LDC Top 50 2023

“Is it outrageous to say that Bloom should be the global standard for procurement? Because it’s going to happen. We’ll be ubiquitous in the UK and then we’ll go global.” Adam Jacobs founded Bloom to disrupt the way that public sector organisations buy services.

The Gateshead-based marketplace takes care of the complexity, allowing small businesses to win work while saving the taxpayer millions. Jacobs believes that Bloom is having a significant social impact. “I believe that everyone has a part to play in making a better society,” he says. “Our platform has been used for everything from repairing roads to affordable housing and school refurbishments.”

Q&A

What are your ambitions for this business?

We are demonstrating that you can build a significant, tech-enabled business outside London. I believe that Bloom will become a great British export, setting a global template for a new type of public/private enterprise, which is geared both towards building a sustainable company and representing the interests of the taxpayer.

Have you always been entrepreneurial?

I studied politics at Leeds University, followed by a Masters in Media and Communications at the London School of Economics. While I was studying, my dad passed away and that lit a fire under me. I suddenly found my drive and my desire to succeed. I joined the management consulting industry ahead of time, and then I made my way into B2B e-commerce. I didn’t always have a burning desire to start a business, but I am obsessed with outcomes and this was the way to disrupt the status quo.

What’s your weakness?

There is so much data and so many projects swirling around my business. I can very quickly evaluate data and process insights to jump ahead to what needs to happen next. The problem I have is that I sometimes leave people behind, so I have had to learn to communicate more effectively and take people on the journey.