchants and become the preferred payment option for smartphone users across the globe. More than 300 merchants and thousands of people in Birmingham and London used Droplet, with some even tweeting their payments, but unfortunately it closed in 2016.

Prior to closing, we asked Steffan about his experience and reflections on starting up

What was your experience of starting in Birmingham?

One unusual advantage Birmingham gave us was a target market of potential users for our beta that wasn’t constantly bombarded by tech startups trying to get them to test stuff. So, we were very warmly welcomed into Birmingham by users, merchants, media and by the local authority who are also one of our investors.

What kinds of support are you looking for to move your business forward?

I'm now on a mission to find a FTSE 250 CEO coach who can coach me as CEO. That really is where mentorship matters most to us. It's actually the coaching and strategic support rather than the "Yeah, this is how you do a software startup”.

Did you still try to be near other digital startups?

Our hub office is in the Birmingham Science Park. We have benefited from the energy and focus that the incubator environment provides around our workspace. However, we didn’t actively seek out other startups in the digital space, because sometimes it's a bit like being in an audition room for an audition for a part when there are 15 other people there. The numbers are so stacked against you as a startup.