Shoosmiths聽law firm has supported Bruntwood鈥檚 successful 拢2m聽funding bid for a new tech hub in Leeds.
Leeds City Council has awarded Bruntwood, the largest regional聽property developer and operator in the UK, 拢2m to open a tech hub at their new Platform development.
The project is located at the city鈥檚 mainline rail station and aimed at digital聽start-up companies and entrepreneurs.
The hub will support more than 1000 new jobs over the lifetime of the project and will be run in partnership with the City Council and organisations across Leeds鈥� digital community.
Platform, due to open in Autumn this year, will provide an inspirational home for Leeds鈥� digital sector, fostering innovation and collaboration. It will also offer a focal point to bring the wider regional tech community together and a showcase for international investors.
One of the key personnel in the consortium bid was Laura Harper, partner at Shoosmiths.
鈥淲e are delighted to have been able to support Bruntwood with this successful bid,鈥� she said.
鈥淗aving successfully supported similar projects we are really excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with the other partner organisations and be involved in the inception and growth of this flagship Leeds Tech Hub.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to seeing how the Leeds Tech Hub works to support growth in the tech and digital sector across the City and beyond.
鈥淸It] will bring together the space, support and connectivity needed to help to companies in the Leeds鈥� tech community grow or reach the next level in their development.
鈥淲e are able to provide leading, specialist legal advice in key areas such as intellectual property protection and commercialisation, corporate and investment assistance, help with employment issues and commercial advice to protect cash flow and reduce risk to the businesses.
鈥淧latform is going to be a fantastic asset to the city and the new tech hub will further add to this and Shoosmiths is incredibly excited to be a part of it.鈥�
Shoosmiths鈥� creative industries and digital team has a strong reputation in the digital sector.
Their investment in, and support of similar hubs in the North is well-known, having been a part of the success story of The Sharp Project, Manchester鈥檚 creative digital media hub, as founder tenants providing specialist legal support to the business eco-system.
The team will provide similar support to the Leeds Tech Hub.
Chris Oglesby, chief executive of Bruntwood, said: 鈥淲e are delighted to have been chosen to be Leeds City Council鈥檚 partner to deliver this exciting and strategically important new Tech Hub to the city region.
鈥淥ur consortium has considerable experience in successfully growing tech businesses and job creation, securing inward investment, leveraging the local knowledge and talent base and attracting leading accelerator brands.
鈥淪hoosmiths鈥� legal and sector expertise is a valuable contribution to the consortium鈥檚 success and as a future resident of Platform it is great to be working with them so closely on this innovative project that will transform the city鈥檚 standing on the national tech stage.鈥�
The hub will provide 1GB connectivity. Facilities will include event, demonstration and meeting spaces to support an extensive events programme and a variety of flexible workspaces combining hot desking, co-working and studio suites.
Users will also have access to a roof garden and terrace with stunning views of the city and surrounding areas, providing a unique event space.
The other Tech Hub consortium bid partners include specialist talent support services company 鈥� Complete Resourcing.