Our roots are firmly in the communities we empower, and we're more than just a tech company.

A talk by the late educationalist Ken Robinson sparked the duo into action. “He said that when you find your passion, anything is possible because you are in your Element,” says Neff. That was the catalyst that led the pair to set up Elemental Software. The two women developed a platform for “social prescribing” – the idea that doctors and nurses can refer people to local, non-clinical services, often provided by the community and voluntary sector.

When the pair came second in a start-up pitching competition, the winner, Professor Maurice Mulvenna of Ulster University, donated his £500 prize and told them that their idea was better than his. The lack of technological background has not held them back. In fact, it may have even helped.

Today the software is used across the UK, linking GPs, local authorities, housing associations, prison services, education and community and voluntary sectors. The company employs 30 staff at its offices in Derry city centre and is on track to double in size in the next two years. Its founders say they won’t move despite being regularly told they should be closer to their main customer bases in London, Manchester and Cardiff.