The Vision
Techcelerate has embarked on a mission to position








North West, as the region for high-growth tech








companies outside London and the South East. It








creates an environment to ease the pain of starting up










and growing tech companies, whilst providing a







platform for promoting and launching tech startups.
The Action
Over the last 4 years, Techcelerate had led the









development of a sustaining ecosystem for tech







companies in the North West of England. At the core










of this initiative is a series of premier monthly events










focusing on the needs of the tech entrepreneurs.








Facilitating
knowledge
share
among
tech





entrepreneurs is a key activity, which was not








addressed prior to birth of Techcelerate.
The Differentiation
Techcelerate has a deep understanding of what it








takes to start and grow tech companies. Having exited









with scars from his first tech startup and now running










the second tech startup, Manoj understands the pain








of starting and running a tech company in the North










West of England. This unique experience has helped








him to bring his fellow entrepreneurs together and








introduce
investors,
dealmakers
and
service





providers who can help uplift the game; achieve








beyond aspirations, reduce risk and burden on scarce








resources.
The Past
In 2006, out of sheer frustration of not having a










regional event to meet fellow entrepreneurs, Manoj







formed Northern StartUp 2.0 (which was rebranded







as Techcelerate in 2010) with the support of KPMG. In










2007,
Techcelerate delivered 6 events. With






additional support
from Sun Microsystems and






others, it held 10 events in 2008 including Dragon’s









Lair in December.
In 2009, it delivered 11 events









including Tech Mission London 09, which brought the








northern and southern entrepreneurs and investors






together
for knowledge share and investment.






Michael Birch, who sold Bebo for $850m flew in from










San Francisco to take part. The event caused








significant debate on the north south divide on








Telegraph (67 comments). We have now delivered 42








events and workshops over 4 years.
The Community
Our growing community includes entrepreneurs; Ajaz






Ahmed (£1.6 billion Freeserve), and Steve Purdham







(£201m SurfControl);
investors; Ed French (EV






Group) and Amin Amiri (A2E Catalyst), Service







Providers; Steve Livingston (Crowe Clark Whitehill)






and Deal-Makers; Stuart Scott-Goldstone (Aarons &






Partners). 25% of the 1900 strong community is tech









companies whilst 5% and 70% remain investors and








service providers respectively.
The Success
edocr.com was founded as a result of our activities,









and was selected as one of the 20 hottest startups of











2008 by UK Trade & Investment and Doug Richard of










Dragon’s Den fame. Tom Cheesewright has helped







many startups develop effective marketing strategies.






Intuitive
Business
Intelligence
secured
seed





investment
from Angel
Investor,
Tony Bray.






Daresbury
Innovation Centre
secured
tenancy





agreements with Sun Microsystems, Construqtive and






many more. Techcelerate continue to attract investors







and technology specialists from the USA and Europe








as well as from London on regular basis.
The Core Areas
Techcelerate focuses on four areas, all delivered







through events and workshops, these being, access to








finance (Dragons Lair and Tech IPO), knowledge







(technical subjects to commercialization), markets





(geographical expansion to channels) and skills.
The Support Needed
Manoj has organized and run all aspects of








Techcelerate community activities on part-time basis






with help from few others. This is no longer









sustainable as expectations have risen sharply due to








the compelling service Techcelerate provides. A






permanent small team is needed to better service our









community and develop and position the North West








as an alternative tech centre to London and reduce









the north south divide.
Key Aspiration
We have seen how London has recently organized








itself as a competitor to Silicon Valley. Whilst we









cannot compete with London or Silicon Valley, we








believe, we should have the best environment to setup









and grow tech companies in the North West.
We believe Techcelerate is best positioned to deliver








government support programmes (as demonstrated





with delivering two DCKTN workshops), as we have








the trust of the community and the knowledge of what










tech companies need for growth.
Contact Details
Manoj Ranaweera
Daresbury Innovation Centre, Keckwick Lane,
Daresbury, Cheshire, WA4 4FS, UK
+44 7769734491
manoj.ranaweera@techcelerate.org
http://www.techcelerate.org