Technology companies are fast taking up some of the slack in the London property market created by the downsizing of the financial services sector.
IT, telecoms and internet start-up companies doubled their uptake of office space in central London during 2011. In total, the industry took up 1.3m square feet of office space in 2011, compared with 640,000 square feet in 2010, according to data from Knight Frank.
Time Out snaps up UK daily deals bargain Keynoir
Time Out, the entertainment reviews and listings group, has acquired Keynoir, a London daily-deals service, for a sum well below its inspiration Groupon’s multi-billion-dollar valuation.
David Cameron returns to Silicon Roundabout, touting growth, electric cars and augmented reality
David Cameron, the British prime minister, returned to Shoreditch in East London on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of his Tech City initiative.
Silicon Roundabout comes to Buckingham Palace
It might be the most significant meeting of British royals and geeks since Sir Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the web, received his knighthood in 2003.
Thursday evening saw a reception celebrating “innovation through UK entrepreneurship” held at Buckingham Palace, as the great and the good of London’s Silicon Roundabout and beyond gathered to toast digital Britain.
Home Office backs away from social network blocking after riots
The British government appears to have shelved plans to block rioting teens from using Facebook and Twitter or even shutting down Research in Motion’s BlackBerry Messenger network during times of crisis, in response to this month’s violent disorder.
After much wailing and gnashing of teeth at the idea, Thursday’s meeting between the three technology companies and the Home Secretary passed calmly and without incident.
Twitter is still coming to London despite super-injunction row
The British brouhaha surrounding the mass online breach of so-called “super injunctions” will not deter Twitter from opening a new office in London. In fact, it looks as though its first UK-based employee is Tony Wang, who moved over from San Francisco this very weekend.
But it remains unclear whether Twitter will join the start-ups on Silicon Roundabout or follow Google and Facebook to Soho.
“Silicon Milkroundabout” seeks to lure geeks from the City
One of the biggest challenges facing any tech start-up, particularly in the UK, is recruiting skilled developers.
Rather than sit around waiting for the government’s East London Tech City initiative to bear more fruit than ministerial meet-and-greets, the residents of Shoreditch’s “Silicon Roundabout” are taking matters into their own hands. And yes, it involves a hilariously bad play on words.
London’s Foursquare addicts explain the appeal of the super swarm badge
A little bit of Foursquare history was made in London last night. The UK’s first “super swarm” badge was awarded to more than 300 users of the location game. They all checked into the Jewel Bar in Piccadilly, with no other goal than to win the badge.
Lessons for entrepreneurs at Seedcamp
The motivating force behind Seedcamp – the early stage tech investor and events programme that got underway today in London – is to bolster the European technology community.
Alongside better-known deals like AOL-Bebo and Ebay-Skype, the $700m sale of internet security firm MessageLabs to Symantec in 2008 is one of Europe’s biggest recent exits, and its two founders were on hand to share their experiences.
Seedcamp and the rise of Europe’s super angels
This summer has seen some interesting blog posts from the venture capital community on the “rise of the super angels” – seasoned entrepreneurs who’ve cashed out and are reinvesting in the next generation.
Seedcamp, the European investor and events programme, is a big part of that story. Next week will see the fourth Seedcamp week in London, with 23 young companies jostling for up to €50,000 in investment and expert mentoring in what’s been dubbed the “X Factor for startups”.
But the increasingly active angel community means that Seedcamp has found itself facing competition too.
| About this blog | Blog guide |
Older entries
