LEEDS, UK / AGILITYPR.NEWS / November 19, 2025 / Leeds-based tech entrepreneur John Readman, Founder and CEO of Modo25 and ASK BOSCO®, has been named AI Entrepreneur of the Year at the prestigious Great British Entrepreneur Awards - recognised by Stephen Bartlett as the “Grammys of Entrepreneurship”. 

The national awards celebrate the most innovative and ambitious business leaders across the UK, bringing together the very best in British entrepreneurship. The AI Entrepreneur of the Year category highlights founders who are using artificial intelligence to change the way organisations operate - and Readman’s win places Leeds firmly on the map as a growing powerhouse for AI and digital innovation.

A win for Leeds and for northern tech

For John, the award reflects a career spent helping brands and agencies navigate complex marketing and ecommerce challenges, and doing so with the straight-talking, no-nonsense attitude Yorkshire is known for.

“This is a huge moment not just for me, but for our whole team,” said Readman. “It’s great to see Leeds represented on the national stage for AI innovation.”

Readman competed against an impressive shortlist of innovators working across sectors from movement technology and predictive analytics to operational auditing and logistics.

Being recognised alongside such leaders highlights not only the strength of the UK’s AI sector, but the calibre of innovation emerging from Yorkshire.

The Leeds-built AI platform solving a universal marketing problem

ASK BOSCO® was created in Leeds by Readman’s performance marketing agency Modo25, to solve a challenge almost every marketer faces: endless hours spent pulling data from Google, Meta, Shopify and other platforms just to build accurate reports.

Seeing this problem repeatedly, he assembled a team of expert marketers and data scientists to develop a smarter solution. The result was ASK BOSCO® - an AI-powered reporting and forecasting platform that acts as a single source of truth, automatically consolidating data and helping teams understand what’s driving performance.

The platform can answer complex data questions and guides marketers on where to invest their next pound for the best return.

Early investment came from angel backers including Skyscanner co-founder Bonamy Grimes, helping accelerate growth internationally. More recently, ASK BOSCO® secured significant backing from Gresham House, further powering its expansion and continued product innovation.

Powered by purpose: Supporting 1MoreChild in Uganda

At the heart of Readman’s work is a commitment to purpose before profit. Both Modo25 and ASK BOSCO® donate a portion of their profits to 1MoreChild, a charity in Uganda supporting 280 children through education, care and community programmes.

Around 70% of the team choose to donate part of their salary, and fundraising is built into the company culture.

“I’ve always wanted what we build to matter,” Readman said. “Something with a purpose beyond just making money.”

A Yorkshire mindset: Straight-talking leadership and extreme cycling

Readman’s leadership style reflects his Yorkshire roots - resilient, practical, direct and driven by values. He often jokes that he brings a “Ronseal approach” to business: it does exactly what it says on the tin.

Outside work, he is known for his passion for long-distance cycling. As co-founder of Ride25, a charity cycling initiative, he is currently taking on the London-to-Sydney challenge. This week, he heads off to India for leg 14 of the journey - riding hundreds of miles while raising money for 1MoreChild. 

A celebration for the whole team

While the award carries his name, Readman is clear that the honour belongs to the wider Leeds team.

“This is a recognition of the passion and hard work from everyone at Modo25 and ASK BOSCO®,” he said. “We’re incredibly proud to be flying the flag for Leeds and the city’s growing tech and AI sector.”  

**ENDS**