Akcela Ventures, Norwich鈥檚 only startup incubator,聽 has been awarded a 拢110,000 grant.
The funding has been secured as part of the Ecosystem Partnership Programme, a joint initiative between Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils, Connected Innovation and Barclays Eagle Labs to boost support for the region鈥檚 digital technology sector.
The investment marks a significant milestone for Akcela, founded by James Adams, and will be used to scale its services and provide more support to a greater number and range of businesses, investors, entrepreneurs and those starting a business for the first time via workshops, self-learning modules and the opportunity for full incubation.聽
The East of England has relatively few startup incubators, most of which have a London-centric or Cambridge focus, which is why the latest funding is a huge confidence boost, not only for Akcela, but also for Norfolk-based founders.
鈥淭he latest funding is a huge vote of confidence in Akcela and its mission to create an environment that allows more Norfolk-based founders to start businesses that grow and thrive in this region, creating more jobs and attracting more talent to our region,鈥� said Adams.
The funding will be used to deliver 鈥楾he Future鈥�, which aims to support and scale digital technology innovation across Suffolk and Norfolk in three critical ways: developing a local ecosystem with stronger connections between experienced entrepreneurs and the next generation of regional startups; developing a process for identifying, engaging and supporting early-stage startups and integrating them into the local community; and creating more opportunities for founders from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds who would not otherwise be able to commit to their venture full-time.
The Akcela team includes a number of prolific local entrepreneurs who have all built, grown and exited their own businesses such as Tom Wood, Martin Yapp and Peter Ballard. And is supported by a number of local partners including: Ashtons Legal, Triple Bottom Line Accounting, Adaptavist and Luminous PR.聽
Barclays Eagle Labs director Amanda Allan added: 鈥淲e are excited to be facilitating this funding to help Connected Innovation, alongside both Suffolk Council and Norfolk County Council, launch 鈥楾he Future鈥� project. We are proud to be able to support such projects, which are designed to help early-stage tech entrepreneurs.聽
鈥淥ur support for Connected Innovation and similar organisations highlights our ongoing commitment to support tech start-ups and scale-ups, which are vital to growing local economies throughout the UK.鈥�