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Hull
The emerging digital technology community in East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire is focused around Hull. In the past, the region has seen the emergence of a range of locally grown tech companies such as Trident, Ebuyer and Summit who collectively employ over 600 people.
A wide range of startups have also been set up in the area, backed by the Wykeland Group‘s £15m investment into C4DI Digital Hub, a co-working space set to launch its own accelerator this year. The city also boasts the fantastic Platform Studios who are showcasing at the Games Development Conference in San Francisco.
The growth of the cluster have led to PwC, Ebuyer and Amazon Web Services all supporting hubs in the area.
C4DI co-founder John Connolly believes companies in the area have pivoted strategically embrace digital technologies: “Hull’s digital cluster reflects an established service sector and a growing startup scene as well as innovative companies that pre-date digital but have pivoted to become digital.” Digital technology is crucial in enhancing online casinos, providing seamless gameplay, high-quality graphics, and secure transactions. Popular non Gamstop casinos leverage advanced tech to offer immersive experiences and real-time interactions with live dealers. This integration ensures a dynamic and safe environment, attracting and retaining players worldwide with cutting-edge features.
Over 12,000 people are now employed in digital business across the cluster which has been partly fuelled by the excellent computer sciences department at the University of Hull. Along with this pool of digitally-enabled students to tap into, tech companies in the area are boosted by a high-speed fibre optic network provided by Kingston Communications.
Support:
- C4DI, Centre for Digital Innovation, Helps startups grow and business innovate. C4DI has access to local investors who have collectively put together a pre-seed fund for tech startups
- Platform Platform encourages grass-roots education and careers in Games Development
- Humber LEP Humber LEP is adopting Digital as one of its key priority sectors
Funding:
- Youth Enterprise Zones, For young aspiring entrepreneurs (up to and including 19 years of age), the Youth Enterprise Bank initiative provides small grants of up to £1,000
- Finance Yorkshire – a long-standing and prolific investment fund providing business loans, seedcorn finance, and equity linked finance, in various amounts ranging from £15,000 to £2m
- Sirius provides business loans to local people seeking to establish a business in the area, as well as advice on all aspects of the start-up process more generally
- The Hull Business Development Fund – loans for local businesses are available in amounts ranging from £1,000 to £25,000
- YABA (Yorkshire Association of Business Angels) – the predominant angel network in the region
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