Hull and East Yorkshire, the “fastest growing” region for digital according to a recent report from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), is in the ascendancy.
The DCMS report showed that the wider Yorkshire and Humber digital sector’s economic output grew by 6.5% between 2014 and 2019, faster than the growth rate of the rest of the country.
Yorkshire’s digital sector could also reach up to £1.6 billion in annual GVA by 2025, with the potential to create more than 42,000 new jobs.
The region is at the forefront of digital growth in the UK, and its biggest success story is found in the East Riding. The number of employees in the digital sector of Hull and East Yorkshire – population 600,000 – is expanding at a rate of 8% each year, the fastest in the UK, says Adzuna and Dealroom data.
Meanwhile, total venture capital investment in Hull in 2020 amounted to £81.4 million, catapulting it to sixth spot in the country.
This is positive news for a region that can sometimes be overlooked, but Hull and the wider county are cementing their success by continuing what they already do well, identifying new ways to innovate, and focusing on how their unique obstacles can be overcome.
“Hull and East Yorkshire is a region on the rise when it comes to technology and digital adoption,” Kate Patton, Scaleup Engagement Manager for Yorkshire and North East England at Tech Nation, told Prolific North.
“We as an organisation are always here to support this fast-scaling sector in any way possible,” she said, citing “purposeful passion” from figures in the regional sector as behind its achievements.
What’s behind the region’s growth and success?
One major contributor to the region – comprising a significant part of the venture capital investment figure in Hull – is Connexin, the IoT and Smart Cities scale-up which has rolled out Internet of Things projects around the North.
It is in the process of building its new 10Gbps-capable full-fibre network, and leading the way in terms of digital growth in Hull and East Yorkshire. “The Hull and East Yorkshire region is full of entrepreneurs,” its co-founder, Furqan Alamgir, said.
He said this is “matched by forward-thinking local authorities… and regional large players such as Yorkshire Water, [who] have fostered and created new digital opportunities that benefit both the region and tech businesses.”
Connexin is one of many examples of technological innovators in Hull and East Yorkshire, big and small. Alongside it is incumbent telecoms provider KCOM, Hull’s largest employer for tech, which is also investing at least £100 million in terms of infrastructure across all of Hull and East Yorkshire.
The influence of these key players attracting and securing investment is matched by innovative startups including proptech firm Bimsense, which recently raised £250,000 in funding, as well as impactful metaverse specialist VISR, which has contracts with national and global names like Microsoft, Audi and BP.
And destinations like C4DI, the centre for digital innovation, are strong incubators for up-and-coming tech businesses as well traditional ones looking to innovate.
Local champion Antonio Tombanane, MD of GB Recruitment, is also the founder of Tech Week Humber, which launched its first event back in 2019 – attracting the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and IBM – on the back of the lack of digital skills in the city and the region, he said.
