Exchange, the scale-up support scheme based at Bonded Warehouse within Enterprise City, has welcome its first cohort of businesses, and begun its schedule of development sessions this month.
The 23 start-ups and scale-ups from across the UK have moved into the new workplace at Bonded Warehouse and will start collectively working towards raising more than £17 million in funding over the next 12 months.
The businesses, which span the ecommerce, proptech and medtech industries, have already raised a combined total of more than £7.5 million within their first two years in business, and are seeking to level up as a result of the scheme’s focused workshops, up-skill sessions, high-profile speaker events and panel discussions.
The support programme’s successful businesses include, GigList, VoiceIQ, Sonder Radio, Imagin3D, Cubeitz, PropFolio, Huddle Digital, Peera, Love for the Streets, Know The Origin, Veo World, Collctiv, MedCircuit, Recourse, Beatstream, MY110, Neighbourhood, Shout, Thirdfort Limited, Out There, Flock, Yoomiapp and Well Good, benefiting from the new workspace, its support sessions, state-of-the-art facilities and Manchester city centre location.
The first wave of firms will start a community of like-minded businesses and be the pioneers of Exchange’s mission to create and sustain more than 2,000 jobs in the city over the next 15 years.
Tanya Grady, head of partnerships at Enterprise City, said: “We’re delighted to welcome all 23 fantastic businesses to the Exchange scheme. After much deliberation, and a large number of entries, we have our first cohort for the Exchange programme. These early-stage tech businesses will benefit from the support of all our scheme’s partners, who have helped developed a unique programme that will give them the skills required to become the UK’s next best tech start-ups.
“These innovators, creators and trailblazers will also benefit from working together, creating a community with endless collaboration and peer-to-peer opportunities. They will also form the basis of Enterprise City’s goal to establish a global technology district in the heart of Manchester.”
The scheme, which recently received £2 million in funding from Manchester City Council on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, will give ambitious, early stage tech companies and entrepreneurs access to the tools and infrastructure they need to grow and succeed.
Entries for Exchange’s second cohort will open in Autumn 2020, giving new organisations the opportunity to apply, as it looks to foster the UK’s next best start-ups and encourage them to root in the new media, tech and digital district of Manchester.
The unique Exchange programme will be delivered in collaboration with a series of partners – Tech Nation, Microsoft Advertising, CRSI, Investor Ladder, RSM, Code Nation – who will provide expertise from their respective fields. Enterprise City is spearheaded by Allied London, an award-winning property development and investment company.
