
We have a huge roster of tech success stories in the UK, yet all too often our best home-grown talent ends up abroad. We have more university-educated citizens working overseas than any other developed European economy, many of whom are tempted away by technology hubs like Berlin, Dublin and Silicon Valley. If we’re to keep hold of this talent we need to convince our most promising minds that Britain offers all the right conditions for success. A large part of that is creating a support network that lets ambitious people be ambitious without fearing failure.
Failure does not automatically have long-term negative effects. Edison famously tried 10,000 designs before he made his light bulb work, but once it did he changed the world forever. Similarly, amongst small businesses with the right attitude, failing at one thing will be the catalyst that moves them nimbly on to the next. And don’t get me wrong, the UK has some powerful programmes in place to support small business growth. Through my work as Chair of eSkills and the Technology Strategy Board I have seen how British entrepreneurship can be nurtured with the right support at grass roots level.The NVI joins the dots between incubation centres, science parks and academic departments through a network of 12 NVI nodes across the country. The flagship node is at IDEALondon, our new co-working, networking and support space; other nodes include the University of Cambridge Business School, Sunderland Software City and The ehi2 Centre. As a result of this network over 100 ambitious start-ups have access to technology, resources and support that may otherwise be beyond their reach.
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