The FlowX journey
From business plan to mini-acquisition — and what happened in between
On 10th January 2020, FlowX jointly won a £500k contract from the UK Department for Transport as part of a consortium (led by Vivacity Labs, with Siemens Mobility and Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council). You can read more about that bid here.
Vivacity has since bought out FlowX’s side of the contract in a mini-acquisition — I’m continually impressed by Vivacity and am inspired by the future they’re creating within transport.
This means that the FlowX journey has come to an end.
This journey has shaped my life since mid-2017, and I’ve often been asked what I’m up to.
Welcome to the FlowX journey 😎
April-September 2017: Cambridge -> Singapore -> Shenzhen -> London
In April of my final year, I hear of the Lee Kuan Yew business plan competition in Singapore. While finishing our exams, we build a team and rally around an idea in the Smart Cities space: why are we not better using our existing CCTV to help optimise the flow of road traffic?
We accidentally build too much momentum and get offered grant funding to join Geovation, Ordnance Survey’s innovation hub in London focused on the future of cities.
But our plan wasn’t to do this full-time. I’d just started my masters in Economics at Peking University — I’d become obsessed with China because this is where the future is being built and we’re underestimating it in the West.
However at the time I reflect that economics & policy is not where I want to be. I write in my journal (quoting Roosevelt) that “it is not the critic who counts” — I want to be “in the arena…face marred by dust and sweat”.
I don’t want to avoid “failure”, whatever that word even means. I want to dedicate myself to something important.
October-December 2017: hacking into local govts
On 6th October 2017, I pause my masters at Peking Uni & return to London. I am now in the arena 👀
I find a cheap spare bedroom from a mate and start tutoring on the side to earn money.
I ask myself what I am trying to do here, what I am trying to achieve?
I realise I need to be speaking with the Heads of Traffic at UK local authorities — and I currently know no-one.
On 7th November 2017, I sneak into a conference of the top local government execs at a motorway hotel in the East Midlands. I pretend I work with Ordnance Survey for legitimacy (I shamefully register the email domain geovation.co) and these execs kindly introduce me to the right people across the country.
By Christmas I have good relationships with the right people at eight local authorities, and know that they are not currently using computer vision on their existing CCTV cameras to help manage traffic flow.
But how can I persuade local authorities to trust young FlowX to integrate with their CCTV cameras? It feels impossible.
January-March 2018: upskilling in data science
On 2nd January, I commit every morning (09h–12h) to upskilling myself in data science.
I need to look for a new place to live so I live in hostels for a few weeks.
I start becoming disillusioned with FlowX: I continue trying to push but it doesn’t seem to be working.
On 14th March 2018, FlowX submits a bid for a government innovation contract, joint with Vivacity & Newcastle City Council. It’s a pretty shit bid and gets rejected a month later.
At the end of March, I commit to moving into a full-time data science role while I figure out what to do with FlowX.
April-August 2018: full-time data scientist
On 16th April 2018, I take my first full-time data science contractor role at O2 Telefonica. This is my first time programming full-time 🤓
I write at the time that I want to “get rid of FlowX from my shoulders”. We face enormous social pressure to conform to expectations and follow the trodden path, and I’m finding it very hard to justify what I’m doing.
But I’m glad that I don’t get rid of FlowX. Instead I start lining up a bigger bid for a government innovation contract, in partnership with Vivacity and Leeds City Council.
On 23rd August 2018, I have my final day at O2 Telefonica. I’ve learned loads programming full-time — but I’m wanting to get more technical into machine learning so start to look for more technical, permanent data science roles.
September-October 2018: applications, bids, questioning my life’s direction
On 17th September 2018, FlowX (in partnership with Vivacity Labs) submits a bid for a £50k innovation contract with the Department for Transport. I do not expect us to win this contract after our failed bid in April 2018.
During September and October, I’m applying for full-time data science roles at a mix of London companies. I’m often way out of my depth, but glad to be learning. I get rejected a lot. I learn a lot.
On 3rd October 2018, I turn 24 — nothing has come of FlowX so far and I’m unsure whether I’m on the right path. I’m questioning what I’m doing with my life.
This period is the closest I’ve been to depression: during this time, I experience my most severe episodes of binge eating. Binge eating is something that has been with me for years and is something I’ll write about another time.
November-December 2018: FlowX wins a government contract
This is a turning point for FlowX, and for my personal direction & mindset.
On 19th November 2018, we (FlowX & Vivacity) find out that we’ve won the £50k government innovation contract! This is a 3-month Proof of Concept, starting in January 2019. You can read more about that work here in a previous post.
That same day, I start a 4-week data science contract at Universal Music, and on 13th December 2018 I start a 3-month data science contract (my most technical role yet) at Fractal Logistics, an awesome shipping startup which predicts misallocation of shipping supply (basically Fractal rents a seriously huge ship for 6 months then tries to put it in the right place at the right time).
I’ve written in detail about some of our work at Fractal in a previous post.
January-March 2019: juggling Fractal & FlowX
This period is intense, juggling Fractal and FlowX.
During the day I’m in my most technical data science role yet at Fractal, building machine learning models to predict the supply of ships at various primary commodity ports across the world.
During evenings & lunchtimes, I’m project managing FlowX’s CCTV work with Exeter, Devon, and Leeds Councils (joint with Vivacity). We’re integrating with their existing CCTV cameras to create better transport data — so this is sensitive work.
April & May 2019: finish FlowX contract
28th March 2019 is my last day at Fractal. I spend the next month ensuring the FlowX Proof of Concept finishes smoothly and writing up the official report to be evaluated by the Department for Transport. We present our final work in Westminster on 15th May.
During this time in April 2019, I’m meant to start on Entrepreneur First (EF), “the world’s leading talent investor” (basically they help you create a deep tech company — Europe’s best attempt at recreating Y Combinator but an earlier stage). Sadly but sensibly I decide I still haven’t finished FlowX — so I postpone my place on EF.
(Aside: I really, really back what Entrepreneur First are doing and the team behind it.)
June 2019: mini-acquisition agreed
With a successful £50k Phase 1 contract completed with the Dept for Transport, we now wait for updates of when the submission will be for the £500k Phase 2 contract. This ends up being delayed multiple times to the end of 2019.
On 14th June 2019, Vivacity & FlowX agree on an outline of a mini-acquisition: Vivacity will buy out FlowX’s side of the contract if we jointly win the £500k Phase 2 contract.
I’m continually impressed by Vivacity and am inspired by the future they’re creating within transport — so I’m happy with this agreement.
This brings to an end a mini-acquisition process I ran where, truthfully, I had little idea what I was doing and made many mistakes.
July 2019 ->
With FlowX’s future decided, I now move away from FlowX and consider starting a new company with two good mates from Cambridge: Luke & Sjoerd. Since then we’ve been working hard, have lived in San Francisco for four months — and have many updates. More info coming soon.
On 29th November 2019, we submit our £500k Phase 2 bid (joint with both Vivacity and Siemens this time). Our Phase 2 vision is to provide transport authorities a virtual assistant to monitor their road networks, providing real-time intelligent alerts about unusual behaviour by combining a wide variety of data inputs.
You can read more about that bid here.
January 2020: winning the contract and handing over the reins
On 10th January 2020, we are told the good news: we won the £500k Phase 2 bid! Vivacity officially buys out FlowX’s side of the work in a mini-acquisition and is the lead for the Phase 2 work with the Dept for Transport. I officially stop working on FlowX.
On 10th January 2020, the FlowX journey comes to an end.
A big thank you to the heroes in government for their selfless work & continued guidance (Darren, Graham, Rob, Kay, James, Kim, Fran, Ian, Breandan).
And Paul Brookes at Siemens for partnering with us to bring this Phase 2 to life.
And as ever to Peter, Yang, Mark & the team at Vivacity for creating an inspirational future in transport 💪
And a huge shout-out to the teams at Geovation (Alex, Paul, Nourin, Isabel) & Exeter Velocities (Gauri, Mandy, Gos, Liz, James) for making FlowX possible.
And finally to the OG FlowX Singapore crew who got this whole thing started, and the teams at O2 Telefonica, Universal Music, Fractal, Entrepreneur First for making the journey so formative 🌱
(Appreciation to Sjoerd, Christine, and 玫瑰 for reading draft versions.)
My inbox is always open ❤
me@richardcartwright.co
