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A trifecta of SMEs, incumbents, and venture capital has produced an ecosystem that a host of new networking initiatives have since aimed to galvanise. The city lends itself to such endeavours, says Lewis, who is looking forward to the tech community’s five-a-side tournament kicking off in a few days’ time. “Leeds is a big place,” he says, “but everyone kind of knows each other.” There are over 70 regular creative, digital and tech meet-ups in town, but the crown jewel is Leeds Digital Festival, the largest “open” tech event in the UK, with nearly 250 events and no charge for hosting or attending.
“We don’t separate official events and fringe events, and it’s all built from the ground up,” says its CEO, Stuart Clarke MBE. “We have everyone from the smallest startups to some of the biggest international tech firms hosting events, covering everything from coding data to health tech careers—and social events too.” He believes the city’s enterprise scene has a notably collaborative ethos. “What we see every year is companies who are normally competitors coming together to put on an event because they want to show the best side of Leeds. You know that expression ‘a rising tide raises all boats’? I hear that on a daily basis in Leeds.”
A further nurturing force for this ecosystem is one of the key talent wellsprings which feeds it in the first place. In 2019, Leeds University established the Nexus innovation community, a physical and virtual environment designed to drive collaboration, encourage idea generation and foster connections between enterprise and the University. Vet-AI, a technology company providing affordable pet care through an app-based platform, was its very first tenant thanks to a coffee shop encounter. “I was quietly having my latte, just building a business plan from nothing,” says Paul Hallett, Vet-AI’s CEO and cofounder. “I started listening in on a conversation about bridging the gaps between industry and academia, and how that could create the fuel for a new type of model. Our approach to building a tech business was to do it ethically, and in a scientifically robust manner, so we wanted strong foundations academically—so it was music to my ears. I chased them out the door and said, ‘We’re in!’ We’ve been partners ever since.” Vet-AI takes full advantage of Nexus—“a heartbeat of innovation”, in Hallet’s words—and enjoys a number of different connections with the university and the business school, working across departments, and getting access to talent, from interns right up to PhD level. The relationship has driven considerable value: The company now boasts a clinical team of over 70 vets, spanning five continents, and 300,000 pet owners have downloaded its app, Joii Pet Care.
So what does Leeds need to improve further? For Hallett, it doesn’t need to change much, as it has strong leadership at the core of the ecosystem. “What do people see when they look at Leeds? They see connectedness and collaboration at the heart of the city. People working together for the greater good. Partnerships, innovation and, as a consequence, growth.”
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