August 30th, 2016
If you are looking for a great location for a digital start-up, the fast-growing town of Swindon in Wiltshire is a popular place to be based. There is a high level of skill in the area, which falls within the cluster of digital expertise in South West England often described as “Silicon Gorge.
Basepoint provides office space in Swindon to a wide range of companies at our business centre in the town, including digital businesses. Here we will look at Swindon’s advantages as a location for technology companies.
Silicon Gorge
Together with nearby Gloucester and Bristol, Swindon is part of a triangle where many high-tech companies are based. Drawing its name from the Avon Gorge, the Silicon Gorge area is known as one of the fastest-growing digital areas in the UK outside London. Its concentration of technology and research companies is the fifth highest in Europe.
Meanwhile, Wiltshire overall is known as a county with a high rate of start-up success. Wiltshire Business Hub recently estimated that 94% of business launches in the county succeed, a figure which is higher than the national average. While this statistic covers a wide range of business types, many start-ups choose to launch here partly because of the high digital skill levels.
Swindon and its immediately surrounding area have a number of innovative companies working in fields such as telecoms and the design of microchips. Other tech firms based locally, including a wide range of SMEs, specialise in software development, e-commerce to website design, computer graphics and many other digital areas.
Digital Heritage and Future
As a testament to Swindon’s strong interest in all aspects of computing, the town is home to the Museum of Computing. Based in Theatre Square in the “new town” area, this museum was the first of its kind in the country. Plans for the collection were first mooted in 1989 and it moved into its current site in 2009. The museum has a wide range of computers, games consoles and “hands-on” exhibits. It organises many educational events.
As well as celebrating the UK’s digital heritage, the town is also looking to the future and many companies based locally are at the cutting edge of technology. Intel has opened an innovation centre at its UK HQ in the town which is helping to develop the Internet of Things, also known as IoT. This is an exciting field which enables “smart” devices to communicate via the internet. The centre tests hardware and builds analytics to help businesses embrace this new technology.
Starting Up a Digital Business in Swindon
There are various different organisations which offer support to new businesses or those moving to Swindon and help them to find sources of funding. Swindon and Wiltshire Growth Hub runs a business network which aims to provide all kinds of support and advice to start-ups, including digital enterprises. This includes guidance over many different aspects of launching your business, ranging from finding finance to creating a business plan.
Forward Swindon, which is owned by Swindon Borough Council, also provides a business investment service to help companies who are moving into the area or expanding. It also helps firms which are relocating to the town to establish themselves and promote their services.
Because of the area’s popularity as a business location, it may not always be easy for digital SMEs to rent office space in Swindon which fits their needs. If you are looking for somewhere in a good location, where you will be part of a community together with other companies, Basepoint business centre at Westlea could be just what you need. Our centre has a great selection of serviced offices to let with facilities including superfast broadband and digital phone networks, which makes them an ideal location for high-tech companies. We also offer workshops and studios, all on easy flexible terms.
Office Space in Swindon – Follow the link for more details of our serviced office rentals.
