Tech entrepreneurs back digital heartland campaign
Multi-platform marketing campaign is launched and backed by tech entrepreneurs. It will be promoted on social media and targeting national and trade media outlets.
6 November 2019
Today (Wednesday 6th November) the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) launches a campaign to promote the region’s status as the UK’s digital heartland.
The campaign aims to attract new investors to the region through the #welcome support package whilst helping businesses already based here through the #Grow programme. Both initiatives are funded through the LEP’s £2.5 million Digital Inward Investment Fund.
The multi-platform marketing campaign is backed by tech entrepreneurs. It will be promoted on social media and targeting national and trade media outlets.
Roger Marsh OBE, Chair of the LEP said:
“The significant level of tech investment and activity in Leeds City Region means we are gaining greater national and international profile. A recent independent report revealed that our region has 209 start ups attracting £108.8 million in venture capital, the most in the North by 82 per cent. This campaign will build on that momentum by spotlighting stories from our tech community to position the region as the UK’s digital heartland.”
Zandra Moore (pictured), Co-Founder, Panintelligence said:
“Our digital ecosystem is really well connected. Leeds Digital Festival really galvinised the community to create platforms, meetups and events that mean we are all working better together. It’s creating a really vibrant sector that engages with each other. Together, we’re making Leeds the new capital of the UK.”
Stuart Clarke, startup NED and Festival Director of the Leeds Digital Festival said:
“It’s an exciting time for our region as existing companies grow and new start ups are coming through. The tech sector is pulling together and it’s showing in the collaboration taking place, the amount of investment being done and in the scale of growth of the Leeds Digital Festival.”
The launch of this campaign follows a year of high profile tech investment announcements. Last week Swedish firm Novotek, which provides industrial IT and automation systems, announced its first English office in Leeds. Global sports streaming platform DAZN moved into a new office in White Rose Office Park. AND Digital, One of Europe’s fastest growing tech companies chose the cultural quarter in Halifax for its new base. Accenture Digital, partners of Channel 4 in delivering digital innovation to its All 4 platform, has also set up a new base in the city, alongside UKTV which has launched a tech hub.
The digital sector contributes £6.5 billion to the region’s economy and employs 102,000 people.
Find out more about the campaign here.