Wilson’s Foundry, a world-first SME-led studio-based programme of support for businesses that make things, celebrated the work of its first cohort with a showcase attended by Andrew Bailey, Governor of Bank of England.
Wilson’s Foundry brings together three established Glasgow City Innovation District (GCID) creative businesses – Graven, Spreng Thomson and Threesixty Architecture. The three businesses believe that the best place to start or grow a business is to be located within existing successful businesses.
Together they aim to drive economic impact through a uniquely collaborative approach to business support that levers their combined 80-plus years of expertise, networks and resources.
The Wilson’s Foundry Showcase, held at the Threesixty Architecture Studio, featured the six businesses who formed the first Wilson’s Foundry cohort including the Cottonrake Bakery, Fashion Interrupted, Cykelworx, SepSensor, Landscape Soup and Rum Cay Rum.
During the four-month residency, the businesses had access to high-quality studios within Graven, Spreng Thomson and Threesixty Architecture and were able to benefit from top-level coaching, tailored mentoring, access to other innovators and potential investors.
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In addition, the businesses were able to secure additional investment to develop their products and access specialist training and technological support including 3D printing, prototyping and digital visualisation.
Bailey said: “It was really heartening to see how established SMEs share their experience and resources to support startups and other SMEs looking to grow at the Wilson’s Foundry Showcase.
“The concept of structured collaboration and support to help focus their ideas has clearly helped the participants and I wish them well as they develop their products and businesses.”
The Wilson’s Foundry programme is part of the GCID Venture Studio, funded by Glasgow City Council and the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
Alisdair Gunn, Director of Glasgow City Innovation District, said: “We wanted this pillar of the Venture Studio programme to engage with businesses who are designing, making and building products.
“We received high calibre applications and are delighted with the progress the businesses have made over such a short space of time. We have already received enquiries from around the world from other institutions who are keen to explore how working alongside existing businesses in their workplaces makes a difference to those at an early stage in their business journeys.
“We love the Wilson’s Foundry programme as we believe it speaks to many of the design-based businesses in the city who would benefit from this unique opportunity.”
Speaking on behalf the Wilson’s Foundry partners, Professor Janice Kirkpatrick OBE, director at Graven added: “The Wilson’s Foundry founders have long held the view that the best place to start or grow a business is in an existing successful business.
“Graven, Spreng Thomson and Threesixty Architecture have a combined 80 plus years’ experience and understand what it takes to build a brand and to grow and sustain a business.
“To be successful, businesses need the right environment and a community of support around them. Over the decades we have been in business, we’ve faced every challenge you could imagine. This enables us to share this experience with others so that they can move quickly and with confidence to develop and test their ideas.
“We have absolutely loved working with the first cohort and are delighted with the progress they have made in such a short time. We’re very grateful to GCID for supporting us and we hope that the success of the first cohort will lead to further opportunities for businesses in Glasgow.
“Glasgow is an entrepreneurial city of creative thinkers and innovators – a place that knows how to make things and how to build sustainable businesses that create jobs. There’s no better place to grow the Wilson’s Foundry programme.”
