SETsquared named UK’s top start-up business hub
BUSINESS incubator SETsquared has been named the best start-up support hub in the UK – and the third top in Europe.
The hub is a collaboration between the universities of Exeter, Bath, Bristol, Southampton, Surrey and Cardiff, and provides support programmes to help turn ideas into businesses. It supports tech-based firms, in particular, from idea to investment and scale-up.
SETsquared received the accolade in a special report on Europe’s leading start-up hubs by the Financial Times.
The report, compiled alongside Statista and Sifted, ranked 125 startup hubs across 21 European countries using data and feedback from alumni and independent experts, including investors, and it also examined the success of emerging companies.
The start-up hubs were rated across six categories: mentoring and training development, infrastructure, legal assistance, business development, networking and funding. Independent experts, including angel investors, entrepreneurs and academics, also added their evaluations and additional scores were awarded for the most successful start-ups to have emerged from each hub.
Joe Pearce, head of business support at the University of Exeter and business acceleration and student entrepreneurship lead, said: “It’s hugely gratifying for our efforts to turn innovation into thriving business that provides social benefit and drives economic growth recognised in this way, and a proud achievement for SETsquared and all six of the universities that make up the partnership.”
Marty Reid, executive director of SETsquared, added: “It’s fantastic to be recognised as one of the top three start-up hubs in Europe.
“It’s a testament to the expertise and hard work from teams across our business acceleration centres and universities and to the culture of collaboration across the ecosystems that we are part of.”
SETsquared has six business acceleration centres and a range of sectorbased innovation and investment support programmes.
The partnership was established in 2002 and has since helped more than 5,000 entrepreneurs raise £4.4bn in investment.