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Sheffield
With two universities with a combined total of 65,000 students at a given time, Sheffield’s industrial past is transforming into a digital future. Digital employment in the ‘Steel City’ and South Yorkshire stands at well over 21,000 and companies in the region boast one of the highest rates of turnover growth of any cluster in the UK at 47%.
Not only is there expert help from local institutions supporting this success story (the University of Sheffield’s world-leading Computer Science department and Sheffield Hallam’s fully integrated Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences facility) but spaces such as Sheffield Digital Campus and pre-seed accelerator Dotforge.
In recent years, Sheffield’s tech growth has been demonstrated by two UK flotations in the shape of infrastructure software development Servelec (£122 million) and distributed systems developer WANdisco (£15 million).
Support for digital companies in the area is set to improve greatly. Since the launch of Tech Nation, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has committed to investing £11m into tech hubs in Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield. This demonstrates clear recognition of the success of digital companies in the North of England. The tireless work of Tech City UK Cluster Alliance members Lee Strafford, Steve Wainwright, Doug Ward and Emma Cheshire were instrumental in bringing about these investments.
Strafford, co-founder of PlusNet is excited about the future of Sheffield: “Where there is a critical mass of entrepreneurs and digital and creative people, you can create a Tech City like cluster. We are starting to see this around Sheffield in particular.”
Support:
- Dotforge is the city’s most well-known accelerator programme; targeted at tech start-ups
- Social Innovation Accelerator scheme by Sheffield University. Participants must be either students or graduates of the university and operate a social venture
- Bioincubator scheme in Sheffield University. Biotech ventures can take particular advantage of the University of Sheffield’s
- Sheffield Digital Campus – The £110 million eCampus will be one of the most technologically advanced business sites in Europe
- Electric Works – is an office space for a vibrant community of creative, digital and media businesses in Sheffield
Funding:
- ‘Unlocking Business Investment’ programme, provides grants of between £25,000 and £2m to businesses looking to unlock private investment and create new jobs with sustainable projects
- The SME Loan Fund loans of between £5,000 and £25,000 available for businesses with a minimum of one year trading record
- Start Up Loans for Young People scheme. Scheme provides small loans for entrepreneurs aged 18-30 in the area of up to £5,000 to establish or grow start-ups
- Yorkshire-wide YABA (Yorkshire Association of Business Angels), the largest such consortium in the region
Rare is a marketing agency providing clients with strategic marketing, creative design and digital services. Its work encompasses design, software, search marketing and digital communications.
Flowify is a tablet application for hospitality. Its personal assistant, Sofia, helps hotels and restaurants increase revenue and reduce costs.
Sumo Digital develops gaming software for all major console and handheld platforms as well as mobile and tablet.
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