Appointments

David Levine has been appointed as ‘entrepreneur in residence’ at Enterprise City’s Exchange support scheme for startups in the heart of Manchester.

Levine, Vodafone’s ex-global head of connected car who also spent seven years working at the office of the CTO at Hewlett-Packard, is the founder and former CEO of DigitalBridge, a guided design platform for bathroom and kitchen retailers.

He will share his knowledge and provide support for the tech startups selected for the scheme.

“Despite my experiences, I have made countless mistakes during my time as an entrepreneur, which I still use now to inform decisions,” said Levine. 

“I will be sharing this advice with the start-ups so they can understand how to avoid those rabbit hole decisions, often made in the early stages, that can come back to bite you.”

Exchange offers its tech business cohort access to resources and infrastructure, including full use of the facilities at Department Bonded Warehouse, a network of like-minded entrepreneurs, mentoring from business experts and funding opportunities.

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The 30 incoming member businesses are all promising early-stage tech start-ups, operating across EdTech, FinTech, eCommerce and more. 

They make up the second group on the scheme, following the success of last year’s cohort, which secured millions of pounds in funding between them.

Levine added: “Never before has it been easier to start a business and have global impact. The pandemic means geographical issues are becoming a thing of the past, thanks to proven remote working capabilities, so it is exciting to see what is in store for Manchester’s next generation of tech innovators.

“The community in Department Bonded Warehouse, where Exchange is based, is incredible. You can feel the energy of ideas and the willingness of people to share and cheer each other on in the atmosphere. 

“Having that strong support network is so important in the early days of business and I am looking forward to joining that. Being based there and having access to the great mix of creative, collaborative and quiet spaces will be invaluable to the Exchange entrepreneurs, as will the strong tech and business background and history of Manchester.”