What is Tech Nation?
by Startacus Admin
Tech City UK was created approx six years ago to make London a tech hub - the place to be for tech startups. It had great success in helping London become a flourishing tech ecosystem and, three years later, it expanded into the North, thereby creating Tech North.
By interconnecting all the tech hubs of London and the North of England, Tech City UK and Tech North helped elevate the region to ‘tech excellence’.
Now it is time to expand again across the UK. With government backing, Tech City UK and Tech North will become the not-for-profit Tech Nation and continue their work of connecting tech hubs (or clusters, as they are calling them) across 11 regions. Public and private funding will help Tech Nation create a strong tech network and raise that network’s profile through events and programmes. This rebrand will take effect at the start of the financial year, in April 2018.
We recently wrote about La French Tech, a similar movement in France. La French Tech has worked wonders for...well, French Tech, and helped them become one of the global leaders of the tech startup scene, outdoing the UK in terms of VC funding in the first half of 2017 and the number of fastest growing tech companies.
To give a rounder picture of Tech Nation, and the general take on it, we have gathered together a handful of interesting articles about the upcoming organisation and the tech scene it hopes to interconnect and strengthen. 
It makes sense to start with this rather good one from Tech City UK themselves, answering the top 10 questions regarding Tech Nation.
Brexit has made this a time of uncertainty and constant worry for many. The UK tech scene is likely to be hit particularly strongly by it, but will Tech Nation be able to strengthen UK tech enough to weather the storm? That is what Siliconrepublic asks in this article.
This article from Prolific North raises the question of what Tech Nation’s expansion across the UK, rather than just London and the North, means in terms of a possible dilution of focus compared to the previous targeted focus of Tech City UK and Tech North.
Continuing in the vein of balanced opinion, this Wired article shows that not everyone is happy about the way this government is handling the UK tech scene. Even the government backing of Tech Nation isn’t enough to garner confidence for everyone.
Lastly, according Business Matters, 1 in 5 London tech employees are considering moving out of the city to other hubs such as Birmingham, Sheffield, or Glasgow. This could prove beneficial for the overall economy as well as the push to expand the UK’s tech scene across the whole of the UK rather than localised within London and some of the North.
Let us know what you think of this rebrand of Tech City UK and Tech North to Tech Nation!
We think, thumbs up - its a good place to start. Removing barriers to entry, supporting and further connecting a 'whole' UK ecosystem, attract more global tech tech talent to the UK...they are all good things, so we look forward to seeing how this 'nationwide' brand expansion plays out over time.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Got a business in the manufacturing sector? These tips on how you can reduce energy costs while being more sustainable are well worth a read...
 Daniel Dierkes, David Schara, and Maximilian Geißinger 2.jpeg)
Innovative InsurTech startup SureIn announces a €4M Seed round to further its mission of making insurance easy, transparent and hassle-free for SMBs.
Nassia Skoulikariti, Director of IoT Programmes, Mobile Ecosystem Forum shares some insights on how IoT is having a significant impact on all our lives.
.jpg)
Roger James Hamilton, Founder and CEO of Genius Group, a world-leading entrepreneur Edtech and education group, discusses how introducing a globalized curriculum will help better prepare students.
SuperFi, the debt prevention platform, has announced a $1m pre-seed funding round to support people during the cost of living crisis.
41 startups from 13 countries, including the UK, have been selected for the 8th Kickstart Innovation program, one of Europe’s leading innovation platforms.
Personal training platform Another Round has secured £300k in its latest fundraise, including investment from angels and its community.
Thingtrax Secures £4.3M to Empower Manufacturers to Build the Factories of the Future
A measure of inflation relief for small firms sees transport costs fall but service price increases remain elevated
Bedfordshire-based HR tech startup HR DataHub has built a range of tools for HR departments
Published on: 10th December 2017
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- SureIn Secures €4M to Close the SMB Insurance Gap 15th Aug 2023 Innovative InsurTech startup SureIn announces a €4M Seed round to further its mission of making insurance easy, transparent and hassle-free for SMBs.
- SuperFi raises $1M pre-seed funding round 28th Jul 2023 SuperFi, the debt prevention platform, has announced a $1m pre-seed funding round to support people during the cost of living crisis.
- Startups rely on AI & sustainability for new partnerships 27th Jul 2023 41 startups from 13 countries, including the UK, have been selected for the 8th Kickstart Innovation program, one of Europe’s leading innovation platforms.
- Another Round closes £300k Seed round to revolutionise personal training 21st Jul 2023 Personal training platform Another Round has secured £300k in its latest fundraise, including investment from angels and its community.
