Support for Tech Start-ups in the South West
In our 15-year tenure, Rocketmakers has created hundreds of bespoke software solutions for start-ups, scaleups, and large organisations. With our roots firmly in the South West we are lucky to be surrounded by brilliant incubators, organisations, and networks that are working to support innovation. So we decided to build on the great foundations that our friends at CookiesHQ laid and develop and maintain their list of resources to help start-ups and entrepreneurs to get ahead.
This page was made with help from Amba Health And Care with a link to https://www.amba.co
West of England Growth Map
Our first dabble into mapping the ecosystem of support for founders and entrepreneurs came a few years ago when we collaborated with Engine Shed to create the West of England Growth Map. This printed .pdf illustrates the core support community and readers can access more information about each node on the map by downloading the accompanying AR app via the app store.
Below you will find various hyperlinks organised in (just about) alphabetical order against 14 categories. They include many of the organisations that we think you should know about to help with your entrepreneurial journey. If we have missed anything important, drop us a line at firstcontact@rocketmakers.com to suggest an update.
Business Networking Events
Funding
We have written a couple of information-filled blogs on this topic as it is something that we are often asked about. You'll find the low-down on early-stage investors in the South West here and information on some great impact-focused investors here.
Rocketmakers also sponsor the South West focused Investment Activator Programme which is a programme of events and support to increase the flow of capital into South West innovators. You can also find lots of other active organisations in the region including:
Business West Regional Loan Fund
Tech and Creative Events
You will often bump into Rocketmakers crew members out and about at events across the South West (and beyond) so do say hello. We like to attend various awards each year, and do a lot of public speaking and networking too. You can find out about events that Rocketmakers is hosting through our Eventbrite page.
Tech Hubs and Incubators
Natwest Entrepreneur Accelerator (Bristol and elsewhere)
Tech News
Twitter is a great place to start when building up your knowledge of the tech. support community, these are some of the sources that we use most:
