Incubators and accelerators in West : An ecosystem emerges

BROUGHT TO YOU BY CONTENTS

TODAY’S ECOSYSTEM & PLACES TO WATCH

Contents

08 04 Welcome 05 Today’s ecosystem out West

— Blenheim Chalcot, Hammersmith Broadway — Central Research Laboratory (CRL), Hayes 10 — I-HUB, White City — Open Cell, Shepherds Bush Elizabeth 03 02 Line 05 06 — West London Food Innovation Lab, Ealing 04 — Westmont Enterprise Hub, Ealing 01 07 09 10 Places to watch

— Great West Creatives, Golden Mile, Brentford — Middlesex University London, Hendon — Olympia London, West Kensington — The Generator, Park Royal

KEY

London Crossrail 1

Strategic Interchange High Speed 1 & 2

Proposed Rail Opportunity area and proposed station

Existing London Overground line and station

02 03 FOREWORD

TODAY’S ECOSYSTEM

Hammersmith BLENHEIM CHALCOT, HAMMERSMITH HAMMERSMITH BLENHEIM CHALCOT,

01 ON THE MAP

FOREWORD BY CLLR JULIAN BELL

West London has long been home to world-renowned creative and tech businesses including Cisco, Rackspace, SAP and Sky. Over the past few years we have been fast catching up with other places in opening up the co-working and maker spaces that creative & tech start-ups need to drive their growth: Huckletree, Central Working, WeWork, The Workary and many more have all invested in West London.

I am delighted that West London Business and Capital West London have collaborated ‘Venture builder’ Blenheim Chalcot, based at This shared ecosystem works to improve in producing this guide for London Tech Week / Circular Economy Week 2019 that 1 Hammersmith Broadway, has built over 40 speed and likelihood of success. It differs may once again shift your perceptions of what the West has to offer. The focus of the businesses in a variety of sectors, including from the classic venture capital model, where guide is the incubator and accelerator ecosystem that has now emerged in the West of technology, financial services, education, investors simply distribute capital among the capital, with specialist capabilities including food, hardware, biotech and cleantech travel, software, sport and media. Working ideas and teams, hoping one in five or ten innovation. The guide also gives you a sneak preview of exciting new locations that with entrepreneurs and co-founders, they might make it big. It’s a hands-on model will make West London an even more compelling location over the next few years. continue to create and build businesses in where experienced entrepreneurs work side these sectors, often from the ground up. by side with the company’s founders, and all businesses have access to a central pool of Enjoy making new connections through the week and join us as passionate What is a venture builder? The founding team shared services, such as legal advice, online ambassadors for the opportunities that West London, the UK’s global gateway and of a startup, with the ambition to disrupt marketing and finance through Blenheim world’s most connected place, now has to offer. an industry, has three main things to worry Chalcot Finance Limited (BCI) which is about - raising money, looking after business regulated and authorised by the Financial operations and building the product. Working Conduct Authority. with a venture builder means the first two are largely taken care of, leaving the team to focus Blenheim Chalcot typically expect to take the on rapidly building a valuable product and majority stake of any company they build. taking it to market. This model has allowed them to stay nimble and create more valuable businesses that A venture builder brings together its resources, CHAIR, WEST LONDON ECONOMIC PROSPERITY BOARD solve real customer needs, offering a higher infrastructure, network and experience to help probability of success for all involved. entrepreneurs take their ideas from conception to scale, maturity and exit. www.blenheimchalcot.com

04 05 THE CENTRAL RESEARCH LABORATORY LABORATORY RESEARCH CENTRAL THE ON THE MAP ON THE Hayes • CRL’s teamhelpentrepreneurs: programme and1:1mentoring sessions,the physical products. Through acarefullycurated developing scalability oftechnologystart-ups is uniquelyoptimisedto maximisethe The CRL’s 6-monthAccelerator programme towards thebusiness’firstcustomers. campaign, theCRLaccelerates progression looking to runasuccessfulcrowdfunding manufacturing, preparingforinvestmentor aregearingupforproduct Whether start-ups Hefce. from U+I,ERDF, BrunelUniversityLondonand accelerator. Itwasestablishedwithsupport Hayes istheUK’Sfirstpurpose-builthardware The Central Research Laboratory (CRL)in what value theirproduct brings Interpret whatcustomers reallywant and 02 TODAY’S ECOSYSTEM 06 in allcases. sufficient traction andsowillnotbeactioned the businessgainsufficientfunding, revenue or in thebusiness. This optionisexercised should Accelerator areforanoptionto take 3%equity intheCRL The standardtermsfortakingpart and profitably. preparing businessesto grow asustainably focused onhelpingto launchproducts and The CRL’s Product Development teamis • • www.centralresearchlaboratory.com crowdfunding andangelinvestors hardware-specific funding,from grants to Understand howto gainthe supply chainsforscale manufactured attherightcostandset-up Understand howto getaproduct

Hub & Innovation Translation companies aswellestablished biotechand andfast-growth small, includingstart-ups businesseslargeand Its facilitiessupport new products andservices. scientific andtechnologicalinnovations into alongside Imperialresearchers andturn laboratory spaceforcompaniesto work The I-HUBprovides flexibleofficeand ThinkSpace. Working andImperialCollegeLondon workspace collaboration between Central of Central Working WhiteCity–ashared for youngbusinesses.It’s alsothelocation which offersflexibleworkspaceandsupport home to theImperialWhiteCityIncubator, The Translation &Innovation Hub(I-HUB)is LONDON IMPERIAL COLLEGE TODAY’S ECOSYSTEM 07 seeking thefacilitiesto grow. provide theinnovation spaceforbusinesses Imperial andBlenheimChalcot–willsoon The newScaleSpace–ajointventurebetween shopping. help themmakehealthierchoiceswhilefood whose newappwilluseshoppers’DNAto plastic; andDnaNudge,anImperialstart-up that hasdeveloped afullybiodegradable Polymateria, apioneeringmaterialscompany Businesses basedattheI-HUBinclude scientific research organisations. www.imperialincubator.com industry-enterprise/i-hub/ www.imperial.ac.uk/white-city-campus/ 03 White City ON THE MAP ON THE

TRANSLATION & INNOVATION HUB (I-HUB) OPEN CELL

TODAY’S ECOSYSTEM TODAY’S ECOSYSTEM

Shepherds Bush Ealing WEST LONDON FOOD INNOVATION LAB WEST LONDON FOOD INNOVATION

04 05 ON THE MAP ON THE MAP

Open Cell strive to lower the barrier to entry Tom was a physicist working on synthetic Founded by the University of West London, The Lab helps develop new formulations and for biotech. Their 45 shipping containers biology in the University of Cambridge. with the support of the European Regional line extensions, make cost improvements and in Shepherd’s Bush London provide offices, The pair eventually convinced U+i group, Development Fund, the West London refine existing product formulations as well as workshops and biology labs for early stage SynbiCITE the UK’s synthetic biology industry Food Innovation Lab offers new product giving advice on regulatory compliance. startups and designers. They don’t believe and engineering biology industrial accelerator development support to start-ups and small The Lab is home to a product development in long winded business plans. They want and the London Borough of Hammersmith and and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in kitchen, science lab and sensory evaluation residents to build things people want. Fulham to support the initiative. Greater London. facility. The team combines a deep culinary expertise with scientific knowledge and By hosting expensive infrastructure they Open Cell’s BSL1 Lab has the following Start-ups and SMEs in the Food and Beverage capability which can help entrepreneurs are able to offer a low cost environment for equipment: Fume-Hood unducted; BSL2 sector with a new product idea they want to bring concepts to life and then re-produce it biotech prototyping. Open Cell’s community Cabinet; Small Autoclave; Big Autoclave; develop, or needing to re-formulate an existing successfully and safely in their own facilities. of like-minded innovators can help start-ups Incubator; Fridge/Freezer; Shaker Incubator; product taking a new innovative approach, can prototype inventions faster. Centrifuge (Mico, Mini); PCR Machine; Vortex access free guidance and advice, as well as technical support from the Lab’s scientists and www.uwl.ac.uk/for-business/access-our-exper- Mixer; -80 Freezer; Humidifier; Fluorescent tise/west-london-food-innovation-laboratory Co-founders Helene and Tom met while Microscope; Microscopes; and Benches. technicians. working in biotech labs. Helene was a designer working on biology in Microsoft Research and www.opencell.webflow.io

08 09 WESTMONT ENTERPRISE HUB

TODAY’S ECOSYSTEM PLACES TO WATCH

Ealing

Great West Creatives, WEST CREATIVES GOLDEN MILE ‘GREAT

06 Golden Mile, Brentford 07 ON THE MAP ON THE MAP

The Westmont Enterprise Hub backs brilliant Since opening in October 2018, the hub has The Great West Creatives (one of the May- Ultimately project partners’ vision is that by business ideas, whether found inside the supported 20+ start-ups and convened a or’s Creative Enterprise Zones) is home to 2028 the Great West Creatives zone, with its University of West London or in the wider network of 450+ members. Hub members get 46% of London’s television and broadcasting easy access to Heathrow, will be recognised west London community. The hub partners access to: activities. This is underpinned by Sky at the nationally and internationally as the world’s with entrepreneurs mobilising the investment, Osterley western end of the zone. Chiswick most connected place for creative, tech structure and support to make their ideas real. • free office space in a co-working, shared Park at the eastern end of the zone is home and media businesses to locate with the  environment; and to QVC, Disney and Discovery. Sega can infrastructure to match. In the trickier early stages of a venture the hub • access to expert advice, support, routes be found in the middle of the zone on the helps plug critical gaps in a start-up business’ to funding, coaching and mentoring from ‘Golden Mile’ that provides its spine. tinyurl.com/CreativeEnterpriseZones expertise, commercial experience, connections experienced business professionals and and capital requirements. academics. Over the next two years (2019-21) the zone, positioned as ‘Great West Creatives’ will roll Hub-based businesses can draw on the full www.westmonthub.co.uk out a programme that accelerates key drivers breadth and depth of University of West for future success: New and affordable London’s expertise too, helping maximise the workspaces for creatives; skills and training ventures chances of success. for the sector; community engagement; and supply chain development.

10 11 MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY LONDON

PLACES TO WATCH PLACES TO WATCH OLYMPIA

Middlesex University Olympia London, London, Hendon West Kensington 08 09 ON THE MAP ON THE MAP

Middlesex University London is an anchor Their core workshops cover a wide range of Over the next few years Olympia London The vision of Yoo Capital and award winning employer and key part of the social fabric of topics including, innovation, e-commerce, will be repositioned as a global force in arts, design practices Heatherwick Studio and , which has the business planning and networking. Through entertainment, exhibitions and events; a SPPARC is to transform the 14-acre site largest population of any London borough. their networks they also offer seminars on scheme that has already secured planning into a world-class cultural destination with From Apprenticeships to enterprise support more specialist areas such as social and eco- permission. A total of £1bn of private funds, performing arts venues, leading hotels and the choices this institution makes are ones enterprise. to watch. financed by owners Yoo Capital and Deutsche restaurants and state-of-the-art creative and  To ensure students are work-ready the university Finance, are being invested towards this. co-working office space. The project will also With their strong tradition in vocational has also launched the MDXworks employment see 2.5 acres of new public space created. education and employer partnerships, the hub at their Hendon campus and support the university is taking a proactive role in annual Entreprenerial Barnet Competition – a https://olympia.london/future accelerating the roll-out of Higher Dragon’s Den for start-ups. Taken together, Apprenticeships. Alongside this EDH@MDX, these strong foundations make the university the university’s Enterprise Development Hub, an institution to watch as an emerging hub for and the MDXworks employment hub are key entrepreneurship and start-ups in the sub-region. resources for their 20,000+ student population. For employers, support in accessing the https://unihub.mdx.ac.uk/employment/your- University’s expertise can be provided through enterprise/enterprise-development-hub Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. EDH@ MDX provides support, training and motivation https://www.mdx.ac.uk/business-and- partnerships/knowledge-transfer-and-exchange to student entrepreneurs through a range of workshops, seminars, mentoring and events.

12 13 THE GENERATOR, PARK ROYAL

PLACES TO WATCH

BROUGHT TO YOU BY The Generator, Park Royal 10 ON THE MAP IN SUPPORT OF

PROGRAMME FOR

KINDLY SPONSORED BY

Designed by leading industrial architects industrial users ranging from start-ups through SUPPORTED BY Michael Sparks Associates, The Generator to more established businesses. will be an innovative bespoke multi-storey industrial building. It is the first of its kind The ground and first floors will accommodate in the UK, developed by St George at their car parking and cycle storage, as well as a Grand Union development on the western reception, management suite and service yard. edge of Park Royal. It will provide an attractive The Generator will be serviced by two large and flexible hub for start-ups and small and three medium sized service lifts to ensure businesses across approximately 180,000 sq easy movement of goods and equipment from ft light industrial workspace. the loading area to each unit. A further two CAPITAL WEST LONDON PARTNERS  passenger lifts will be provided. The Generator has been designed to meet the local demand for smaller flexible workspace, The Generator is expected to provide a with six levels based on an optimised structural significant number of employment and training grid, offering maximum flexibility of space. opportunities for the local community, home to The workspace provision will be located on approximately 365 jobs upon completion. the upper levels, with units ranging from 630 sq ft to c. 30,000 sq ft to accommodate light tinyurl.com/TheGeneratorWL

14 Incubators and Get in touch accelerators in West London: An ecosystem emerges

[email protected] www.capitalwestlondon.co.uk

[email protected] www.westlondon.com

Printed June 2019