Leeds in top 10 UK cities for digital technology
Leeds is the UK’s seventh best city for digital technology according to a new census published by a data services company.
The report by The Data City shows Leeds has 5,556 organisations in the sector, covering AI and Data, ECommerce, Cyber, Digital, Gaming, Internet of Things (IoT), MedTech and Fintech.
There were also 207 events or meetups for the sector over a 12-month period from March 2018 to March 2019.
Mark Goldstone, Head of Policy and Business Representation, West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “Here in Leeds we know there is a strong digital economy so it is good to see it recognised in this research.
“Leeds has a very strong reputation as a great place to start and scale up a business too, with well-developed support networks, access to funding and a range of innovation spaces including the University of Leeds’s Nexus project through to the amazing space at Platform right above the main Leeds Railway Station.
“Leeds and the wider city region is an incredibly diverse economy, providing companies with access to both skills and markets. Indeed, Channel Four’s recent announcement to move its HQ to the city is testament to the talent available here.
“Anyone thinking of starting or growing a digital business would be well advised to consider our city.”
The UK 2019 Digital Technology Census, also shows the number of digital technology companies active in the UK as a whole is over 25% larger than currently believed, by measuring emerging sectors such as AI which have previously not been quantified.
The census data was classified geographically to reveal the top 29 cities in the UK, looking at active businesses combined with the number of events and meetups held, to find the most thriving innovation communities by industry sector, captured in an online interactive map.
The top ten cities overall are:
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London
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Manchester
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Reading
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Brighton
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Milton Keynes
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Birmingham
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Leeds
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Bristol
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Edinburgh
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Glasgow
Alex Craven, Co-founder of The Data City, said: “The 2019 Digital Technologies Census provides the clearest picture yet of the digital technology landscape in the UK.
“Using data from Companies House and individual businesses’ own websites it shows how active the community is across eight main sectors, and allows comparison between cities and regions.
“The Data City has created a useful tool for businesses, investors and public sector policymakers.
“Using real-time data such as ours to identify areas of strength can help inform innovation policy, provide an objective basis for investment and inform individual business decisions such as where to locate.”
