University news

A new tech focused startup from the University of Glasgow is setting out to offer affordable software engineering services to social enterprises, SMEs and other startups across Scotland.
 
The startup, called Loopsio, builds on principles established by computing science and software engineering courses taught at the University, and research conducted by founder and Computing Science MSci graduate Omar Tufayl, investigating the technical and social gaps between academic teaching and industry requirements for software engineers.
 
That research led Omar to recommend bridging the gaps by providing students with real-world experience of industry practices before completing their courses and entering the job market.
 
In his role as software engineering manager at the University, Omar led more than 60 students to develop over 30 bespoke software projects for staff and researchers across the University’s four Colleges.  
 
Now, gearing up to take the concept Scotland-wide and introduce the software services to students and customers further afield, Omar has launched Loopsio.com. The startup aims  to expand and offer a range of solutions to organisations with limited resources or technical knowledge for software engineering projects, training, consultation and talent recruitment.
 
Organisations can work with Loopsio for as little as £24 per hour without being locked into contracts which specify a minimum spend. Loopsio’s ‘pay-as-you-go’ contracts provide access to a suite of services, provided by some of Scotland’s top software engineering, computing science and digital design students, overseen by a team of professionals.
 
Organisations can benefit from software development expertise which can build software from inception to delivery, training support for technical skills, and consultation on how software can benefit their day-to-day operations.
 
Technical support services are also on offer, along with talent recruitment advice to help match organisations with new hires best-placed to help them deliver on their objectives.
 
Loopsio founder Omar Tufayl said: “Organisations and businesses across the country are facing some serious economic hardship at the moment. Loopsio is well-placed to help make their resources go further by providing affordable, high-quality software engineering solutions.
 
“At the same time, there is a real shortfall of qualified software engineers in Scotland. Loopsio will provide software engineering students across Scotland with real-world experience and practice in delivering high-quality projects with practical applications under the mentorship of software engineering professionals.”
 
Dr Tim Storer, a senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow’s School of Computing Science who was Omar’s MSci supervisor, said: “Omar’s work was fantastic, always putting customers first and delivering great results. He also worked hard to ensure that the students who helped develop software solutions built skills that they could take on to future employers.
 
“Loopsio is a fantastic way for Omar to take the experience that he has built in the university into a start-up that can respond to the needs of social enterprises, SMEs and other startups for reliable, but affordable software development capabilities on a flexible basis.  In addition, I look forward to seeing students from across Scotland benefiting from the experience.”

For more information on Loopsio, visit loopsio.com

First published: 12 October 2022