Much awaited plans for Venturefest Bristol and Bath 2017 (VFBB), the event that showcases the region’s biggest ideas and most exciting innovation, has just been announced.
This time around will see the format of Venturefest reinvigorated in a unique, year-long series of events inviting the Bristol and Bath tech community to take part in shaping and exploring the technology challenge of the future city.
“[We can] take a global leadership role in the technology that will guide the evolution of cities into a fully connected world”
The programme is designed to allow tech start-ups and established tech businesses to enter a new, underexploited £7tn market opportunity. It will build on Bristol’s growing reputation as a smart city leader and focus the much-lauded innovative capacity of the region’s tech cluster.
Matt Cross, Head of Inward Investment at Invest Bristol & Bath – who is delivering VFBB 2017, says: “We know that the term ‘smart city’ is frequently misunderstood, resulting in lost opportunities. In partnership with our tech community, we can give real meaning to the term and take a global leadership role in the technology that will guide the evolution of cities into a fully connected world.”
Smart opportunities
Kicking off in February, the series starts with a day-long conference where some of the leading smart city luminaries will share their insights. Global companies such as Mastercard will outline their vision for their role in the connected smart city, and tech startups and companies who have already embraced the opportunity will show how they are capitalising on it.
“Venturefest Bristol & Bath is a fantastic opportunity for us to build a long-term innovating partnership with the tech community in the region”
The event, at Future Space, in the University of the West of England’s Frenchay campus, will begin a programme running throughout the year with a variety of linked events culminating in a major conference in October 2017, as part of the second Festival of the Future City.
Already local organisations, companies and startups are getting excited at the opportunities the kick-off event and subsequent showcase will offer. Sarah McBride, Director of Business Development of YTL – who plans to develop 2,500 new ‘smart homes’ on the former airfield at Filton – says: “We are creating a standard for smart homes and a blueprint with innovation and technology designed into the fabric of the development.
“As we move into an era of connected and driverless cars, we can dynamically manage our future cities remotely”
“This means not only embracing the best technologies but working with the tech community to discover new innovation and applications, and Venturefest Bristol & Bath is a fantastic opportunity for us to build a long-term innovating partnership with the tech community in the region.”
Dan Hubert, CEO and founder of AppyParking, the UK’s leading parking platform, adds: “As we move into an era of connected and driverless cars, we can dynamically manage our future cities remotely. Thirty percent of all traffic congestion in cities is caused by drivers looking for a parking space, so by combining Internet of Things, payments and mapping technology with data analytics, we can identify new opportunities and ideas which we’re excited to share at Venturefest Bristol & Bath.”
Innovate and pitch
Alongside the conference, Silicon Gorge and Idea Squares will run Venturefest’s Investor Showcase giving startups the chance to pitch their business plans to venture capital investors invited in especially for the event.
Paula Rogers-Brown, National Venturefest Network Manager at Innovate UK – a series’ sponsor, tells us: “VFBB 2017 promises to bring an exciting new dimension to the agenda of the Future City. By bringing together world leaders in the field, this event aims to explore the challenges of developing a future city and the innovative solutions that need developing for the future of our cities.
“We are delighted that our partners at Invest Bristol & Bath are seeking to expand the dialogue from the initial event in February through to October and beyond, creating a continuous flow of energy and inspiration to the high growth SME community around smart city opportunities.”
The series is being delivered by inward investment agency, Invest Bristol & Bath, in partnership with Innovate UK, and is being supported by the region’s universities, including the University of the West of England, Bath Spa University and the University of Bristol, as well as SETsquared Bristol, the world’s #1 university business incubator.
For more information, and to keep up to date with the latest news, follow Venturefest on Twitter: @venturefestbb or visit www.venturefestbristolandbath.com.
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