News

Welsh book-finding app gains international recognition

15 Sep 2026 3 minute read

Nation.Cymru Staff

A Welsh startup behind an app which can identify every book on a shelf from a single photograph has received international recognition for its design.

Spines, founded in Pontypool by software engineer Noel Lynagh, received honourable mention in the Fast Company 2026 Innovation by Design Awards in the On the Rise: 0–4 Years in Business category.

The Spines app identifies books on charity shop shelves from user photographs, then flags the ones worth a closer look based on the reader’s own taste and ratings.

Books that have won or been shortlisted for the Booker, the Pulitzer, the Costa and other awards are also picked out on the shelf.

Since launching on iOS and Android in early 2026, the app has been used by more than 10,000 readers, who have scanned over 9,000 shelves between them.

The company also runs a free online directory of charity shops for book hunters, covering more than 1,700 shops across 76 UK cities, and a Nearby feature that lets readers see, anonymously, which shops near them have had good books spotted recently.

The Fast Company recognition follows a run of Welsh awards for the company, including a win in the Retail & E-Commerce category for Wales at the UK StartUp Awards 2026.

Spines was also a national finalist at Ideas Fest on 9 September, and in the Digital Business category at the Wales Business Awards 2026.

Founder Noel Lynagh said: “I built Spines because I kept leaving charity shops empty handed and then buying the same books on Amazon a week later. The shops had what I wanted. I just couldn’t see it.

“Seeing a Welsh company on the same list as Google and Adidas is a good moment for us, and I’m glad the design got noticed. Making a cluttered shelf photographed on a phone in bad light feel simple was most of the work.”

Now in its 15th year, the Innovation by Design Awards recognise design across a range of categories, with entries judged on factors including originality, sustainability, user insight and business impact.

This year’s honourees include over 300 projects, products, and services from Google, Adidas, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and others.

Honourees were selected by a panel of designers, business executives from leading organizations, and Fast Company editors.

Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company, said: “The Innovation by Design Awards have always recognized the ideas that challenge convention and show what’s possible when design is treated as a strategic force, not an afterthought.

“Congratulations to this year’s honourees, who demonstrate how thoughtful design can solve meaningful problems and create new possibilities for people and businesses.”

To see the complete list of honourees, visit the Fast Company site here. More information on the winners is available in the Fall issue of Fast Company magazine on newsstands September 22, 2026.

The Spines app is available here.

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