Supporting startups across the Greater Manchester region

By Emma Grant, head of programmes at Manchester Digital

Our role at Manchester Digital is to support all parts of the tech ecosystem - and providing dedicated and sector specific support for startups and scaleups right across the Greater Manchester region is crucial to this. Another of our not-for-profit organisation's goals as an industry body is to increase diversity and inclusion within the tech industry and make it accessible for everyone, regardless of their background.

We launched our Startup Activator programme in December 2023 to connect founders and entrepreneurs with all of the advice and resources they need to grow their tech startups.  

The programme is supported by Bruntwood SciTech, TLT, Kao Data and Zoho to provide free support to startups from their idea stage to early traction - offering resources, mentorship and community connections.

We were also awarded funding in April 2024 from the Barclays Eagle Labs Ecosystem Partnership Programme, funded by the UK Government. This enabled us to create a wide-reaching programme of startup roadshows right across the Greater Manchester region. Over the summer, we brought our team of startup experts to the boroughs of Manchester, including Salford, Trafford, Oldham, Bolton, Tameside, Rochdale, Stockport and Manchester city centre. This meant we could bring free and independent startup advice to a really diverse set of founders and entrepreneurs.

Our startup team is now just launching the second phase of the Startup Activator programme which is called Initiate. This programme offers fully-funded places for 100 startups and founders across six months and includes expert advice, in-depth masterclasses, a knowledge hub and tailored support.

The roadshows have received excellent feedback, with an average satisfaction score of 9.04 out of 10. We also successfully achieved our goal and reached diverse communities, as 54% of roadshow attendees and 55% of founders who joined the Initiate programme reported being from under-represented groups (eg. gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or a physical or mental health condition).

Why is our Startup Activator so important?

It’s really important for us to support our startups and scaleups for the sustained growth and development of the technology industry in Greater Manchester. They serve as catalysts for innovation, creativity and driving tech development and introducing new products and ideas into the market.

As startups grow, they create a ripple effect, generating investment opportunities, creating employment and supporting numerous smaller businesses within their ecosystem. This dynamic environment encourages competition, promotes collaboration, and ultimately benefits consumers through improved products, services and user experiences.