Vodafone Announces Incubation Centre In Tech City

Vodafone has announced an incubation centre in Tech City, where it will be looking for the “stars of tomorrow”.

It will work like a typical incubator, inviting innovative businesses in the mobile Internet and creative media industries to benefit from Vodafone’s technical expertise and be in with a chance of gaining financial support. Burgeoning tech firms will also be able to gain greater leverage with Vodafone’s 400 million customers.

Tech City, located around the Shoreditch area of the capital, is London’s attempt at creating a Silicon Valley-esque environment to foster the IT giants of the future. Vodafone said it hopes to have the centre up and running before the end of the year.

Tech city success

“This announcement is an excellent reflection of Tech City’s success as a thriving hub of innovative technology companies, combined with ready access to Europe’s largest venture capital community,” said trade and investment minister Lord Green.

“With the world’s spotlight on the UK this summer, we are working hard through the British Business Embassy programme to help technology companies capitalise on the unique opportunity we have in 2012 to secure new trade and investment.”

Siavash Alamouti, Vodafone group research and development director, added: “This exciting new centre will build on our existing Vodafone xone facility in Silicon Valley, giving cutting-edge British high tech start-ups access to the expertise and global reach of Britain’s largest ICT company.

“We believe that the great talent, entrepreneurial spirit and wealth of start-up companies, in both the mobile internet and creative media industries, that are to be found in East London, make Tech City a great location for this centre.”

A number of big-name tech firms have set up operations in London over the last month. Amazon announced plans to set up a digital media development centre in the city, close to the Tech City hub, saying it would employ hundreds for building interactive Web services across smartphones, tablets and PCs.

Just days later, Facebook announced its first ever engineering team outside of the US, choosing London’s Covent Garden to set up shop.

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