The Welsh economy may have been built on coal, but Cardiff & Swansea are now building an impressive digital tech cluster.
Cardiff University’s National Software Academy is producing work-ready software engineering graduates and the Alacrity Foundation is nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, Innovation Point helps to drive growth and Cardiff Start, Wales’s largest startup community, connects entrepreneurs.
The burgeoning digital tech sector is fuelled by robust infrastructure, excellent universities and competitive costs. Only two hours from London, it is attracting an increasing number of businesses.
Last year, the UK Government announced an annual £10 million of Government support until 2020/21 for a new Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult based in Cardiff.
The University of South Wales, in collaboration with Innovation Point, launched the National Cyber Security Academy to educate highly-skilled cyber security graduates for the future.
The Welsh Government’s ‘Superfast’ programme offers connection to next-generation broadband, with connectivity spreading at a pace across Wales. The £1.28 billion Cardiff Capital Region City Deal plans include a world-class metro system and a series of measures aiming to drive digital innovation across South East Wales.
Not content with that, the Swansea Bay City Region’s £500 million deal aims to transform the region into a digital super-hub building on the strengths of the local University and Tidal Lagoon. The Development Bank of Wales, due to launch this year, will provide more than £1 billion of investment support to Welsh business.
Finally, Cardiff Metropolitan will be opening a new Cardiff School of Technologies in Cardiff City centre. The new school will specialise in digital media, data science and design technologies.
AMPLYFI is a leading Cardiff-based startup that has developed an artificial intelligence software platform, DataVoyant. By leveraging all open-source data in the Surface and Deep Web, DataVoyant is set to revolutionise the business intelligence sector.
We have tremendous support from core components of the Welsh innovation ecosystem: investment from Finance Wales, funding from the Welsh Government, backing by NatWest’s accelerator Entrepreneurial Spark, and access to some of Europe’s most successful entrepreneurs.
Wealthify is a major player in the exciting new robo-investing sector, offering a low-cost alternative to traditional investing. We are an easy, affordable online investment service open to anyone who wants to start investing.
Cardiff is a fast-growing centre of excellence in fintech. There’s a strong and growing community of small digital tech startups in the area – reflected in the number of tech-hub shared working spaces across the city. This has created a supportive environment for startups.