Harker – a CRM system designed to support homelessness charities with vital data insights. University of Liverpool student James Barber is on a mission to simplify how charities record and interpret information, enabling them to improve services, strengthen funding applications, and ultimately support more people out of homelessness.

You have developed a CRM system for a specific niche: homelessness charities. Where did you get the inspiration for your business concept?

I started on this journey by a friend from school whose mother worked for a homelessness charity, and they needed some IT support. I saw firsthand the frustration and wasted time the charity staff had gone through using a CRM system that was built to measure profit, not impact. After talking more to this and other charities, I realised that this was not an isolated problem and that no software exists to service the homelessness sector. As a computer scientist, I saw it as my duty and purpose to build something designed from the ground up to empower people to effectively support some of the most vulnerable in our society.

What problem do you feel your software solves in comparison to mainstream applications?

We allow charity staff to focus their time on capturing the information they need to when it happens, rather than spending large amounts of time filling out overly in-depth forms after the fact. Harker also enables charities to easily report on complex statistics that enable them to use key outputs to effectively demonstrate their impact through a simple reporting engine and artificial intelligence features allowing them to query their data conversationally (AI going live in Q2 2026). We also prioritise impact over purely profit. 

How did you approach aspects such as data protection and security?

Harker follows security best practice, ensuring that the very personal and confidential information about homeless people remains secure. Harker uses robust, battle-tested technologies in its platform and regularly undertakes security audits to proactively manage any vulnerabilities. 

How did you develop core functionality? Did you have a test group?

Our core functionality was developed working closely with our launch partner charities and staff at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. We began development of the platform itself whilst still at university, applying the latest technologies and research to Harker to ensure that we built a platform that truly is the state of the art.

How do you monitor quality assurance and performance?

We have a robust QA process internally, with multiple staff reviewing and testing features before they get released onto the platform. Furthermore, we then have some clients who test new features in a “beta” capacity and provide further feedback/bug reports before features are released to general availability. For performance, we have a comprehensive suite of monitoring tools we use to monitor the speed and reliability of the platform to ensure that we can respond proactively to any issues. 

Are there plans to develop the business for other industry niches?

Yes – once Harker has validated its core impact in homelessness and released its full suite of AI-enabled tools, Harker plans to expand to other adjacent charity sectors, but only those where we are certain that we can deliver a cost saving and a large positive impact to service delivery; we remain committed to impact and building the software that charities deserve above anything else.

Which tech entrepreneur do you find most inspiring?

Bill Gates is a big inspiration for me. Gates used the wealth and influence he built through Microsoft to focus on solving some of the world’s most urgent problems, from global health to education and climate change.

I admire his ability to think long-term, to apply data and logic to humanitarian challenges, and to reinvent himself from a competitive CEO into one of the world’s most effective philanthropists. 

What were the main challenges that you faced as a tech start-up with a social purpose?

The tech landscape is built around profit, money, revenue, and valuation; all the metrics that investors are keen to hear, understandably, are around money, which can lead to some odd looks and closed doors when you say the priority of your business is delivering impact rather than focusing purely on profit. However, one thing that I’ve learnt along the way is that any investor whose focus is purely money and isn’t bothered about impact is certainly not one that we would have wanted to work with.

How do you manage your team effectively? What are your top tips?

One of the big positives of running a purpose-driven business is that there is a tangible and important mission that’s easy to rally a team behind. I follow two key principles: imagine you’re in their shoes and treat them like they’re family. When you’re asking someone to dedicate a good chunk of their life to your dream and your vision, you need to reinforce how much you value them.

If you could offer a single piece of advice to technology start-ups, what would it be?

Build fast and break things – Mark Zuckerberg’s early motto holds true, and it’s advice that I wish I’d followed earlier on in my journey. You can perfect things later, but there’s no point perfecting something that no one’s going to use anyway. Build your MVP, get it out and work on your PMF.