Creative Catalyst funding and targeted business support have transformed AWDC’s prototype into a market-ready product, shifting the company’s focus toward commercial success.
Alexander Whitley Dance Company (AWDC) is an internationally acclaimed, artist-led creative studio, we have spent over a decade redefining the boundaries of dance through pioneering work with digital technology. They produce work across stage, screen, immersive and interactive platforms, combining physical and digital elements to create unique movement-based experiences.
Their latest product, Otmo is a digital platform that aims to make movement composition more accessible and affordable. Using motion capture technology, Otmo enables dancers and choreographers to easily arrange sequences and explore creative possibilities, without having to book time with other dancers or expensive studio space.
Innovate UK support
Before joining Creative Catalyst, Innovate UK’s £30 million funding programme for high-potential creative businesses in the UK, AWDC had only a basic prototype. Since then, they’ve launched a commercial product and are actively exploring international opportunities.
Alexander Whitley, Creative Director at AWDC said: “The Creative Catalyst funding made a huge difference to us. We were able to take Otmo from being a fairly basic and rather ugly-looking prototype, into something that has a completely redesigned interface and is much more comprehensive and functional as a product.”
AWDC recently released the first beta version of Otmo. After securing further funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), the team are now working on new features before a full public release.
The company has also benefitted from Creative Catalyst’s peer network, which helped Alexander and the team connect with others at a similar stage in their business to share ideas and challenges. Other valuable opportunities included the chance to speak on a panel at Climb24, the UK’s festival of business growth, bringing together founders, innovators, investors, and world-class speakers to share insights, spark collaboration, and drive growth.
The future
The company is developing new features that will make Otmo even more flexible and accessible, allowing users to import their own custom assets into the platform.
The goal is to turn Otmo into the go-to platform for people working with movement in the UK, then extend it to a global community of contributors.
It’s an exciting time to be working in the UK’s creative sector, which Alexander describes as “an incredibly dynamic space of collaboration”. For other creative businesses looking to develop an innovative product, he recommends applying for support with Innovate UK.
Alexander added: “Being part of the Creative Catalyst programme has been an amazing experience. The financial support and the access to knowledge and expertise within the Innovate UK network has helped us to develop our product but also think about how we can develop as an organisation too. I really couldn’t recommend the programme highly enough.”