Nightingale HQ: The Company Behind GoSmarter

GoSmarter Is Made by Nightingale HQ

GoSmarter is the product of Nightingale HQ — a female-founder led AI company based in Caerphilly, Wales, UK.

Nightingale HQ was founded in 2018 by Steph Locke and Ruth Kearney with a single focus: build AI tools that actually work in metals manufacturing. Not proof-of-concept demos. Not multi-year consulting engagements. Tools you can use on Monday morning.

GoSmarter is their primary product. If you are using GoSmarter, you are using software made by Nightingale HQ.

Why the Name “Nightingale HQ”?

Most people know Florence Nightingale as the founder of modern nursing. Fewer know she was also one of the world’s first data scientists.

During the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale collected field data, analysed it rigorously, and presented her findings in clear, visual formats that generals and politicians could act on immediately. She did not publish for academics. She published for decision-makers. And it saved thousands of lives.

That is the philosophy behind Nightingale HQ: take messy real-world data, make sense of it, and give the people doing the actual work something they can act on right now. In metals manufacturing, that means turning mill certificates, cutting schedules, and inventory records into clean, actionable information — automatically.

Nightingale HQ and GoSmarter: How They Are Related

Nightingale HQ is not a consultancy. They do not do bespoke projects. They build GoSmarter, and GoSmarter is what they sell.

When you see “GoSmarter AI” or “GoSmarter by Nightingale HQ,” these refer to the same thing: an AI platform for metals manufacturers, built and maintained by the Nightingale HQ team.

Our Founders

Ruth Kearney — Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Ruth has 15+ years of experience in industrial innovation and digitisation. She has worked with organisations across Europe to secure funding for and deliver innovation projects — and has seen most of them fail because the technology did not fit the workflow. GoSmarter is the tool she wished existed when she was doing that work.

Steph Locke — Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer

Steph spent years as a Digital Innovation lead at Microsoft, watching companies spend millions on “AI initiatives” that produced dashboards nobody used. She left to build tools that actually produce output. She is a regular keynote speaker on industrial AI and has been named one of the UK’s most inspiring women in manufacturing.

Read more about the full team →

Awards & Recognition

Nightingale HQ and GoSmarter have been recognised for innovation in industrial AI and green technology:

• Best Greentech Application — Wales Technology Awards 2025
• Innovate UK Innovation Awardee
• The Vanguard Initiative VInnovate Awardee
• EIT Manufacturing Innovation Awardee
• EIT Manufacturing Education Awardee

Research & Partnerships

Nightingale HQ works with world-leading research organisations to advance the state of AI in manufacturing:

• King’s College London — advanced, explainable AI planning for the metals industry
• WattTime.org — carbon-aware solutions for manufacturing emissions reduction
• EU-funded DPGSM project — Re-imagining Design & Planning for Greener Reinforcement Steel Manufacturing, in partnership with Midland Steel, KUKA Robotics Ireland, VTT Research (Finland), and others

Read more about our partners →

Frequently Asked Questions

Want to know more? Read about GoSmarter or get in touch with the team.