England holds six of the top 25 places in official rankings of best European cities for startups.
London is still the best city in Europe for digital entrepreneurs, that's according to a report by innovation foundation Nesta and the European Digital Forum's European Digital City Index.
For the second year in a row, the table of 60 European cities ranked the capital as being the best city in Europe for startups, citing access to capital, its exuberant entrepreneurial culture and access to a skilled workforce as being the leading success factors for startups and entrepreneurs.
Stockholm was in second place, followed in order of rankings by Amsterdam, Helsinki and Paris. Six of the top 25 cities were located in England, including Cambridge (12th), Bristol (13th), Oxford (15th), Manchester (16th) and Birmingham (23rd).
Commenting specifically on London's extensive access to skilled workforce and the impact that Brexit may have on this following the triggering of Article 50 by March 2017, Chris Haley, Head of Startup and New Technology Research at Nesta, said: “If Brexit affects the ability of startup and scale-ups to obtain top talent and access markets, that would clearly be a significant problem. I would urge government to be aware of the digital skills that are in short supply and ensure that due consideration is given to highly skilled migration.”
Deputy Mayor for Business, Rajesh Agrawal, adds: “There’s no doubt that London’s growing success as a tech hub is built upon our world-class pool of talent – so it is more important than ever that companies in London and across Britain have access to the global talent they need to grow and create jobs and prosperity."
Earlier this month, London’s tech hub was further boosted as Google confirmed the technology giant will open their new headquarters in London, easing fears that global tech firms would be less attracted to London as a result of the vote to leave the EU.
To find out more about how we can assist you with your entrepreneurial ideas and business aspirations, contact Steve Govey or your usual Beavis Morgan Partner.
For a full copy of the report visit the European Digital City Index 2016.