Birmingham-based AI and software consultancy B13 has won the Pioneer award at the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce’s (GBCC) 2026 annual ceremony, in recognition of its mission to democratise access to software development for SMEs.
50 funded AI Feasibility Reports available to West Midlands SMEs Midlands
Birmingham-based technology consultancy B13 was recognised with the Pioneer award at the 2026 Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) Business Awards, one of the region’s most prestigious celebrations of business excellence. The event, attended by 1,000 guests at the ICC in Central Birmingham, honoured outstanding businesses from across the West Midlands.
B13 received the Pioneer award for its efforts to make AI and bespoke software development accessible and commercially viable for small and medium-sized enterprises. And on Tuesday 26th May, B13, in partnership with Tech WM launched the West Midlands Digital Accelerator, offering 50 funded feasibility reports to local SMEs.
The Pioneer Award
The GBCC introduced the Pioneer award to celebrate businesses demonstrating a strong commitment to delivering meaningful change within the Greater Birmingham business community, combining innovation, impact, and accessibility.
“This is not a category we entered and hoped for the best. That’s a description of what we built.
We’ve been working on a fundamental rethink of how businesses get software delivered.
Bespoke software built around your business, at half the cost of traditional development, on a simple monthly subscription. No big upfront capital investment. No bloated SaaS platform full of features you’ll never use. Software that does exactly what your business needs and nothing it doesn’t.
That’s the model and the innovation the judges recognised.” – Tom Haworth, Founder of B13.
A Practical Roadmap
The award follows the successful launch of B13’s ‘Guide for Manufacturers’, which is a free resource that helps UK-based SME manufacturers understand how digitalisation and AI can improve speed to quote, profit margins, and ROI. Both the guide and the award highlight the company’s growing reputation for bridging the gap between enterprise-level AI capabilities and the practical needs of regional SMEs.
