Meet the 2023 Go:Tech Awards winners: Julian Thomas, Managing Director at Racelogic

Julian Thomas, the Managing Director at RaceLogic, emerged as the recipient of the prestigious Tech Entrepreneur Of The Year accolade at the 2023 Go:Tech Awards. The panel of judges was once again astounded by the remarkable entrepreneurs who vied for this year’s honours.

Having experienced both challenging and prosperous periods, Julian has scaled Racelogic over the past three decades, achieving a robust EBITDA, and a well-defined roadmap for sustained expansion in the future. Notably, the company employs a workforce of 115 individuals.

We caught up with Julian after scooping to Go:Tech Awards trophy the talk inspiration, breakthroughs and more.

Can you share with us the inspiration behind your winning business and how it addresses a specific industry challenge or opportunity?

The inspiration behind Racelogic is closely tied to positioning technology. This tech is crucial for testing and developing new products like cars, tracking film/TV cameras, and anything with GPS inside. We either use high-accuracy GPS, accurate to +/- 2cm, or our novel Indoor Positioning system with similar precision.

We’re all about using new technology to help our customers work faster and more efficiently. Track testing time for automotive clients can be very costly, so we strive to help them get the most out of their tests and spend less time gathering high-quality data.

Sometimes, when we need to measure something or enhance our accuracy, the right tools just don’t exist. So we take the initiative and invent them, ending up with new products that we also sell.

All the big car manufacturers and tyre companies use our VBOX. This popular device allows them to measure speed and position when they’re developing new cars and tyres. We also provide large tech companies like Google, Apple, SpaceX, Samsung, Garmin, Microsoft, and Amazon with our LabSat product, which enables them to test and verify the accuracy and repeatability of their GPS devices.

We’ve even branched out to work with film and TV companies with our AirPixel camera tracking product. For example, we worked with Disney on the Tom Hanks film Pinocchio, tracking the cameras during filming to generate real-time visual effects.

Could you describe the key milestones or breakthroughs you achieved during the development of your project, and how they contributed to its success?

Our latest breakthrough? Tracking the Skycam camera during the SuperBowl. This allowed Fox Sports to add real-time Augmented Reality graphics on the live feed to 115 million viewers. This project, our first in TV, has caused quite a stir, and we’re now chatting with a bunch of Sports TV production companies about providing a similar service.

As a winner at the Go:Tech Awards, what advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs or innovators who are looking to make a difference in the technology sector?

For young entrepreneurs, our advice is to start with a clear plan and set goals. But also be ready to pivot, as customer feedback often nudges you in a different, and often more profitable direction. Stay lean, know your costs intimately, and focus on making a profit – you need it to grow the business.

Do you have any advice for entrepreneurs considering entering the Go:Tech Awards in the future?

If you’re considering the Go:Tech Awards, our advice is to sell your story! A compelling backstory, combined with a history of growth and profitability, is a great way to catch the judges’ eye.

Looking ahead, what are your future plans for your business?

Looking to the future, we’ve recently developed a way to extend GPS into long road tunnels. This allows vehicles to accurately locate themselves when there’s no view of the navigation satellites. It’s especially crucial for emergencies and gives road users more accurate Sat Nav info when the signal gets lost underground. A couple of major cities are already interested in integrating our technology into their road infrastructure. This system could even be applied to shopping malls, train stations, and large offices, so really, the sky’s the limit!