Andrew Longman is an entrepreneur with tonnes of talent, ideas and drive. From a master’s degree in aerospace engineering to founding Geppetto, an AI consultancy that’s building a platform with the potential to change how businesses scale, he is making a mark in Sheffield’s tech scene. Now a startup member of Sheffield Digital, we were excited to hear more about Promptable – Andrew’s no code AI platform that’s just about to launch in BETA – not to mention his portfolio of previous ventures and how Sheffield Digital membership has already accelerated his founder journey.

Geppetto began trading one year ago, although the idea started brewing a year prior to that when Andrew was in the midst of what he describes as the “rollercoaster of trying to get a startup off the ground”.

“During that time I was working on various different startups with different people and partners. Some things worked, and some things didn’t,” he explains. “I realised that throughout all of those ups and downs, I was using AI a lot. I realised I had a knack for building AI systems that worked — and worked repeatedly. Eventually, I thought, maybe I could do this for other people.”

Andrew is currently working on Promptable, a no-code platform designed to make AI automation accessible for service-based businesses. He describes it as a tool that “lowers the technical barriers” to building AI-powered workflows and products — especially for subject matter experts who’ve hit their productivity limit.

“Service businesses have always scaled by hiring and training people,” Andrew explains. “Now, with AI, there’s an opportunity to scale by building automations or even turning processes into products that can be sold on to your clients, increasing revenue streams. Promptable is designed to let users do this without needing to write a single line of code – it works more like a chat interface.”

A BETA version of Promptable will soon launch to a waiting list of early adopters, eager to try out the platform. Even at this early stage, Andrew sees the potential for his tech to become a global platform that allows people to embed their human expertise into automated systems, overcoming some of the fear associated with AI.

“People think AI takes the human element out of things — but what we’re trying to do is the opposite. We’re taking what’s human, what’s interesting and unique about someone’s individual process, and turning that into a system they can use or even sell.”

Contrary to the belief that AI will replace people in the workforce, Andrew believes that it can boost employees and the value they deliver. He says, “AI can reduce the repetitive and boring tasks that contribute to job dissatisfaction, freeing up more time to do the enjoyable, creative stuff that really adds value to a business.”

A startup journey built on curiosity and determination

Andrew has taken an interesting route into tech entrepreneurship. With a master’s degree in aerospace engineering and a side hustle printing sports kits for university teams, he taught himself to code via a £20 Udemy course and began experimenting with AI before ChatGPT even launched.

Other early ventures included an AI-powered education platform and a food-focused social media startup — both of which didn’t pan out at the time, but gave Andrew useful opportunities to reflect and learn.

“I’ve built products that never launched, and products that launched and failed,” he says. “But I could see that technically they were as good as the stuff getting funding. I just hadn’t hit on the right idea at the right time.”

Andrew has adapted his mindset to see these early attempts not as setbacks but essential steps on his journey.

“At the time, failure felt devastating,” he admits. “But now I know — if someone else is building something similar, that means you’re probably onto something good. I’ve learned to welcome competition, it’s useful because it makes you stop, look at what they’re doing and how you can differentiate yourself.”

Integrating in Sheffield’s tech scene

Originally from Leeds, Andrew moved to Sheffield as a student and has since come to call it home – for personal and professional reasons. “I love Sheffield”, he says, “I stayed here after uni with a big group of mates and we all live near each other in Hunters Bar – it’s great.”

He continues, “I’ve been in and out of the Cooper Project a few times over the past four years and I’ve seen the startup scene explode in that time. I like engaging with all the different events, it is what you make it. If you go out, meet people and have as many conversations as possible, you see that everyone has something interesting going on. It’s a great city for that.”

Joining Sheffield Digital is helping Andrew become more deeply embedded in the community, and to feel part of something bigger.

“The first Sheffield Digital event I went to was the AGM, and even from that one night I had conversations that shaped what Promptable is now,” he says. “It’s great to be around people who get it — who are figuring things out just like you are, or have already been there and done it.”

Andrew is tapping into the resources available to him and is currently being mentored through Sheffield Digital’s scheme by Chris Muscroft, a local tech founder with years of operational experience.

“As a solo, bootstrapped founder, accountability is hard. Sticking to milestones, keeping momentum going and not getting distracted, especially without a Board to answer to, is really tough. ” Andrew says. “The mentoring has been brilliant — Chris is helping me think more clearly about managing processes, productivity and making sure things get done. It’s something I don’t have experience of as I haven’t worked in larger organisations, so to get that perspective is so valuable.”

A message for the community

Promptable is launching soon and Andrew wants to bring the digital community on board.

“If you want to adopt AI automation to increase your productivity, especially if you’re an expert in your field but have reached your productivity limit, get involved and sign up to the waitlist.”

Beyond this, Andrew intends to keep on meeting and speaking to people, something that will no doubt fuel his next ideas and enable him to support members of the community with his AI expertise.

“I love chatting to people about how their businesses work,” he says. “That’s what excites me about building Promptable — it’s not just about automation, it’s about learning how people work and helping them scale that by mixing in AI.”

Sign up to the waiting list for Promptable here and find out more about Geppetto and how Andrew’s consultancy can help you on the website: www.geppettoconsulting.co.uk.