We are very pleased, and only slightly overexcited, to share that Versantus has been shortlisted for the Technology Excellence Award at the 2026 Oxfordshire Business Awards.
The award recognises organisations that use technology to move their business forward, with judges looking at areas such as business benefits, cost-effectiveness, staff wellbeing, customer impact, and final outcomes. So yes, we are rather proud to be in the final three.
We are shortlisted alongside After Cloud and U-Ploid Biotechnologies, which means we are in very good company. The winners will be announced at the 30th anniversary Oxfordshire Business Awards dinner on Friday 12 June 2026 at Oxford Brookes University.
Naturally, we are looking forward to getting dressed up, meeting other local businesses, and finding out who in the team still has a tuxedo that fits.
Why this nomination means a lot
Versantus has been part of Oxfordshire’s digital community since 2009. Over that time, we have grown from a small web development team into an award-winning digital and AI agency in Oxford, working across strategy, UX, design, development, digital marketing and long-term support.
This shortlist feels especially meaningful because it recognises a period of real change for us.
Over the last couple of years, we have made a clear move towards becoming an AI-first agency. That means using AI properly across our own business, building it into client work where it genuinely helps, and supporting other organisations as they work out what AI means for them.
AI can be brilliant. It can also be weird, overconfident and potentially dangerous.
Our approach has been to use AI where it genuinely helps, while keeping experienced humans firmly involved. That means using large language models for research and summarisation, building agent-led workflows with oversight, using low-code platforms for quick prototyping and helping clients explore new ideas safely.
Internally, we have already built AI-assisted tools for marketing audits, senior leadership reporting, support ticket triage, PPC audits and team leadership coaching. Some are saving time. Some are improving consistency. Some are helping us spot things faster. All of them are being treated as part of a wider shift in how a modern web development agency can work.
For clients, we have also introduced pre-agreed innovation budgets, giving organisations permission to try the interesting stuff without raiding the day-to-day project pot, as well as client AI hackdays, where teams can roll up their sleeves, test real ideas and find out what AI can actually do for them.
This nomination also reflects a business decision that was not without risk.
We invested heavily during 2023 and 2024, knowing it would affect short-term profit. That investment covered team time, tools, platforms, internal product work and new client services. The result is now starting to show, with AI-first work already profitable and forming a meaningful part of what we do, with strong growth expected in year two.
Still proudly Oxfordshire
We work with national and international organisations, but Oxfordshire remains home. It is where Versantus started, where our team is based and where many of our closest partnerships have grown.
The Oxfordshire Business Awards have been celebrating the county’s businesses for 30 years, so being shortlisted this year means a lot. Recognition from our local business community is always special, especially in a county full of brilliant and clever organisations doing genuinely interesting and innovative work.
Our founder and CEO, Nik Roberts, started Versantus with a simple aim, to provide clear, honest and jargon-free digital services. That still feels like a pretty good brief. The technology has changed a lot since 2009. The need for straight-talking, thoughtful technical partners has not.
What happens next
The final results will be announced at the awards dinner on 12 June 2026. Until then, we will be working with our AI buddies to see which one can teach us how to tie a perfect bow tie.
This nomination recognises a huge amount of work, learning, experimentation and persistence from people across Versantus. Whatever happens on the night, being shortlisted for the Technology Excellence Award is a brilliant moment for us, and a good excuse to pause for a second before getting back to building useful things.