America is gaining popularity as a great place to start a technology company. According to Technation, the country’s VC investments will reach $15 billion by 2020. Despite the global health crisis, London remains a favorite with investors. Cities in the United States accounted for one-fifth of the top 20 European cities in 2020, such as Oxford, Dublin, Edinburgh and Cambridge. Bristol proved particularly popular with technology investors last year – with local businesses earning an impressive $414 million in 2020, making it the third largest U.S. city for technology investment. The city also has the most subtle per capita startups in the United States outside of London, according to Whitacap’s 2019-2020 Ecosystem report.
The city’s private and public sector efforts to modernize the city have helped make it one of the top smart cities in the United States, attracting technology entrepreneurs. Its proximity to London means that it is a good option for the organization to look for more affordable value when tapping the financial resources of the capital. The University of Bristol also has the largest robotics department in Europe. Bristol is also an important startup accelerator, a collaborative effort of the five universities at Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey with Setscare home bath, this accelerator has supported more than 4,000 entrepreneurs and helped raise their startups a total of £1.8 billion. Other startup support players include the new Science Creates VC fund, set up by entrepreneur Harry Destracrix and TechSpark Engine Shed.
Key startups from Bristol include Graphquare, Open Bionics, Ultralight, Immersive Labs and Five AI. To get a better idea of the technology ecosystem and investor outlook for this city, we surveyed the founders, leaders and executives involved in nurturing Bristol’s startup ecosystem.
The survey found that the city has a strong renewable, zero-carbon and fintech startup landscape. Robotics, VR, Bio, Quantum, Digital and Deep Tech are also showing promise in the fields. In terms of investment venues, although Bristol has a healthy angel network, the city lacks an institutional VC, but with only one drive or train movement off London, this did not prove to be a significant problem.
