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Bristol & Bath
Bristol & Bath has produced some huge digital companies in recent years and the cluster is now an established supplier of world-leading technology firms and entrepreneurs. Such is the success of the area that global giants Aardman Animation, Amazon (iMDB) and Hewlett Packard are all based there.
As well huge digital companies operating in mature industries, Bristol & Bath has produced some hugely innovative and successful startups in recent times. From Imaginarium’s motion capture, to Maplebird’s development of micro-robotics ‘ultra-sonic’ reactive technology from Ultrahaptics, and 3D printable artificial limbs from Open Bionics, creative innovation lies at the heart of this thriving cluster.
The digital community in the area is also growing at a rapid rate with a 65% increase in new digital companies incorporated between 2010-13. This has led to Bristol & Bath becoming the second largest digital employer in the UK, with 61,653 people working in tech.
With all the new companies and employees in the cluster, it is vital that there is a strong set of support networks available to digital entrepreneurs, and Bristol & Bath has an abundance. Bristol & Bath Science Park, SETsquared, Engine Shed, The Guild, BathSPARK, TechSPARK, WebStart Bristol, Bristol Games Hub and Invest Bristol & Bath provide startups in the area with extensive industry specific support opportunities.
Director of Bristol & Bath Science Park, Bonnie Dean, is enthused by the diversity of the cluster’s digital ecosystem: “The tech scene in Bristol is really broad – there’s a very strong creative sector, companies working on silicon chip design and also cybersecurity, games and computer simulation.”
Support
- Bristol Games Hub, good value collaborative space
- Bristol Robotics Lab, Brings together leading experts, businesses and innovative startups to spearhead robotics research in the UK
- Engine Shed, Comprising 17 offices, shared desk spaces, meeting rooms, and a business lounge
- Rocketmakers, provides financial and professional support to new businesses within the fields of web and mobile
- Setsquared – a not-for-profit organisation that supports over 1,000 small businesses
- WebStart Bristol – 10 weeks of workshops for 10 startups
Funding
- The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership
- Webstart Bristol, an internet incubator which nurtures tech startups in Bristol
- Seedrs, helps great startups by giving them access to a larger pool of investors
- Swain, Swain specialises in helping South West SMEs find equity finance and business ‘Angel Investors’
- ICON Corporate Finance – also run the FInTech50 programme
neighbourly is a social network that connects community projects with companies who want to make a meaningful difference. Communities tell their story through social media.
Gradwell builds and manages
‘intelligent’ Internet systems that support the needs for broadband, email, domains, web hosting and telecoms. Clients include 75% of the UK’s telecom providers.
Health Apps Ltd produces easy-to-use apps to help people become healthier. Its apps undergo extensive research and are developed alongside medics and healthcare professionals.
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