You’ve got your billion pound idea, it’s fool-proof, it’s your golden ticket, and nothing can stop you now. But this groundbreaking business needs a home doesn’t it?
You need a space to call your own, where your company can grow and shape the city around it. But where to go? Where can give you all that, on a startup’s budget? London’s a pipe dream, the rents are too high, not to mention the cost of living. So, where to go? Bristol. That’s where. Earlier this year Gravitywell estimated that the cost of living in Bristol is “is half the price of London when it comes to renting.” A city on the rise, Bristol is the perfect place for your business to find its feet, and here’s why:
First of all, there’s no end to startup support here in Bristol, whatever your sector there’s a wide range of incubator programs designed to get your business started and see it thrive. UWE for example, hosts multiple startup spaces for graduates to give them the space they need to reach their full potential and it’s not just UWE graduates they host. In their Launch Space project, if you graduated from any UK university in the past three years and have a budding business idea, they can offer you desk space in their Frenchay Campus’ Enterprise Zone and 12 months of business support, all for free, in order to give your business the best chance possible to succeed. As well as this, their Future Space incubation facility is specifically designed to help tech startups find their feet. In association with Oxford Innovation, it offers a flexible work space that can help businesses grow and collaborate with university research teams. Bristol’s universities are a great source of support for startups, with the University Of Bristol also working in tandem with the Engine Shed in order to, in their own words, work “with entrepreneurs in under-represented communities to provide business support and understand systemic barriers.” You and your startup will not lack for support in Bristol.
Secondly, Bristol has seen has massive growth in the last few years in the amount of co-working office space available, perfect for a startup. Less than a year ago, local publication Bristol 24/7 noted that “Bristol is underrepresented within the flexible workspace sector,” with only 180’000 sq ft of flexible work space available in the city centre. This has seen a dramatic change and emerged as a budding new sector in Bristol and the surrounding area. Hot-desking and co-working spaces are now massively on the rise, offering the perfect environment to set up shop. With the Engine Shed estimating that over 800’000 sq ft of new office space is under development in Bristol, it won’t be hard to find the perfect place to call home for your business. As well as the Engine Shed offering office space, there’s established co-working spaces for creative businesses such as Studio 31 and exciting new developments including Square Works, due to open in June, 2019.
Finally, Bristol is going places, aside from the budding sector of office sharing spaces, there is plenty to be excited about here. Most recently, Channel 4 have announced that Bristol will be the home for their new creative hub at the Fintzel’s Reach waterfront offices and Ashton Gate has proposed plans for a £100 million sports centre, bringing the city’s basketball, football and rugby teams together in one location. There is plenty to be excited about all around Bristol, especially with one of the city’s most famous establishments the Watershed Cinema proposing its Bigger Shed project and expanding to over four storeys while also offering a huge boost to waterfront business. All of this expansion means Bristol is a great city, growing quickly and offering the perfect opportunity for you and your startup to find a place and make it your own.
Still doubtful? Then look no further than some of the massive success stories that have come from Bristol-based startups. This includes Aardman Animation, famous for the Wallace and Gromit characters, as well as multiple other productions. The offers and discounts app Wriggle also found its feet here, as well as the fiercely unique, local publication Crack Magazine. Bristol is a city proud of its independent spirit and unique attitude, with its multiple options for startup support, its ever-growing options for co-working offices and the exciting future ahead, there’s no better place to build a home for your startup.
