where in the UK for a software company?
Discussion
Wales! Everything you need except a decent airport but locate close to the Second Seven Crossing and you can be at Bristol Airport within 40 minutes.
Many attractive places for people to live - whether rural, by the beach or in cities like Cardiff.
The Welsh Government can be shocking in many respects but Economic development is not one of them. It places great stay on businesses linking with academia. Academia is also geared up to tailoring elements of their courses to prepare students for specific companies.
There is a large talent pool and salaries are lower than those in the South East. The workforce is, in general, also extremely loyal and staff turnover for Wales is lower than just about any other region of the UK.
Added to this, Wales does have the most generous grant regime in the UK that is aimed specifically at attracting businesses such as yours.
If you would like an introductory chat to an officer at the Welsh Government to see exactly what they can offer, just let me know. If you look to take it further, I am an independent consultant that helps companies to secure the grant support and I work on a no-win, no-fee basis.
Many attractive places for people to live - whether rural, by the beach or in cities like Cardiff.
The Welsh Government can be shocking in many respects but Economic development is not one of them. It places great stay on businesses linking with academia. Academia is also geared up to tailoring elements of their courses to prepare students for specific companies.
There is a large talent pool and salaries are lower than those in the South East. The workforce is, in general, also extremely loyal and staff turnover for Wales is lower than just about any other region of the UK.
Added to this, Wales does have the most generous grant regime in the UK that is aimed specifically at attracting businesses such as yours.
If you would like an introductory chat to an officer at the Welsh Government to see exactly what they can offer, just let me know. If you look to take it further, I am an independent consultant that helps companies to secure the grant support and I work on a no-win, no-fee basis.
A real curve ball here as its not in a major city but read on.
Daresbury Warrington - http://www.sci-techdaresbury.com/
15 mins from Manchester Airport
30-40 mins from Manchester City Centre, Liverpool Airport, Liverpool City Centre and Chester
15 mins from South Manchesters town and village's i.e. nice places to live
30 mins and your into Wales for scenery and driving.
Alongside the M56 so easily commuteable from Manchester/Chester/Wirral/Wales.
Science and Technology Park with Governement Enterprise Zone status. It was originally a scientific research facility which in 2006 was expanded into its current form.
Daresbury Warrington - http://www.sci-techdaresbury.com/
15 mins from Manchester Airport
30-40 mins from Manchester City Centre, Liverpool Airport, Liverpool City Centre and Chester
15 mins from South Manchesters town and village's i.e. nice places to live
30 mins and your into Wales for scenery and driving.
Alongside the M56 so easily commuteable from Manchester/Chester/Wirral/Wales.
Science and Technology Park with Governement Enterprise Zone status. It was originally a scientific research facility which in 2006 was expanded into its current form.
Move to the City - you are surrounded by airports (I think City airport is one of the best airports I've used - so quick in and out). You can then live in any surrouding suburb and commute via train, motorcycle or car. You also have Stansted, Gatwick & Heathrow within close vicinity.
There are some really good locations not far from central London but you'll pay for it. Areas like Hampstead Heath, Rickmansworth and the surrounding villages in North and North West London. You also have the Surrey Hills in South West London (not far from the Chelsea training ground, Dorking etc). You can move a little further out for some cheaper prices and still have decent accessibility into central London.
There are plenty of tech companies in London too.
There are some really good locations not far from central London but you'll pay for it. Areas like Hampstead Heath, Rickmansworth and the surrounding villages in North and North West London. You also have the Surrey Hills in South West London (not far from the Chelsea training ground, Dorking etc). You can move a little further out for some cheaper prices and still have decent accessibility into central London.
There are plenty of tech companies in London too.
Without a doubt Cambridge. The M4 corridor is certainly home to more big tech company HQs and sales organisations but the clever stuff is done here.
Lacking in hills but other than that a really really nice place to live and as long as you avoid the city centre, which you would as there is little scope for putting a business there loads of decent roads round and about also 1 hour from Snetterton, Brands, Silverstone, Donnington, Rockingham, sorry I meant Heathrow / City / Stanstead airports.
Depending on how big an office you need we may have some space that can be rented at a reasonable rate.
Ben
Lacking in hills but other than that a really really nice place to live and as long as you avoid the city centre, which you would as there is little scope for putting a business there loads of decent roads round and about also 1 hour from Snetterton, Brands, Silverstone, Donnington, Rockingham, sorry I meant Heathrow / City / Stanstead airports.
Depending on how big an office you need we may have some space that can be rented at a reasonable rate.
Ben
jammy_basturd said:
bit of one in Cardiff, but I've heard the Welsh community is a bit more Wales focused/insular
Not at all, more that prising work away from other parts of the UK like London is very difficult for Welsh based companies so a lot of the work that gets done is regional.The main exception to this are companies like confused and gocompare who have a particular product with national appeal that they develop themselves in house.
Thanks for all the advice. The reason for looking to the UK are that it can be quite difficult to find really good people in the Geneva/Lausanne part of Switzerland, which - together with the very high cost of living here - then leads to high salaries for these people (about GBP100K + 25% social charges for good people after a few years of experience). Finally there are additional cultural/language issues which whilst manageable just take time to understand and properly manage. Accordingly in the UK I'm hoping we can get more talent for our money with less hassle than in Switzerland.
The "high tech roundabout" in London has been recommended to me by the British Embassy (who provide advice to companies interested in re-locating). I quite like the idea and used to live in London so know the advantages - my concern is that by the time we have factored in the costs (and the increased competition from other companies) I can imagine that the advantages over Switzerland may not be so great).
For the other areas, my thinking is:
Edinburgh/Glasgow - agree, this is an attractive area. We already have consultants who are based here and this would make a lot of sense. My only (minor) concerns are that (i) most of my contacts are in the London/Cambridge area and (ii) future political uncertainty.
Manchester area, Belfast and Wales - will take a look at these in more detail - could be interesting if frequent direct flights to Geneva are possible.
Suffolk - now you're talking - this is one of my favourite parts of the UK - edge of Suffolk near Cambridge might be possible ...
Thanks for the tips
Suffolk
The "high tech roundabout" in London has been recommended to me by the British Embassy (who provide advice to companies interested in re-locating). I quite like the idea and used to live in London so know the advantages - my concern is that by the time we have factored in the costs (and the increased competition from other companies) I can imagine that the advantages over Switzerland may not be so great).
For the other areas, my thinking is:
Edinburgh/Glasgow - agree, this is an attractive area. We already have consultants who are based here and this would make a lot of sense. My only (minor) concerns are that (i) most of my contacts are in the London/Cambridge area and (ii) future political uncertainty.
Manchester area, Belfast and Wales - will take a look at these in more detail - could be interesting if frequent direct flights to Geneva are possible.
Suffolk - now you're talking - this is one of my favourite parts of the UK - edge of Suffolk near Cambridge might be possible ...
Thanks for the tips
Suffolk
Suffolk911 said:
The "high tech roundabout" in London has been recommended to me by the British Embassy (who provide advice to companies interested in re-locating). I quite like the idea and used to live in London so know the advantages - my concern is that by the time we have factored in the costs (and the increased competition from other companies) I can imagine that the advantages over Switzerland may not be so great).
I presume your competition for developers in London is city banks who tend to have deep pockets.Suffolk side of Cambridge would certainly be possible, although there seems to be less tech companies in that direction. You could of course set up in Cambridge but live in Suffolk
BigBen said:
Suffolk911 said:
The "high tech roundabout" in London has been recommended to me by the British Embassy (who provide advice to companies interested in re-locating). I quite like the idea and used to live in London so know the advantages - my concern is that by the time we have factored in the costs (and the increased competition from other companies) I can imagine that the advantages over Switzerland may not be so great).
I presume your competition for developers in London is city banks who tend to have deep pockets.jammy_basturd said:
I would say the big banks as much, depending on your business type. There are over 5000 startups in and around TechCity, with most of those guys web development (either server side or client) and or UX, etc. Financials development is a completely different discipline IMO.
Almost all the development in banking/financial is offshore now. Not all, but almost all. Gizmoish said:
Almost all the development in banking/financial is offshore now. Not all, but almost all.
Yes a significant amount of development is now done offshore, but I'd estimate, based on my experience with a number of banks, the figure is no more than 50%. Highly skilled development jobs within banks still abound in the UK.York Science Park:
http://www.yorksciencepark.co.uk/york-science-park...
Have you approached UKTI:
http://www.ukti.gov.uk/investintheuk/sectoropportu...
http://www.yorksciencepark.co.uk/york-science-park...
Have you approached UKTI:
http://www.ukti.gov.uk/investintheuk/sectoropportu...
Olivera said:
Gizmoish said:
Almost all the development in banking/financial is offshore now. Not all, but almost all.
Yes a significant amount of development is now done offshore, but I'd estimate, based on my experience with a number of banks, the figure is no more than 50%. Highly skilled development jobs within banks still abound in the UK.Regarding the near-shoring, I know some banks and other companies are looking to move IT functions to Birmingham. There's a couple of growing science / technology parks there, and with London under 90 minutes away by train it's not quite as crazy an idea as it initially sounds.
Not particularly salubrious though.
Can only really comment on this one...
My 2p's worth: Cambridge is a suprisingly small 'bubble', and I'd be wary of setting up outside the city. A few miles down the A14 or up the A10 or down the M11, it all feels... well, a bit like a slower country. There are many very OK but unhappening villages/towns - they just do not feel 'dynamic'. Bury St Edmunds is nice enough, for example, but I could not imagine many stellar developers wanting to live/work there for very long.
Plus, central Cambridge has many many networking opportunities. I've lost count of the various forums there are - for business and people. E.g. http://www.hauserforum.com for one. Come and pinch some very smart people from Microsoft Research.
It's also a small but happening place to be. There are technology/literature/music/ideas festivals very frequently.
It's expensive, and housing quality is lousy and poor value for money, but I'd not be anywhere else.
PS: I'd also investigate Brighton, if I were you.
Suffolk911 said:
Suffolk - now you're talking - this is one of my favourite parts of the UK - edge of Suffolk near Cambridge might be possible ...
I was based in Suffolk and last year I moved my business to Cambridge.My 2p's worth: Cambridge is a suprisingly small 'bubble', and I'd be wary of setting up outside the city. A few miles down the A14 or up the A10 or down the M11, it all feels... well, a bit like a slower country. There are many very OK but unhappening villages/towns - they just do not feel 'dynamic'. Bury St Edmunds is nice enough, for example, but I could not imagine many stellar developers wanting to live/work there for very long.
Plus, central Cambridge has many many networking opportunities. I've lost count of the various forums there are - for business and people. E.g. http://www.hauserforum.com for one. Come and pinch some very smart people from Microsoft Research.
It's also a small but happening place to be. There are technology/literature/music/ideas festivals very frequently.
It's expensive, and housing quality is lousy and poor value for money, but I'd not be anywhere else.
PS: I'd also investigate Brighton, if I were you.
mattdaniels said:
Olivera said:
Gizmoish said:
Almost all the development in banking/financial is offshore now. Not all, but almost all.
Yes a significant amount of development is now done offshore, but I'd estimate, based on my experience with a number of banks, the figure is no more than 50%. Highly skilled development jobs within banks still abound in the UK.Regarding the near-shoring, I know some banks and other companies are looking to move IT functions to Birmingham. There's a couple of growing science / technology parks there, and with London under 90 minutes away by train it's not quite as crazy an idea as it initially sounds.
Not particularly salubrious though.
There are plenty of IT jobs in Birmingham but it is not a hub of one particular specialist area, you will find medical, manufacturing and finance (banks, insurance and pensions) all scattered about the city.
BigBen said:
Without a doubt Cambridge. The M4 corridor is certainly home to more big tech company HQs and sales organisations but the clever stuff is done here.
Lacking in hills but other than that a really really nice place to live and as long as you avoid the city centre, which you would as there is little scope for putting a business there loads of decent roads round and about also 1 hour from Snetterton, Brands, Silverstone, Donnington, Rockingham, sorry I meant Heathrow / City / Stanstead airports.
Depending on how big an office you need we may have some space that can be rented at a reasonable rate.
Ben
I'd agree with that to a point. Lacking in hills but other than that a really really nice place to live and as long as you avoid the city centre, which you would as there is little scope for putting a business there loads of decent roads round and about also 1 hour from Snetterton, Brands, Silverstone, Donnington, Rockingham, sorry I meant Heathrow / City / Stanstead airports.
Depending on how big an office you need we may have some space that can be rented at a reasonable rate.
Ben
Don't believe the nonsense about Silicon Roundabout/Techcity unless you want a web developer with a silly hair cut.
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