Event with Lal Tawney, Whitecap and Oliver Waters, Protospace
Date: 24 Jun 2021
Ecosystem analysis set to help Milton Keynes’ tech community unleash full potential
The projection that Milton Keynes’ is set to be a key driver in the UK’s economic recovery is underpinned by the city’s growing reputation as a technology and innovation hub.
With one of the highest start-up rates in the UK, Milton Keynes is home to one of the UK’s most outstanding digital tech clusters, serving diverse industries including FinTech, HealthTech and EdTech.
To underpin this continued growth and ensure that these sectors have everything they need for sustainable, long-term progression, Whitecap Consulting and Protospace are conducting an analysis on the tech ecosystem within Milton Keynes, which will culminate in a report later this year.
Speaking at the last Milton Keynes Business Leaders Partnership (MKBLP) event, Whitecap Director, Lal Tawney, and Protospace co-founder, Oliver Waters, discussed how they have collaborated to produce this analysis project: “It’s vital that we understand the local digital tech capabilities, identify sector specific opportunities, and determine what is required to support strategic growth.”
Founded in a bid to cultivate closer connections between individuals and organisations working within Milton Keynes’ tech community, Protospace champions local digital innovation, helping to foster new alliances between like-minded companies through a series of themed events and online resources. Oliver explains: “As a tech start-up, we wanted to surround ourselves by like-minded people. Bringing the wider tech community together.”
However, this ‘wider tech community’ which reaches across a diverse mix of sectors, needs, in order to stay competitive in a country bubbling with other tech towns, a clear strategy: “The amount of tech we have in Milton Keynes is stunning; we just need to pull it together and question where and what we are driving towards.”
Through its Post Covid Economic Recovery fund, the report into the tech ecosystem is supported by Milton Keynes Council.
With a focus on the strengths, weaknesses and competitive advantages, Whitecap and Protospace will work with other local organisations and tech supporters to analyse the sector, with a view to recommending how Milton Keynes’ digital tech ecosystem can be further developed to ensure the city continues to be an attractive, viable option for future talent.
“We know that Milton Keynes is a testbed of innovation. It’s not just the driverless cars and delivery robots of today. You can take this innovative spirit right back to Homeworld ’81 and the fact that the city itself was a testbed as one of the last new towns to be developed. We just need to ensure that we fully understand the local tech ecosystem, maximising the benefits and leveraging all potential opportunities.”