This month, we’re throwing the tenant spotlight on Dataknead Ltd, a Hope Street Xchange tech company #StartedatSunderland by University of Sunderland Alumnus, Julius Onyancha.
A cutting-edge start-up which seeks to empower organisations with IT solutions, Dataknead was founded on a simple but persistent observation that while data is everywhere, organisations are struggling to translate that into meaningful decisions.
The origins of the business were borne out of Julius’s PhD research and lie at the intersection of analytics practice and ever-present problems with data, where stakeholders are overwhelmed by dashboards, disconnected metrics, and reports that describe performance but rarely improve it. On completion of his PhD in Computer Science at the University, Julius began to consider how he could commercialise his research, leading him to start the business in 2019.
Dataknead’s roots began close to where the business finds itself today. “Toward the end of my PhD, I accessed the University’s start-up incubation programme and was later endorsed on the then Start-Up visa.” Julius tells us, “The team [there] played a key role in transforming just an idea into a business.”
The business has a clear principle in mind: “data should not just inform, it should enable action and deliver measurable value”. Essentially, taking data as a raw ingredient and transforming it into something significantly more meaningful.
“My background in data with a focus on behavioural analytics shaped the idea of ‘kneading’ data and refining it until it reveals meaningful, decision-ready insight,” Julius says. “Our focus has been on helping organisations move from fragmented reporting to structured, value-driven analytics.”
Rather than approaching data as a technical output, Dataknead positions analytics as a strategic capability, one that connects business objectives, user behaviour, and decision-making into a coherent framework. This philosophy extends into the business’s own product ecosystem, including applications such as Datpair and Datride, which demonstrate how data can be operationalised into real-world solutions, whether through intelligent service matching, dynamic pricing, or optimised user journeys.
Following incubation and support from the University’s Start-Up at Sunderland programme, Dataknead is now situated on Hope Street Xchange’s top floor, and continues to flourish. Julius has also given back to the University by hosting a student on the UKSPF City of Sunderland Internship in 2025, supported an MBA student with their research into Digital Leadership and been a guest speaker on a number of panels; sharing his entrepreneurial journey from Researcher to Entrepreneur.
“The environment here at Hope Street Xchange brings together a diverse mix of entrepreneurs, creating opportunities for networking and business collaboration. There is a tangible sense of momentum within the space right from the reception, where conversations quickly evolve into concepts, and concepts into practical solutions.”
“What stands out most about being based at Hope Street Xchange is the balance between independence and community. It provides the focus needed to be productive, while also offering constant exposure to new perspectives and challenges from other businesses.”
You can find out more about Dataknead on their website, here.
