Look North

Manchester is the fastest-growing tech hub in the North of England, and the biggest outside London and the South East. Manchester-based companies have collectively raised over £1.8 billion in venture capital funding in the past five years.

Manchester played a huge part in the industrial revolution. Famous for cotton and textiles, the city had the first working canal in 1761 and the world’s first intercity railway in 1830. It was home to the BBC's first television studio outside London in 1954 and became an even bigger broadcast destination with the creation of Media City.

The pandemic and hybrid working impacted work geographies all over the UK. But this is more than moving out of London. This is a growing cluster of data scientists and tech talent attracting huge investment.

Manchester tech companies raised a record £532 million of funding in 2022. This is a 50 per cent increase on 2021 and more than many major European cities including Rome, Brussels, Warsaw and Lisbon. 

There are now over 1,600 startups and scaleups in the city, which employ an estimated 60,000 people according to tech data specialist Dealroom.

Williams Nicolson’s Manchester office is the home of data director, Dr Lucy and she will be increasing her northern headcount very soon.

From Madchester to Mathchester. Don’t doubt the data. Manchester is thriving and you might miss opportunities if you fail to look north.