Into The Curve: A New Arc for Sheffield
Sheffield’s bold step into tech with heart.
“The best technologies are those that disappear into the background, allowing our humanity to breathe.” — Brian Mosley
Community Spotlight: The Curve and the Power of Playful Precision
Last night, I stood in a room humming with quiet ambition. Engineers, founders, thinkers—Sheffield’s digital tribe—gathered at The Curve’s Internet of Things (IoT) event during UK Tech Week. From care homes to escape rooms, what unfolded was more than a tech showcase—it was a reminder that connection, when done well, is both elegant and essential.
Paul Howell, CEO of Arquella, told his story not through slides but through lived conviction. He spoke of starting in 2018 with little more than a sense that something needed to change in social care. That the sector was drowning in documentation rather than connection. And that perhaps—just perhaps—technology could help us breathe again.
He traced the arc from red buttons in 1950s Yorkshire to a proprietary IoT platform installed in care homes across the UK. But what struck me wasn’t the tech—it was his deep understanding of what it’s for. “I’m interested in that space where technology touches humanity,” he said. And it showed. Arquella’s mission isn’t to automate care but to enable it—to remove friction so that people can be present with one another.
Later, Paul Ridgway, The Curve’s co-founder, invited us into a live experiment. A demo of a software-defined escape room—built in just two weeks. It wasn’t perfect, and that was the point. What we saw wasn’t polish, but possibility. Generic hardware, high-level software, and a simple idea: shift the complexity upwards, so human creativity can flow.
The devices blinked, the bomb timer ticked, and the audience leaned in—not because they feared failure, but because they were captivated by the challenge. And somewhere in the midst of code and circuits, we found connection.
Insights and Lessons: The Bridge Between People and Possibility
These two Pauls—Howell and Ridgway—offered more than technical insight. They embodied what happens when innovation grows from empathy.
Their work aligns beautifully with Project Ignite’s principles:
Kindness and Creativity: Both speakers embraced imperfection—not as a flaw but as fertile ground. There was laughter, candidness, even a few hiccups. And in that vulnerability, the room felt more human.
Local Agency: Arquella’s origin is deeply Sheffield-rooted, born from local experience, shaped by practical need. It’s what we call intelligence on the ground—not just centralised efficiency but community-grown wisdom.
Contributive Justice: The software-defined escape room was designed for resilience. Replaceable parts, modular code, accessible builds. Why? Because connection should never rely on exclusivity. It should be shareable, buildable, repeatable.
Practical Steps: Connection in Action
Inspired? Here are three simple ways to bring these ideas into your everyday life:
Spot the Invisible Helper: Who’s quietly solving problems around you—like The Curve's engineers soldering behind the scenes? Tell their story.
Try, Tinker, Trust: Like the escape room demo, your next project doesn’t need to be perfect. Start small. Let connection be your compass, not perfectionism.
Connect Two Worlds: Know a tech friend and a community builder? Introduce them. The magic lives where disciplines collide.
Collective Wisdom: What Sheffield Already Knows
There was a moment at the end of the event, chatting over drinks, when someone said: “You can’t buy this kind of collaboration. You’ve got to grow it.” Sheffield has always known that. From the cutlers’ guilds to our maker spaces, this city has never been about polished surfaces—it’s about layers of meaning forged through doing.
As Paul Howell said, “Most startups fail not because the tech isn’t good—but because they forget what people actually need.” That’s wisdom earned, not theorised. And it matters.
A Vision: Sheffield as a Living Interface
What if Sheffield became a city where technology wasn’t just a tool, but a canvas for connection?
Where every innovation asked not just, “Can we build it?” but “Will it help us belong?”
That’s the future I see. A Sheffield where our brightest minds aren't working in isolation, but in conversation—with carers, coders, creatives, and communities.
Call to Action: Share Your Sparks
Were you at The Curve event? Did something spark for you? Perhaps an idea, a contact, or a new way of thinking?
Tell us. Share your reflections. Or better still—introduce us to someone who’s bridging the gap between tech and togetherness. We’d love to feature more stories like this in future newsletters.
Let’s build a Sheffield where no one’s left behind—not in our care systems, our creative spaces, or our communities.
Until next time, keep tilting the floor gently toward connection.
Warmly,
Brian Mosley
Founder, Love Sheffield & Project Ignite
Author of "Uniting Hearts, Igniting Change"