2021 will usher in the 20th year of operation of the Bath Innovation Centre. Since its foundation in a year that was a byword for the future but became the year 9/11 entered the lexicon, the web has grown from just under 30m websites to over 1.8bn; mobile phones have improved from 2G GPRS to the launch of 5G and virtual reality; 3D Printing produces bespoke metal knee joints and even whole buildings; and the five largest publicly traded companies in the world are all tech firms. In 2001 only Microsoft and Intel made it into the top ten.

In that time, the Bath Innovation Centre has grown to become a key component of the renowned SETsquared Partnership offering world-leading incubation support services, enterprise activities and access to investment networks. We have helped over 1,000 start-ups raise more than £1bn of investment. Our three ERDF-funded Business Accelerationn Hubs are working to accelerate 360 early stage Digital, Advanced Engineering and Sustainable Tech businesses over three years.

PIONEERING SPIRIT
We support entrepreneurs leading knowledge-based innovative or disruptive technology ventures with high commercial growth potential. You don’t need a connection with the University of Bath or indeed any of the partner SETsquared Universities but we do also help spin-outs, research commercialisation opportunities and collaborations and our student enterprise activities help nurture tomorrow’s pioneers.

We’re also pioneering the way that incubation is delivered, reimagining our approach for a post-Covid landscape where support is bite-size, virtual and on-demand. There will still be a need for physical spaces such as our Office-for-a-Day strategy/sprint venues or our Zoom Deck: a series of acoustic pods that act as mini broadcast studios or just as great comfortable, easy-to-book, quiet places to catch up for our residential or virtual members.

TESTIMONIALS
The first Tech Start-up I was involved with was before SETsquared existed. Now running a company with the support of SETsquared I have experienced first-hand the huge difference they make.”
— Nick East, Founder, Zynstra – acquired by NCR for £100m in 2019

The team we assembled based on the very valuable ecosystem and infrastructure around SETsquared was mission-critical in winning investment funding from Innovate UK.”
— Ken Garner, CEO, Airway Medical – successfully raised £250k grant in 2020