Engine Shed is launching the Scale Up Generator website, in partnership with West of England Growth Hub, to help growing companies find the support they need.
The site offers a range of resources, including The Scale Up Yearbook, maps of scale-up support and scale-up companies, and insights into the challenges of scaling up in the West of England.
This resource has been created by the Scale-Up Enabler Briony Phillips to invigorate the investment ecosystem in the region and improve access to finance.
She hopes the site will inspire founders and aspiring scale-ups while invigorating and building the profile of the region as a home for successful scale-up companies.
Engine Shed runs an in-house Investor-in-Residence service, the Quarterly Investment Briefing with support from Smith & Williamson, TLT LLP and KPMG, and the UKBAA Angel Hub.
A series of scale-up briefing events and a growing bank of case studies will offer inspiration for start-ups and scale-ups, along with peer-to-peer networks, shared resources and data and maps to expose the great work that happens locally.
The majority of Phillips’s research will be accessible on the Scale Up Generator website, built in partnership with Bath-based Rocketmakers, including hot-off-the-press insights into finding office space, securing investment, useful networking information and the scale-up support map.
In addition, TechSPARK has been commissioned to create case studies on existing scale-up success stories, including Ultrahaptics, Duel and Dialect.
The Yearbook highlights the need for a uniting brand that will put Bristol and Bath on the map as a world-leader in sustainable economic growth.
The 16-page report highlights the success of fast growth companies in the Bristol city-region since receiving scale-up support over the past 12-months, and recognises the work that still needs to be done to invigorate the local investment ecosystem.
This initial Scale Up Enabler experiment was supported by Business West, the West of England Growth Hub and the University of Bristol.
“The West of England is a national leader and innovator in this kind of work,” said Phillips.
“The Scale Up Yearbook will be shared with colleagues across the world working towards scale-up support, and we hope it will act as a framework for other regions as they move towards similar economic goals.
“The Scale Up Generator website demonstrates how rich both the scale-up community and its support are in the wider Bristol and Bath region.
“Now, our collective challenge is to maximise the positive impact for all our citizens.”
West of England Mayor Tim Bowles, said: “The new Scale Up Generator website will be a great add-on to our Growth Hub site, offering fast-growth businesses more information on where to go for support and finance.
“We are an economically successful region where businesses start, grow and thrive in high numbers.
“As Mayor, one of my priorities is to ensure they get the continuing help and support they need to grow and prosper.”