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UK Plans Tech Cluster, Startup Visa, Review Of IP Law, £200M In Finance

22 points by cwan 16y ago

redwoods 16y ago
How about "Silicon Ditch?" "Silicon Roundabout" is one name that has stuck for the tech cluster around the ugly traffic circle in the Old Street area of Shoreditch, East London. I think "Silicon Ditch" is catchier and maybe articulates the British penchant for self-deprecation better...
ig1 16y ago
Why this won't work: You can't build a startup cluster to "renew an area". It doesn't work like that. Old Street works because the location is decent (safe and well connected), it's cheap and the other companies there. The area has to attract people who want to work there and you can't artificially build that. The location they're proposing put this new tech area goes through the area known as "murder mile". Yes it's cheap, but it's high crime rate means startups aren't going to locate there. It would be like trying to build a startup cluster in the Bronx because it's near the NY startup community.
- tav 16y ago
  Got a link for the tech cluster going through murder mile statement? I only saw mentions of "East London" and "Olympic Park". Also, having lived in murder mile, I don't really see how it's unsafe nowadays. Definitely sucked with regards transport though. Only so many night buses one wants to take in life =)
  - russss 16y ago
    The article says "a tech cluster that they hope will stretch from Shoreditch and Old Street to the Olympic Park." I suspect it will just cover Old Street and the Olympic Park though.
- radicaldreamer 16y ago
  See... startups in the Mission
DanI-S 16y ago
I think it's great that the government are trying to catalyse stuff, but it'd be fantastic if they would scatter some money OUTSIDE OF BLOODY LONDON.
- russss 16y ago
  For a small company, getting money out of the government in London is like getting blood out of a stone. It's a lot easier to get local government funding and grants outside of London, although the CSR will probably change all that.
Towle_ 16y ago
£200M in finance: Because nobody knows the VC game like pencil-pushing bureaucrats.

22 points by cwan 16y ago

How about "Silicon Ditch?" "Silicon Roundabout" is one name that has stuck for the tech cluster around the ugly traffic circle in the Old Street area of Shoreditch, East London. I think "Silicon Ditch" is catchier and maybe articulates the British penchant for self-deprecation better...

ig1 16y ago

Why this won't work: You can't build a startup cluster to "renew an area". It doesn't work like that. Old Street works because the location is decent (safe and well connected), it's cheap and the other companies there. The area has to attract people who want to work there and you can't artificially build that. The location they're proposing put this new tech area goes through the area known as "murder mile". Yes it's cheap, but it's high crime rate means startups aren't going to locate there. It would be like trying to build a startup cluster in the Bronx because it's near the NY startup community.

tav 16y ago
Got a link for the tech cluster going through murder mile statement? I only saw mentions of "East London" and "Olympic Park". Also, having lived in murder mile, I don't really see how it's unsafe nowadays. Definitely sucked with regards transport though. Only so many night buses one wants to take in life =)
- russss 16y ago
  The article says "a tech cluster that they hope will stretch from Shoreditch and Old Street to the Olympic Park." I suspect it will just cover Old Street and the Olympic Park though.
radicaldreamer 16y ago
See... startups in the Mission

DanI-S 16y ago

I think it's great that the government are trying to catalyse stuff, but it'd be fantastic if they would scatter some money OUTSIDE OF BLOODY LONDON.

russss 16y ago
For a small company, getting money out of the government in London is like getting blood out of a stone. It's a lot easier to get local government funding and grants outside of London, although the CSR will probably change all that.

Towle_ 16y ago

£200M in finance: Because nobody knows the VC game like pencil-pushing bureaucrats.