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About Us
acornITy is your growth partner turning ideas into meaningful progress and results.
Our purpose
At acornITy, we believe that every great venture begins as a small idea. Our mission is to nurture these ideas through dedicated mentoring, partnerships, and consultancy services tailored specifically for startups, early career professionals and innovating educators. Incorporated in our roots are volunteer efforts in STEM education, enriching both schools and communities.
Our values
Growth
Big things start small. We create the space and support for people and ideas to grow, encouraging curiosity, innovation, and progress.
Collaboration
We work side-by-side with people and organisations, sharing ideas and creating environments where everyone can contribute and thrive.
Empowerment
We encourage self-belief, helping individuals to build confidence and see their full potential.
Integrity
We act with honesty and purpose, sharing knowledge thoughtfully and following through on our commitments.
Meet the founder
Hi, I’m Steve Denniss founder and owner of acornITy. I have spent over 40 years working for big corporations delivering iconic projects around the world, winning awards and gaining the respect of my peers. Over the past 5 years I’ve gradually become more involved in giving back through working with schools, colleges, universities, and taking part in initiatives to support young people getting involved in STEM and achieve their dreams.
This has resulted in me deciding to gradually take a step back from the corporate world, although I’m still very much involved in big project work. This continues to give me the best insight into use of technology, modern management methods and generally in the way the world is shaping up to the challenges of the future. I believe this places me in the ideal position to be a guiding mind, mentor, partner or just a friend to others with the great ideas.
Together we build a better future for our children, our children’s children and our world.
At acornITy, there is a solid foundation rooted in experience
As the founder of acornITy, I bring a wealth of strategic business and technical expertise from industry. My career spans over four decades, with more than 30 years dedicated to delivering leadership and assurance advice on major rail projects across the UK, Europe, North America and the Middle East. I pride myself on combining deep technical knowledge with sharp business insight, ensuring that clients consistently achieve outstanding results. My experience with a broad spectrum of engineering organisations, supported by a focused Executive MBA, underpins my ability to deliver innovative and effective business solutions.
I have developed strong relationships with stakeholders and systems suppliers, from governments to global corporations and SMEs, and have repeatedly demonstrated my ability to lead, communicate and collaborate at the highest level. My contributions to the industry include chairing and speaking at leading conferences, publishing articles in key rail engineering outlets and providing guidance as a member of the IET Transport Panel. I contribute to academia by being an associate editor of a technical journal and a guest university lecturer and industry advisor. Through acornITy, I am committed to sharing this expertise, championing innovation, and supporting the growth of the next generation of entrepreneurs.