Why Exeter is predicted to become one of the UK’s leading tech hubs

The United Kingdom has always been London to the global market, and to itself. There have been efforts made to move outside of the capital. Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested temporarily moving the Houses of Parliament to York, for instance, while the Palaces of Westminster received repair work. Birmingham and Leeds have been fertile grounds for business recently too.

One industry which is thriving outside of London is tech. Post-Brexit, there is hope that London continues to remain a beacon for tech start-ups. However, in the South West, start-ups have started to choose Bristol, Bath, and Exeter – among other cities – to base their operations. Bristol remains the key figure in the region, but Exeter is being tipped to challenge this position. What prompts this prediction?

Met Office

In 2001, construction began on a purpose-built facility in Exeter which would become the Met Office headquarters. In 2003, the move was made. The £150m project saw the bulk of the Met Office’s 1150-person workforce make the move. This was the biggest IT relocation Europe had seen at that time, and it is the one often cited as the beginning of Exeter’s technology burst.

The Met Office completed the installation of its final supercomputer in 2016. This was not just an achievement for the government agency, but for the wider South West. The supercomputer enabled collaboration and partnerships to be formed across industry lines. This kind of support system is indicative of what has become a means of operating for Exeter: the support of collaborations and networking.

5G

Before we expand on this last point, we should look at one issue the city is dealing with at the moment, with regards to technology: 5G. Plans for a 5G mast to be built near the St Thomas Shopping Centre and on Sidmouth Road were presented to the Exeter City Council’s planning committee by Three, the mobile network. However, these plans received numerous complaints. The design for the one near St Thomas Shopping Centre was labelled an eyesore and inappropriate as it’s a conservation area. The Sidmouth Road mast was withdrawn before the committee had a chance to approve or disapprove it.

The plans this time aren’t appropriate, and no concession should be made just to fulfil the 5G-need. However, Exeter will need 5G to be able to continue to be competitive and develop.

5G offers drastically faster speeds and lower latency than its previous generation. This will, obviously, benefit consumers – the general public. They’ll be able to do everything on their mobile, which requires internet connection, faster and more efficiently. One particular thing it will improve, to use an example to illustrate a point, is mobile gaming in all its forms. For example, live in-game betting on football, cricket, rugby and other ball games will not be compromised by latency, lag and signal dropping.

The online casinos and sports betting sites, will benefit, yes, from the faster speeds and lower latency, as gamers play, but, also, from the security buffs, as transactions are made and sensitive data is held, so playing on public connections is less risky. Also, those looking to play live casino via 5G will have a better time of it. Sports betting in-play options – a feature which existing customers are looking to do more of – will be more appealing when 5G fully rolls out as bets can be placed quicker. These boosts for online casinos and sports betting sites will likely see competition increase. Customers will turn to review sites like OLBG.com as well as forums and other publications to read who is embracing 5G and how it’s being embraced.

For businesses and tech start-ups, the benefits are exactly the same. It’ll juice the efficiency of the day-to-day things as well as the indulgences. For instance, it’ll improve companies' abilities to streamline processes, using AR and VR to map out stockrooms and, thus, find what they need, fine tune robotic solutions to complete tasks, and improve information exchange so AI can internalise data and make decisions quicker. The notable difference, though, which Exeter City will likely hope helps, is that it delimits creativity. It enables businesses to push beyond the previous limits of connectivity and on into new areas.

Support, Networking, and Collaboration

In lieu of Exeter’s 5G rollout, they are well prepared to execute their plans to scale up growth. This is so because of their heavy focus on creating an environment of support, networking, and collaboration.

Firstly, there’s the Exeter Science Park, which is a business park where STEMM businesses can set-up. It isn’t just a bunch of office space, though. The park seeks to support and grow the businesses which base themselves there, and foster a community of like-minded businesses who collaborate with each other. They are flexible with leases and develop the workspace to suit the clients. This kind of environment is conducive to innovation. They take the worry and emphasis off the “simple” things – the lease, the office space. They instil a community and encourage collaboration, which can help businesses solve theirs and each other’s problems.

The Science Park is intending to grow too. Hoping to have, by 2021, 700 staff on-site, expanding to 3,500 by 2035.

There’s also SETsquared, which has support staff which offers business acceleration services that enables businesses to focus on activities which will make their business unique. Not only that, they promise business mentoring and create networks for their clients with peers locally and nationally.

Start-ups aren’t just reliant on oversight from successful businesses, though. There’s TechExeter too, a community which organises network events and workshops.

Yes, Exeter is a cheaper place to set-up shop too. In terms of rent and salaries it’s the ninth cheapest in the UK. However, Exeter’s start-ups don’t have a strong survival because of smaller overheads.

Start-Ups To Look Out For

We can’t talk about the tech scene without covering who is in the tech scene. Here are a few Exeter-based start-ups to look out for.

First up is Crowdcube, a “crowd-funding” site. They allow investors to pool their money together behind an idea, a person, a business. The difference between Crowdcube and GoFundMe is that those investing via the former receive equity or an annual return.

Next is Attomarker. This business has developed a means to test blood via mobile technology. It’s promise is to provide a low-cost, non-invasive, and quick means of blood testing. It’ll produce results in a matter of minutes. Blood must be taken by medical or trained professionals, with the idea that I’ll be part of the healthcare process inside hospitals, surgeries, or pharmacies, but, also, some at-home use for those with type-2 diabetes, for instance.

Finally, there’s Treeconomics. This is a not-for-profit which works with businesses, municipalities, and organisations on projects which “highlight the value of trees.” They collect data and help forecast for projects and help their clients make decisions which help the environment.”