Delancey and Entiq launch Europe’s largest Technology Innovation Centre at Here East

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to become the home of innovation with 68,000-sq./ft. of space set to open in January 2017.

Here East, London’s 1.2 million square foot digital and creative campus on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, is to become home to Europe’s largest Technology Innovation Centre. The innovation centre will be a joint venture between DV4, Delancey’s evergreen investment fund, Claire Cockerton, who will be the CEO and ENTIQ, the innovation delivery and business accelerator specialists. The Innovation Centre will bring together a community of businesses that will help revolutionise their fields, with an initial focus on sport, health, fashion, design and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The centre will house innovative companies, big and small, and provide a wide range of services to support new product development, business growth, and collaboration. Services will include bespoke accelerator and incubation programmes, practical intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship education, specialised prototyping facilities, a suite of back-office and professional services, and a state-of-the-art technology lab. In addition, access to a range of funding opportunities will enable member companies to scale across the UK and beyond.

The centre will run programmes and activities throughout 2016 with founding partners and sponsors, and a soft launch event is planned in October. Initially, the centre will span 68,000 square feet. At full occupancy, the centre will support up to 500 on-site members and organisations, and has capacity to spin-out scaling firms into other space across the estate. It is set to open fully in January 2017.

Previously ENTIQ has successfully delivered innovation projects for a variety of clients such as EY, City of London Corporation, the UK Government, Canary Wharf Group and Dassault Systèmes. It has led the design and development of world-leading innovation initiatives, such as Innovate Finance and the Cognicity smart cities accelerator programme. Founders Claire Cockerton and Eric Van der Kleij also led the creation and development of Europe’s largest fintech accelerator space, Level39, in Canary Wharf.

Both Level39 and Innovate Finance have contributed greatly to the UK economy, helping to position the country as a leader in fintech. An industry segment that employs more than 60,000 people in this country, fintech generated £6.6 billion for the economy in 2015.

This new world-class facility will bring together industry experts, designers, engineers, students, businesses and innovators to break new ground in fields such as sport, health, fashion and IoT, driving forward the development of new industries for the UK. The centre will be the stage for experimentation, design and performance for entrepreneurs and big business alike, and a home for making beautiful and connected new products.

New London Mayor Sadiq Khan welcomed the announcement, highlighting the Innovation Centre’s economic potential, saying: “I am committed to helping London become a world-leading tech hub and removing the barriers to its growth. London’s digital technology sector supports almost 200,000 jobs and will generate a massive £18bn for the capital’s economy this year. “This Innovation Centre will be a big boost to the sector and provide a hub for exciting new innovation. “The new centre forms an important part of London’s Olympic legacy in the east of London, generating jobs, encouraging investment and nurturing a growing local community of inventors and entrepreneurs.”

ENTIQ Founder and Chairwoman Claire Cockerton, and CEO of this new Innovation Centre outlined the ambition behind the project: “We have a bold vision and a strong team to deliver London’s next technology and innovation cluster. Working together at Here East, our members and partners will unite to shape new industry verticals that will make life better: businesses that improve engagement in sport, tools for preventative health care, the design of intelligent & functional fabrics, applications that improve connectivity, sustainability and mobility in urban environments and much more…

“Our business values are firmly rooted in the local and Olympic history: creativity and making, multi-disciplinary working, inclusivity and internationalism, and we will remain a launch pad for British based scale-up businesses and a soft landing pad for companies coming to the UK for the first time.”

Cockerton also pointed to the unique nature of the venture, saying: “This initiative represents a new chapter for ENTIQ – moving toward a holistic model for innovation “ecosystems”, which encompass high-value services, high-tech and affordable office space, and the creation of making and prototyping facilities for connected devices. The Innovation Centre leverages local assets to develop its thematic focus: the Olympic Park sporting and well-being facilities; Stratford’s transport and retail hub; the creative businesses in Hackney Wick; and the new entrants to the Park including Loughborough University, UCL, London College of Fashion, the Victoria & Albert Museum and many more. This is not just any regeneration project – this will be a new hub for the creative and technology economies that will forge new opportunities for all involved and drive economic growth in the UK” 

Paul Goswell, Managing Director of Delancey said: “In a market which is at risk of becoming saturated with multiple carbon copy coworking facilities offering little more than flexible leases and cool interior design, we are delighted to be creating a business that really will help our occupiers innovate, collaborate and scale their businesses through the programmes, events and support we will provide. Brexit or otherwise, we believe that London’s technology sector is only going from strength to strength and are pleased to play a small part in supporting it to do that.”

Here East CEO Gavin Poole highlighted the role the innovation centre will play at Here East, saying: “This centre will be the beating heart of Here East. From the outset, it was our intention to build a cutting-edge facility for technological innovation and for companies to come and scale. The Innovation Centre is central to realising that vision. We are marking out Here East as a global landing point – the destination of choice for world leaders in making, innovation and digital products. A product at this scale, with such vision, located in an amazing location, cannot be replicated anywhere. A vital piece of the Here East ecosystem has now been created with an exceptional team to drive it forward”.

Former CEO of Tech City UK and the first innovation centre Advisory Council member, Eric Van der Kleij, added: “ENTIQ’s founders have successfully delivered a number of major industry defining initiatives and projects including Level39, Europe’s largest fintech accelerator and Cognicity, a pioneering smart city initiative set to make smart cities a reality on the Canary Wharf estate. These recent projects are excellent examples of ENTIQ’s vision in enabling smart ecosystems that create inward investment and business value. I am proud to be the first member of the Advisory Council, which will provide the necessary guidance on supporting and engaging the local economy, advising on industry specific verticals and also will help foster cross–industry collaboration.”

Russ Shaw, Founder of London Tech Advocates and Advisory Council member, commented: “The falling cost of technology has democratised innovation, which presents a fantastic opportunity to entrepreneurs around the world. We are only beginning to explore the intersections between different sectors, from health and sport to fashion and property. I am proud to be a member of the Advisory Council and take part in this exciting new project, a pioneering effort to kick-start a new ecosystem which will create the companies of the future.”