It has been a whirlwind two weeks since taking up leadership of this great hub of entrepreneurial activity. My first impressions? From the inside, it’s even more impressive just how many businesses, city institutions and community organisations engage with Engine Shed and the tech incubator programme, SETsquared Bristol, on a daily basis.
A few highlights that have got me really excited for the year ahead…
- Supporting the launch of the Investor Activator Programme – our business community “walking the walk” when it comes to real collaboration in a programme to drive greater levels of investment for our startup and scaleup companies.
- Joining the steering committee for the Bristol Technology Festival and meeting a group passionate about making this year’s event bigger, better and even more accessible to the public.
- Learning more about the fantastic work ACH have led in the Entrepreneurial Outreach Project, a pilot trying to understand what was holding the business support sector back when it came to working with entrepreneurs from refugee, migrant and related communities.
- Starting to get to know my colleagues from across the University of Bristol and learning about the ambitious plans for the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus.
- Hosting the first Tech Tour of the year as part of our Diverse Workforce for the Future project and quickly learning not to underestimate the tech knowledge of Year 5 pupils.
Most of all, though, being fortunate to join a friendly, passionate and talented team who really want to be part of taking the city forwards. A big thank you to the Engine Shed team and wider community for being so welcoming. I’ve been doing my best to steadily get around as many of our partners as I can while I learn the ropes, but please do get in touch if you’d like to chat. The projects above are just the start, so if you have an idea on how we could work together to make a difference in growth, innovation or inclusion drop us a message or stop by reception to say hello.