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Getting to know... Mark Renney

We know you as the founder of Wubbleyou and a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, but who is the person behind the title? Tell us a little about what makes you tick…

I’m a builder at heart, and am compelled to leave things better than I found them. I’m also a provocateur and tend not to accept the status quo when it doesn’t make much sense. I also love using tech to achieve something valuable. But really, I’m elevated by a great team, which is something I often reflect on now, versus 6-7 years ago, the difference is the team. They’re smart, and they’ve done weird and wonderful things in life. I really enjoy seeing that team and our clients succeed.

Did you always want to work in your industry?

I’ve always been a nerd. And Wubbleyou is niche, in the way we turn your business expertise into tech that you sell over and over. We productise what you do into tech, so you’re able to license and sell all around the world. And our clients scale and exit valuable businesses as a result. 

If you asked me at 13 what I wanted to do, I doubt I’d have said that! But I’ve always been drawn to innovation and building things. I bypassed the Windows 98 login screen at 11 and wrote software at 14. I get bored when it’s easy, so I tend to delegate things to my team when that happens, but that's why I love this intersection. Tech moves so fast, and leveraging tech in businesses to scale is hard, but it’s hugely rewarding to our clients.

What’s the best bit about your job? And the worst?

How fast things move in tech is the best and worst bit. Things in this world move very quickly, and it means I have to be very selective about what I choose to focus my own expertise on. It doesn’t change the vision of the business, or where we’re going, but it’s like we need to be a fighter jet, not a commercial airliner, to get there. We need to be so quick to change and adapt sometimes.

I work very hard to ensure we still deliver value for clients and stay relevant. I love it, but I have to be careful not to let it overwhelm me.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

I am not sure what my greatest achievement is, as our job is to solve genuinely hard problems and create results for clients. So far in 2026, we’ve had one client exit, one client replace themselves as MD, and a client raise. That’s possible because of a great team that collectively does lots of little things well, which add up to doing big things well.

Our products are, and have been, used by millions of people. I guess this is what I would remind myself of when times are tough, because what we do is working.

How do you relax outside of work?

I think. There is so much happening, just stepping back to un-muddle and focus really helps me to focus on where we need to be. Reminding myself of the destination for us and our clients.

To really switch off, hiking, travelling, and cooking with my partner also work well. She is good at reminding me that there is more to life than working, and Badminton also keeps me sane.

Work-life balance for many business owners is a fluid affair. My view is, as long as I’m working because I want to, and not because I need to, I’m doing OK. If I’m working a weekend because I need to, it’s time to change something, but sometimes working is how I relax!

What makes the North East such a great place to live and work?

Well, you can get to a city, a beach, or the middle of nowhere in 30 minutes. That is good for the soul. But what really excites me is our regional potential.  

We have the lowest gross disposable household income in the UK. And yet, we have great businesses. Imagine a North-East where that increased by 10% to be closer to the Midlands or North-West. We can will this into existence by building bigger businesses that export knowledge and capabilities, and then create higher-paying jobs as a result.

I strongly believe that the UK economy will grow quicker, with more scaling businesses innovating with tech.

Tell us something about you we didn’t know…

I made international news in 2013 when I found out Smart TVs were spying on us over Wi-Fi.

I have also been a prolific ethical hacker, ethically disclosing vulnerabilities to organisations like LinkedIn, BBC, Odeon, Daily Mail, and many more. I did this after work as a bit of a hobby, but I got quite proficient at it.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Entrepreneurs' Forum .