Tech Nation has announced the appointment of a new ‘entrepreneur success director’ as it publishes new data on the growth of the digital tech sector in Leeds and Yorkshire.
Mike Jackson joins the government-backed organisation to build support for tech founders in early-stage and scaling businesses.
The Yorkshire-born entrepreneur will work on developing Tech Nation’s programmes and share his own experience and insights of developing entrepreneurial businesses after many years in the tech and start-up space.
Jackson has worked in the IT sector for more than 25 years, both for big companies like Microsoft and latterly as an entrepreneur and angel investor.
He founded early-stage tech incubator Webstart in Bristol and is passionate about building a similar supportive community and network for entrepreneurs across the country.
“I’m passionate about the Tech Nation message that we can build thriving tech clusters and connect entrepreneurs right across the United Kingdom,” Jackson said.
“To do that we are going to deliver growth programmes that are truly national and accessible from anywhere in the country and help local ecosystems to grow and expand.”
Jackson is recruiting a team of 11 ‘entrepreneur engagement managers’, whose job it is to help company founders across the countries and regions of the UK to network and engage with other entrepreneurs, investors, advisors and local influencers.
He added: “As a country we are not always great at collaborating, sharing successes and learning from each other.
“By building a national network of like-minded ambitious entrepreneurs, Tech Nation will play its part to ensure the whole of the UK shares in the benefits a successful digital tech sector brings.”
Jackson’s appointment comes as Tech Nation praises the growth of Leeds’ digital tech sector, which it claims is now worth £1 billion.
The organisation says that “a winning combination” of public and private sector businesses is helping to build Leeds into a major digital tech hub and encouraging start-ups right across the region.
Leeds and surrounding Yorkshire cities and towns are seeing an explosion of start-ups and new enterprises, encouraged by organisations like NHS Digital and the Open Data Institute.