Birmingham a major hub for start-up tech firms
Hundreds of start-up tech firms were created in Birmingham last year making the city the second most popular region for that sector outside London.
New figures reveal there were 570 tech start-ups formed in the city in 2019 bringing the total number to 14,509.
However the numbers were actually down by 21% on 2018 – indicating the region could still be aiming higher in terms of its development ambitions.
The drop could have been linked to the political uncertainty and delays over Brexit.
Toby Harper, who set up law-firm Harper James following a business start-up loan, said the figures underline that the region is a great place for any would-be entrepreneur to launch a business.
His company, which has a base in Birmingham, provides legal services to more than 1,000 businesses – and specialise in helping start-ups.
He said: “These figures are fantastic news for the region and prove it is a brilliant area to do business. They underline how, despite the political uncertainty businesses faced in 2019, that entrepreneurs are still coming up with new ideas and being as ambitious as ever.
“As an entrepreneur myself I know the barriers that exist in getting your idea off the ground so it is hugely encouraging to see so many new businesses, especially in the tech-sector, entering the market.”
Across the UK, companies were launched in over 700 different industries, as varied as raising of llamas and alpacas (10 new businesses), credit bureaus (23), driving schools (429) and repair of watches and jewellery (141).
As evidence of the impact that food delivery startups and street food are having, 14,363 new take-away food shops and mobile food stands registered in 2019, greatly outnumbering both licensed restaurants (9,405) and unlicensed restaurants and cafes (7,182).
Ten new wine producers, 314 brewing companies, and 347 distillery businesses also launched in the year.
London continues to dominate; business formations increased by 2.4% to 221,373. While Birmingham continues to outperform Manchester in absolute terms (14,509 vs 9,064), the latter is more entrepreneurial when considering population size.
