Bristol's economy has grown faster than any other city in the UK outside London since 2009. Not only that, but its startup scene is also hard to be rivalled; in 2014 it was named the fastest growing high-tech region outside the capital and has the most entrepreneurs per head.
But local investor and entrepreneur Mike Jackson, founder of Engine Shed-based startup accelerator Webstart, says to find the right kinds of investors for his portfolio, he's bringing tech startups to London.
His upcoming showcase will bring six Bristol tech startup companies to the capital to pitch for investment. He's held similar events in Bristol in the past, but they've yielded 'little, if almost no, activity as a result.'
'This is the first time we're going to London with Bristol companies to look for small-scale angel investment, from people who are not Bristol based.
'It's an experiment. If we can't find the right people to invest in these startups in Bristol, let's see if we can crack that in London. Or, we might figure out that the companies aren't at the right time; but I believe the former rather than the latter. It'll be very interesting to see if angels in London have more of an appetite for potentially high risk, but potentially high growth businesses,' he tells UK Business Forums.
The Webstart companies are:
It's interesting that in a city with a high volume of startups, some are still struggling to find the right investor. Does the answer lie in London? We'll be there to find out.
If you're interested in attending the investor showcase on 9 February, tickets are free. Make sure you sign up or login to comment.
But local investor and entrepreneur Mike Jackson, founder of Engine Shed-based startup accelerator Webstart, says to find the right kinds of investors for his portfolio, he's bringing tech startups to London.
His upcoming showcase will bring six Bristol tech startup companies to the capital to pitch for investment. He's held similar events in Bristol in the past, but they've yielded 'little, if almost no, activity as a result.'
'This is the first time we're going to London with Bristol companies to look for small-scale angel investment, from people who are not Bristol based.
'It's an experiment. If we can't find the right people to invest in these startups in Bristol, let's see if we can crack that in London. Or, we might figure out that the companies aren't at the right time; but I believe the former rather than the latter. It'll be very interesting to see if angels in London have more of an appetite for potentially high risk, but potentially high growth businesses,' he tells UK Business Forums.
The Webstart companies are:
- Wriggle: An on-the-day app that offers deals at independent restaurants in Bristol and London
- Helpfulpeeps: An online platform for people to share kindness do good deeds for each other
- Bespoke-Bride: A Forest-of-Dean based online wedding blog and boutique
- Colourstory: A visualisation app company which allows users to create and share representations of their tastes and experiences using colour extracted from photo albums
- Health Apps: An app developer for health-related activities, such as Cook & Count
- Apps4Arts: A tech startup that designs apps for festivals
It's interesting that in a city with a high volume of startups, some are still struggling to find the right investor. Does the answer lie in London? We'll be there to find out.
If you're interested in attending the investor showcase on 9 February, tickets are free. Make sure you sign up or login to comment.
