Ebuyer and C4DI team up to boost start-ups
ONLINE electronics retailer Ebuyer has announced a partnership with the Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI), to help encourage the growth of tech start-ups and promote innovation.
The partnership between Ebuyer, which launched in 2000 in Howden, East Yorkshire, and Hull-based C4DI, is aimed at promoting local digital business start-ups and supporting innovation in the electronics field. It will also allow the start-ups to showcase their creations on the Ebuyer website.
Last month, the C4DI was one of the projects to benefit from part of the government’s £27.7m Coastal Communities funding. Watergate Developments was awarded £300,000 to turn a former dry dock and ship repair yard into the C4DI, providing space for 115 digital enterprises creating 450 direct and 25 indirect jobs. The £13m digital business complex is set to be Hull’s first dedicated workspace and venue for digital and technology companies to innovate and explore new opportunities. Currently, the experimental build, the C4DI Beta, is up and running and work is set to start on the main project in the coming months.
Ebuyer, which employs 250 people and generates in excess of £200m of sales each year, will work closely with C4DI and the digital organisation, Hull Digital, which has more than 500 members, to offer workshops, talks, and additional support to its members.
Hull Digital and C4Di co-founder, Jon Moss, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with Ebuyer, we think it’s a great fit. They are a very successful leader in e-commerce with a wide-ranging reach to both consumers and businesses. The fact they are local and keen to support our start-up community is tremendous.
“It’s a great opportunity to work with Ebuyer in research, workshops and recruitment. Eventually this could lead to future projects and hopefully some of our start-ups could be used within Ebuyer or even for their customers.”
Stuart Carlisle managing director of Ebuyer, the sister company of Wren Kitchens, added: “It’s important to make sure businesses in the north bridge the technological gap with London. Partnerships between Ebuyer and innovative organisations like the C4DI are exactly what we need to keep the digital sector thriving in this part of the UK, and give the area a future competitive advantage over the south.
“It can be difficult for digital start-ups to breakthrough in the north of England so we’re excited to get involved at the early stage to lend advice and support local entrepreneurs. Offering start-ups access to our state of the art ecommerce and logistics technology will help them advance in a challenging marketplace.
“It’s great that the C4DI is right on our doorstep in East Yorkshire. The region might not be Silicon Valley just yet, but let’s call it Silicone Crevice for now.”
