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.
Based in the UK or Ireland and got an innovative early-stage idea for the health sector? Validate that idea via the DigiHealth pre-accelerator - applications now open.
The lowdown on watchTowr, the startup that's on a mission to provide organisations with "continuous cyber security assurance aligned to the capabilities of today’s adversaries."
Fin Cope, CEO and Co-Founder of environmentally conscious marketplace GoEthical shares insights on the signs of greenwashing he looks out for to help avoid contributing to environmental harm.
Pet owners take note! GetSetPet is a startup on a mission to become the ultimate destination for your pet supplies.
Andrea Szell, Founder of Spare Desk shares some insights on the positive impact that sharing a workspace can have on our mental health.
.png)
The lowdown on Oxford Quantum Circuits, the innovative Reading-based startup that's on a mission to make quantum computing accessible to all.
.png)
Sodexo Live! and L Marks open call for applications from innovative startups and scaleups to join their inaugural North America Innovation Lab.
.png)
Startups founded by students and recent graduates from the University of Edinburgh secure SMART:SCOTLAND grants to help support their ambitious and innovative projects.
Lydia Kothmeier, VP of Operations at Storyblok shares insights on the processes and policies that every startup should have in place in order to make remote working work.
The lowdown on HoloToyz, the Irish startup and its products for kids that can come to life through the power of augmented reality.
Published on: 10th December 2017
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- DigiHealth Lean Launch Programme opens for applications 11th Aug 2022 Based in the UK or Ireland and got an innovative early-stage idea for the health sector? Validate that idea via the DigiHealth pre-accelerator - applications now open.
- Sodexo Live! And L Marks Seeking Startups and Scaleups for first ever North America Innovation Lab 5th Aug 2022 Sodexo Live! and L Marks open call for applications from innovative startups and scaleups to join their inaugural North America Innovation Lab.
- Innovative University-supported startups secure £500,000 in grant funding awards 4th Aug 2022 Startups founded by students and recent graduates from the University of Edinburgh secure SMART:SCOTLAND grants to help support their ambitious and innovative projects.
- Registrations Open for Inbound Investors 2022 2nd Aug 2022 Inbound Investors 2022 providing NI businesses with the opportunity to pitch directly to leading UK investors over the course of one day.
