THE BIG PICTURE
Room at the top: Co-working helps ensure Dublin keeps its place in the top 30 cities for tech
DUBLIN has been ranked 19th out of the top 30 cities in the world as an environment for the technology sector, boosted by access to so-called co-working spaces.
The ‘Tech Cities in Motion’ index from property agent Savills measured cities based on six categories; business environment, tech environment, city buzz and wellness, talent pool, real estate costs, and mobility.
From this it determines which are the best homes for tech and startup firms.
The expansion of co-working has gone hand in hand with the growth of the global tech sector.
A relatively new phenomenon in Ireland, flexible-leasing co-working spaces are becoming increasingly popular with the likes of WeWork and Huckletree snapping up spaces in the city centre.
According to the index, co-working providers accounted for 13pc and 13.5pc of office market take-up in London and Dublin respectively in the first nine months of 2018.
In Dublin, the average cost for a co-working desk in a private office is $670 (€593) per month. This is higher than the average cost of $590 (€522) across the 30 cities in the index.
The highest co-working cost for a desk in a private office can be found in San Francisco, where it will set you back around $1,050 (€930) per month.
“[This] sector is rising fast globally, but there is room for growth,” the index added.
Dublin also performed strongly in the sub-category of quality of urban infrastructure, where it placed 10th out of the 30 cities.
Meanwhile, in terms of its tech environment, the city ranked 15th for volumes of venture capital investment.
New York topped the ranking, overtaking San Francisco to become the world’s top tech city.
The ‘Big Apple’ performed strongly for employers’ access to a deep talent pool, and the city’s reputation as a global business centre.
In addition, venture capital investment volumes in New York have been higher than those recorded in San Francisco for the last three years.
Despite concerns about the UK’s impending exit from the European Union and what it will mean for the UK economy, London ranks in the top three cities for global tech.
The city performed especially well in the ‘buzz and wellness’ and mobility sub-metrics.
In addition, there was three times more venture capital investment recorded in London last year than the nearest European rival for such investment, Paris.
Elsewhere, tech cities in China have risen fast, and now account for a higher share of venture capital investment than their US counterparts.
Beijing recorded an average $34bn (€30bn) of venture capital per year in the last three years, volumes higher even than New York and San Francisco.
‘This sector is rising fast globally, but there is room for growth’
“The affordability of property plays a role in the success of a Tech City, but other factors matter more”