Developments

Once defined by its manufacturing past, Manchester now buzzes with thriving startups. The city’s research into computer vision and machine learning is world-leading. The talent pool flooding from its universities is enviable, and its living costs are significantly cheaper than London.

• WeWork, the US company that provides office space on flexible leases, has opened its second office space in Manchester, it’s 25th site in the UK. Other large property developments being marketed to tech companies include the forthcoming ABC buildings, within Allied London’s Enterprise City Campus.
  

• Fashion tech companies are big business in this city. Pretty Little Thing, the Manchester-based online retailer launched by brothers Adam and Umar Kamani, has been ranked as the fastest growing fashion brand on the web. In Hitwise’s Fast Fashion report, which analyses search data from 3 million UK internet users, Pretty Little Thing saw 663 per cent increase in people visiting the site year-on-year since 2014, thanks to support from social media stars like Kylie Jenner and Sofia Richie.

• TickX, the company founded in 2015 by Steve Pearce and Sam Coley, has recently announced a £3 million Series A funding round, led by BGF Ventures. The company brings together more than 50 ticket sellers so users can compare prices for events.

Community perceptions survey findings

The Tech Nation 2018 Survey was conducted between January 2018 and February 2018, in partnership with Streetbees. This year’s survey received the largest response yet from members of the UK tech community. In a total of 3,428 submissions, people told us about the opportunities and challenges their local ecosystems face, and the digital tech leaders they admire. The majority of respondents (33%) were founders and CEOs.

Who Manchester startups say is influential