Chloe SmithMP for Norwich North
Chloe Smith
The digital economy is growing, and East Anglia is right at the forefront. That was the mood as TechEast launched its mission, vision and manifesto this week at the BT Tower in London.
The event follows the publication of the 2016 Tech Nation report, identifying the most significant tech clusters in the UK. Both Norfolk and Suffolk were profiled in the report. Together our digital tech communities contribute £350m to the local economy.
Local success stories include mobile payment business Proxama, artificial intelligence company Rainbird, and location technology entrepreneurs Axon Vibe.
This week’s event brought together Tech company founders from both Norfolk and Suffolk, who outlined their ambitions to grow the cluster further. Local MP Chloe Smith was there to speak up for businesses and consumers in Norwich.
TechEast is a new entity, giving Norfolk and Suffolk tech community one voice. It is supported by Norfolk and Suffolk Chambers, Norfolk & Suffolk County Councils and the New Anglia LEP.
Commenting on the plan, Chloe said:
“Supporting local tech businesses in East Anglia is key to promoting growth and attracting talent across our region. Norwich already has the third highest concentration of science and research parks in the country, and of course two leading universities. We are churning out high quality graduates, but we must ensure the opportunities are there locally so this talent doesn’t all end up leaving to London.
“The recent Tech Nation report rightly identifies co-working spaces like Whitespace which are providing affordable space for startups. Meanwhile initiatives like Grants4Growth are helping to overcome the challenge of accessing finance. Building what hopes to become the UK’s most open and collaborative digital tech cluster, backed by educational partners, will promote skills, innovation and entrepreneurship. This is expected to generate £650 million of growth in our regional economy by 2020, as well as creating a further 5,000 new jobs.”