<s>
hedgehog	B-Application
lab	I-Application
is	O
a	O
global	O
digital	O
product	O
consultancy	O
headquartered	O
in	O
Newcastle	O
upon	O
Tyne	O
,	O
with	O
additional	O
offices	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
and	O
Bulgaria	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
,	O
which	O
employs	O
more	O
than	O
120	O
people	O
,	O
concentrates	O
on	O
building	O
mobile	O
and	O
web	O
apps	B-Application
for	O
smartphones	O
and	O
other	O
connected	O
devices	O
and	O
has	O
in-house	O
capabilities	O
in	O
Artificial	B-Application
Intelligence	I-Application
and	O
Machine	O
Learning	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2021	O
it	O
was	O
named	O
Clutch	O
#1	O
Global	O
Mobile	B-Application
App	I-Application
Developers	O
and	O
Large	O
UK	O
App	O
Agency	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
by	O
the	O
UK	O
App	O
Awards	O
and	O
in	O
2022	O
the	O
business	O
was	O
named	O
to	O
the	O
Best	O
Workplaces	O
in	O
UK	O
by	O
Great	O
Place	O
to	O
Work	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
hedgehog	B-Application
lab	I-Application
takes	O
its	O
name	O
from	O
Jim	O
Collins’	O
book	O
Good	O
to	O
Great	O
,	O
which	O
features	O
the	O
‘	O
hedgehog	O
concept’	O
of	O
cultivating	O
‘	O
piercing	O
clarity’	O
in	O
the	O
pursuit	O
of	O
being	O
great	O
at	O
one	O
thing	O
to	O
achieve	O
long-term	O
results	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
hedgehog	B-Application
lab	I-Application
founders	O
,	O
Sarat	O
Pediredla	O
and	O
Mark	O
Forster	O
met	O
while	O
working	O
as	O
developers	O
at	O
a	O
Newcastle-based	O
digital	O
agency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Plans	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
were	O
disrupted	O
by	O
the	O
2008	O
financial	O
crisis	O
,	O
at	O
which	O
point	O
hedgehog	B-Application
lab	I-Application
switched	O
to	O
a	O
digital	O
agency	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
later	O
refined	O
to	O
focus	O
on	O
‘	O
post-PC	B-Device
’	O
technologies	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
company	O
looking	O
internationally	O
to	O
grow	O
market	O
reach	O
while	O
still	O
a	O
micro-business	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Having	O
secured	O
£1m	O
of	O
investment	O
from	O
Maven	O
Capital	O
Partners	O
-	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
UK	O
's	O
most	O
active	O
equity	O
houses	O
-	O
hedgehog	B-Application
lab	I-Application
now	O
plans	O
to	O
grow	O
revenues	O
by	O
at	O
least	O
50%	O
year-on-year	O
until	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
hedgehog	B-Application
lab	I-Application
secured	O
a	O
further	O
£900k	O
investment	O
from	O
Maven	O
Capital	O
Partners	O
in	O
2020	O
to	O
support	O
its	O
work	O
with	O
its	O
international	O
client	O
base	O
and	O
further	O
grow	O
headcount	O
.	O
</s>
