Property company Bruntwood has officially launched its flagship Platform building in Leeds, which is home to tech incubator Futurelabs, digital design house LightStart and IT managed services provider Altinet.
The 13-storey, 120,000 sq ft building is already 56 per cent let or under offer and also counts national law firm Shoosmiths, Berwin Solicitors, Mercia Fund Managers and Business Growth Hub as tenants.
“We’re delighted to have officially launched and that so many customers have decided to relocate here,” said Bruntwood Leeds director Craig Burrow.
“Platform has been specifically designed to encourage creatively-minded businesses of all sizes and drive collaboration and innovation. We are proud to have created a business location reflecting Leeds’ dynamic and confident outlook.”
He added: “Workspaces like we have created at Platform are helping to reinvent Leeds, improving how the city is perceived, making it a more desirable place to live and work, and better able to attract new people and businesses.
“With Platform we aim to showcase Leeds’ tech ambition to leverage further inward investment, connect with local educational institutions and attract world-leading, innovative brands to the city.”
Futurelabs is the latest tech start-up to join the community at Platform.
Established as a pilot initiative with support from Leeds City Council in 2016, Futurelabs currently houses around 70 people and offers companies and freelancers a number of events and services including meetups, talks and networking.
Steve Wainwright, co-founder of Futurelabs, said: “We are passionate about developing the tech ecosystem in Leeds. We have built an amazing tech community over the last 18 months and delivered more than £4m of GVA to the region.
“Transitioning that community into Platform is a logical next step and we look forward to the community continuing to thrive in that space.”
Platform opened officially on November 23rd with Futurelabs launching in January 2018.