Tech creation in the UK must not be forced

IT IS no secret that the UK government wants to create a digital economy and form tech clusters around the country. It is important however that we do not force this to happen prematurely — it has to evolve.

The Israel tech community grew organically from the military and defence industries, and the postHolocaust entrepreneurial spirit; Silicon Valley grew from the convergence of skills between Stamford University and the US military Research and Development (R&D) programmes.

Areas such as London’s Silicon Roundabout cannot grow overnight. We have to convey the message that occasional failure is good — if you learn from it. As Sir Winston Churchill said: “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” It is this confidence and resilience that the UK needs to embrace.

And if the government is serious about creating a digital economy and a “start-up Britain”, changes need to be made at the grassroots.

We need to modernise our education system so that the next generation leave school with transferable IT skills. These include the ability to code and design websites, in addition to practical business management skills.

The UK has some of the best branding and content creation talent in the world, and with a large domestic market, is in a great position to partner with Israel technology companies, who in turn require the knowledge of UK entrepreneurs to commercialise their innovations. However, we are not quite ready to make the most of this opportunity.

The present government still needs to work on dismantling the bureaucratic barriers hindering business growth, and creating more incentives for investors to invest in start-ups.

The aim of Innovate Israel was to create a platform for this partnership, by bringing over 35 young and exciting Israeli digital companies and entrepreneurs and connecting them with suitable investors and counterparts.

This is the first time an event of this size has taken place in the UK, and is a small step in helping the UK’s digital economy grow, and delivering business opportunities for all. Daniel Seal is chief executive of UK Israel Business, organisers of Innovate Israel and the British Israeli Awards dinner