What is Tech City?
Pressured with what to write about in Zebra’s Launch Blog post, I figured why not start with home.
We are based in the heart of what is profoundly named ‘Tech City’, a Vibrant, dynamic cluster of Creative and Digital companies which mainly inhabits Old Street and Shoreditch (with anomaly businesses outside of these confounds). Though what actually constitutes Tech City?
Plummeting into research to shine light on this, I have quickly discovered that Tech City has spun a web of discussions across the web though with little clarity into what Tech City actually is. Therefore I have set upon myself to find out some sort of definitive definition without writing an ever going essay which I’m sure will lose you to your Facebook feeds.
UK’s Tech City is often talked about as one of the most dynamic and fast growing technical hubs in the world. Based in East London it feeds from the energy and creative environment that exudes Shoreditch though if you look back in 2008 there was only 15 Media and Tech Companies registered here. Now with both government and private funding in order to initiate a hub in which Entrepreneurs, go getters and business builders are nurtured and supported, celebrating their determination to succeed and build businesses. Now in 2013 there are 1,340 registered companies in Tech City, 63% of which are Technical, PR or Creative with 37% miscellaneous including the likes of Bars, Restaurants and Fashion Boutiques.
Fundamentally ‘Tech’ is not to be siloed into representing purely Technical companies as in this increasingly integrated world we have to appreciate the interplay between technical and creative industries. Tech City is an environment to grow and nurture two of the UK’s greatest yet underexploited strengths, science and innovation within the creative and energetic confounds of Shoreditch and Old Street.
Wow, who knew such a simple question would be so hard to derive a simple answer? The level of research into this far surpassed what I had originally expected and along the way I was enlightened about the funding of Tech City, the Boom in the Entertainment business as a result of its growth and the ever expanding confounds of its walls; all of which will have to wait for another post.