Research released last month from Barclays and Business Growth Fund showed a staggering 8.6 per cent of 18 to 64-year-olds are involved in start-ups. Thanks to growth in crowdfunding, incubators and accelerators, it is easier than ever for start-ups to get off the ground. Cambridge finds itself at the very centre of the boom, bringing in an impressive £135 million in investment funding in 2014; second only to London, according to Business Zone.
Government policy is also increasingly placing entrepreneurial innovation as a top priority, especially within technology. The 2015 budget announcement made by George Osbourne pledged £500 million towards next generation technologies, an indication of just how much value is placed on the technology sector’s potential future contribution to the UK economy. Included within the announcement was a promise of review on regulation which is inhibiting innovation within disruptive technology.
“The typical timeline from taking a high-tech product from inception to market has been reduced substantially in the last decade,” said Benedikt von Thuengen, CEO at Speechmatics, a young speech recognition company. “These shorter product lifecycles coupled with extremely low entry barriers means that technology start–ups are booming; but as a result it has become a crowded marketplace with a lot of background noise making it more important than ever to stand out from the crowd.”
With this crowded marketplace in mind, Cambridge Wireless is putting together a dedicated Start-up Zone at this year’s Future of Wireless International Conference at the Emirates Stadium in London on 23 and 24 June. ‘The Start-up Zone will be a fantastic opportunity for UK and international start-ups to exhibit the hottest technologies, apps, solutions and gadgets they have to offer,” said Gerlinde Gniewosz, CEO of KO-SU. “As winners of the CW Discovering Start Ups Competition last year we are very excited to have another platform to showcase ourselves.”
For more information on the International Future of Wireless Conference, visit: http://www.cambridgewireless.co.uk/futureofwireless/default.aspx
To book a table for the Start-Up Zone or further information please contact Lisa Ellis on lisa.ellis@cambridgewireless.co.uk, or call +44 (0)1223 967103.
About Cambridge Wireless (CW)
CW is the leading international community for companies involved in the research, development and application of wireless & mobile, internet, semiconductor and software technologies. With 400 members from major network operators and device manufacturers to innovative start-ups and universities, CW stimulates debate and collaboration, harnesses and shares knowledge, and helps to build connections between academia and industry. CW's 19 Special Interest Groups (SIGs) provide its members with a dynamic forum where they can network with their peers, track the latest technology trends and business developments and position their organisations in key market sectors.
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For Cambridge Wireless please contact: Lily Cheng, Cambridge Wireless 01223 967101, lily.cheng@cambridgewireless.co.uk
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