'It's time for change': Hardy Sidhu on reshaping tech for the future The founder of Format-3 on creating a more human-focused digital industry, the evolving role of technology, and why big agencies need to adapt—or risk extinction.

Hardy Sidhu, CEO of Format-3, a London based digital product agency, talks about his mission to put people at the heart of tech, how his studio helps businesses innovate, and why he believes agility and purpose will define the future of digital transformation.

What inspired you to launch Format-3 and how has the business grown since inception?
Having worked in the digital sector for over 15 years, I was constantly observing a need to redefine the client agency relationship, with more and more agencies charging excessive fees without high standards of client care and/or project delivery. I felt that innovation was starting to struggle under this model, particularly for visionary start-ups who have to balance economic uncertainty and rising business costs with excessive prices for short-term projects.

As a result, I wanted to create a business that both recognises and overcomes this challenge, offering a human centric approach to all clients underpinned by a genuine want to build a long-lasting and valuable partnership where we help build proof of concept, create new efficiencies or transform customer engagement all through the power of tech. Since our official launch in 2023, we have grown exponentially and are now driven by a team of 20. The majority of our work is delivered on a retainer basis, and we are proud to support a host of organisations, from start-ups through to larger businesses.

As a digital product studio, how do you help businesses 'bridge the gap between the now and next'?Henry Ford once said: "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses" and it's an approach that I have taken and engrained into Format-3. We are focused on helping our clients understand what their customers are doing, the platforms they are using and where they are moving to next. We don't act as a third party – we truly live the brand we are collaborating with to ensure we can best understand it, much like David Ogilivy used the products he made adverts for.

A lot of this is driven by the development of our own free hubs, which are essentially temporary incubators that inspire collaborative magic moments that help clients innovate and drive their business forwards.

How has technology advanced in recent years and how do you see it evolving in 2025 and beyond?Over the last 15 years, technology has always felt quite static in that it has required input from the user to work. Moving forwards, however, I think technology itself is now becoming more fluid and interactive and this is how it should be. Technology shouldn't create friction, it should drive efficiency, and help people save time in their lives. For example, I see the website changing into something that evolves and responds to user needs in real time. Finally, I think the use of data will play a big role during 2025 and thereafter… While more and more businesses are leveraging it to understand and engage with target audiences, I can see it moving one step further with data flows driving and creating new interactions and experiences.

Where do businesses typically go wrong when implementing new technologies? What steps do they need to take to ensure it adds the most value?
I think the main issue with businesses implementing new technologies is that they often don't have a strategy in place and integrate new solutions for the sake of it. Technology should be implemented to drive engagement, efficiencies and growth, and should be perceived as a partner that will, ultimately, enable society to progress. If more businesses viewed technology in this way, they would genuinely be lightyears ahead and would understand its evolving use and value.

What is next for Format-3?
Although we are growing as a business, we will stay true to our 'why' and continue to set up accessible incubators that bring visions to life and help drive market penetration. We are also planning to set up a fund dedicated to helping start-ups and gamechangers develop proof of concepts, which then aids their own investment cycle into Series A, B and C.

In terms of our own innovation, we have and will continue to work with household brands and leading organisations to develop out technical innovation that will improve people's lives, particularly in healthcare. Furthermore, we are also expanding out our development stack to ensure we can deliver an end-to-end solution in digital transformation – from strategy to implementation. We also want to help more people utilise and adopt technology, while helping to drive society forwards through tech experiences that are more meaningful, joyful and even helpful. Everyone deserves an experience that adds something to their lives, and we want to be behind this change innovation.

Anything else to add?
I am focused on building Format-3 into a global leader in technology and innovation. I think long-standing, larger agencies operate like dinosaurs and it's time someone more nimble, agile, innovative – and ultimately human focused - dominated the sector. Watch this space…