Norwich has been highlighted as one of five highly influential ‘alternative’ tech clusters and cities in Europe along with Toulouse, Gothenburg, Odense and Lausanne in an article published by Monty Munford in Tech.eu, a leading online publication dedicated to the growing European technology ecosystem.
The article flags up the work undertaken at Norwich Research Park mentioning two of our resident companies Tropic and TraitSeq to illustrate the strength in Agri-biotech and Food-biotech and also references the talent pool at one of the Park’s partners the University of East Anglia (UEA).
The roll call also includes Norwich University of the Arts, Sync the City, Akcela Ventures, Tech East, Anglia Capital Group, Aviva, Epos Now and Pikl Insurance, all excellent company to be keeping.
It is a real good illustration of the diversity of sectors Norwich supports and the specialisms in Agri-biotech, Food-biotech, FinTech, InsurTech and CreaTech that it has become a hub for.
Here is what Monty had to say about our fine city.
Norwich, UK
The talent pool is increasingly impressive. The University of East Anglia (UEA) and Norwich University of the Arts (NUA) provide a stream of graduates in computer science, climate science, engineering, business and creative industries making it easy for local start-ups and established tech companies to recruit.
Norwich has an especially supportive tech community. The cluster organisation Tech East and multiple meet-ups provide networking opportunities and mentors for aspiring entrepreneurs and tech professionals. These groups foster collaboration, creating a fertile ground for innovation. Incubators such as Akcela provide hands-on support. The investment landscape is strengthening (Anglia Capital Group is an active angel network). And every year SyncTheCity, a 54 hour startup weekend, attracts a large crowd and spawns new MVPs.
Specialisms include AgriTech, FinTech, InsurTech and CreaTech. A good example, Norwich Research Park, with internationally significant bio-focused research institutions such as the Earlham Institute and John Innes Centre, now generating AgriTech spinouts like Tropic and TraitSeq. In FinTech the major presence of Aviva supports tech skills initiatives as providing an ideas and talent pool for large scale-ups such as Epos Now and hot start-ups like Pikl.
The city offers a more affordable cost of living than London or Cambridge (both about 90 mins away), making it an attractive hub for new start-ups and established businesses looking to expand and this affordability extends to office space. The quality of life in Norwich is tangible – the city offers a balanced lifestyle, combining a thriving urban environment of independent shops and restaurants with easy access to the North Norfolk Coast, Norfolk Broads and beautiful countryside. For tech founders it’s a powerful mixture.
We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.
