Two former HTC executives have set up on their own in a bid, like their former employer, to challenge larger rivals in the smartphone market.

Kazam is a new, UK-based smartphone vendor set up by Michael Coombes (pictured), a former head of  UK sales with HTC, and James Atkins, who was the vendor’s UK marketing chief.

A number of other new handset vendors have come to the market recently, including Jolla which is populated by several ex-Nokia staff. Another example is Fairphone, which is targeting ethical consumers with its proposed handset.

However, the massive challenge for newcomers is to find a niche and establish a brand in the face of the overwhelming market power of larger rivals.

A clue to how this most recent entrant might differentiate itself might comes in its announcement, where Coombes said: “Kazam is about stunning design, robust hardware and intuitive technology, underpinned by outstanding customer service”.

The aim is for Kazam’s first smartphone to hit the market later this year. However, there is no mention of which OS the company will use. Android is the most obvious candidate but Coombes declined to confirm in an interview with Techcrunch.

He did say the company has private equity backing but would not confirm the size of its financial support.