Britain’s newly launched British tech focused news and analysis website will visit nine key tech hubs in just 80 hours to show what its upcoming Tech Torch Tour can achieve in 2015
St Helier, Jersey – 9th June 2015 - TechBritannia, Britain’s voice for the InfoTech, BioTech and CleanTech sectors, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund its Tech Torch Tour of the British Isles. The campaign is running until July 25th, Rosalind Franklin’s birthday.
The crowdfunding launch includes a Richard Branson style publicity initiative #AroundTechNationIn80Hours. This lightning tour starts at Digital Jersey’s offices in St Helier at 12:00 today. It is taking in nine major tech hubs around the UK: Jersey >> Bristol >> Cardiff >> Glasgow >> Belfast >> Newcastle >> Cambridge >> Norwich landing finally in London in the IncuBus. The TechBritannia team will have garnered the opinions of the tech nation in just 80 hours and plan to share what they have learned with Mr Cameron over a cup of tea at 5pm on Friday, 12th June.
This launch activity is perfectly positioned the week ahead of the BCS App-a-thon - Guinness World Records Challenge for the most people learning to code at the same time on Saturday, 13th June and London Technology Week taking place between 15th-21st June.
Too much tech developed in the UK lies in the shadow of the London hubs and TechBritannia has been created to cast the light of publicity in all four corners of the kingdom. The rest of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Isles all have thriving research, startup and established tech companies which deserve as much, and in some cases more, attention than the capital city’s chosen few.
Even the setting up of the Northern Powerhouse of Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle will only partially correct the myopic vision of government and the mainly London-based media. TechBritannia has set itself the task to seek out true innovation in the UK wherever it lies – and the Tech Torch Tour is a kick-off point towards turning isolated islands of excellence into an interactive nationwide community.
Eric Doyle, co-founder and editor-in-chief of TechBritannia said, “Instead of sitting in an office hoping the awesome stories of British-based achievements come to us. TechBritannia has decided the best way is to tour the country, meet the researchers and entrepreneurs and learn first-hand not only what they are doing but what they think should be done to realise their silicon dreams.”
But this needs money to make it all happen and crowdfunding is an integral part of modern tech investment. Who better to go to Britain’s own leading rewards-based platform, Crowdfunder UK, based in Newquay, Cornwall. The team plan to raise at least £`10,000 towards the cost of putting on the tour across regional 10 tech hubs across Autumn and Winter 2015.
The Tech Torch Tour – Harnessing the Olympic spirit for UK’s tech industry
The tour will visit at least 10 locations across the UK. The crowdfunding element of the tour will focus on meeting with tech rockstars in each region. The rockstars we meet will be made up partly of tech companies who pledge for that crowdfunding package and other will be those who have applied in advance who will be invited to pitch and the remainder who join us on the day. Each leg of the tour will also include a social event in conjunction with local tech communities.
Subject to commercial sponsorship, the tour would expand to also include a seminar covering key topics such as IP law, funding and partnerships in the tech business community and a spotlight on local tech successes to share experiences and to offer advice on how to make innovation and innovators in TechBritannia successful.
Some of the places outside London, TechBritannia would like to visit are:
• Belfast
• Birmingham
• Brighton
• Bristol
• Cambridge
• Cardiff
• Cornwall
• Dundee
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow
• Jersey
• Leeds
• Liverpool
• Manchester
• Newcastle
• Norwich
• Oxford
• Sheffield
