About us

We are the UK network for ambitious tech entrepreneurs

We believe the UK is the best place in the world to start and grow a digital business

Tech Nation empowers ambitious tech entrepreneurs to scale faster through growth programmes, digital entrepreneurship skills, a visa scheme for exceptional talent, and by championing the UK’s digital sector through data-driven reports & campaigns. We support entrepreneurs across the UK through our unique national network of Entrepreneur Engagement Managers (EEMs) based across 11 key regional clusters.

Our story began in Shoreditch in 2011 when we were launched to support the East London tech cluster known as London Tech City — or Silicon Roundabout. Since then we’ve been on a journey, spreading our activities to cover other parts of the UK and set up Tech North to run programmes across the North of England. In November 2017, the launch of Tech Nation was announced, consolidating Tech City UK and Tech North’s impact.

Now as Tech Nation, we’re expanding our network of growth programmes, events, skills and data resources to reach all corners and clusters of the UK.

Our vision

To make the UK the best place to imagine, start and grow a digital business.

Our mission

To empower ambitious tech entrepreneurs to grow faster through knowledge and connections; to build a UK economy fit for the next generation.

Our values

Originality: we break new ground
Meaningful Collaboration: we nurture relationships
Real Impact: we make it count

What we do

We help startups compete globally to bring jobs, skills and higher productivity to the UK and build an economy that’s fit for the future. We do this through a range of activities.

Growth programmes
Tailored to each stage of your business cycle

**Digital entrepreneurship skills
**Digital Business Academy will help you and your team upskill

**Visa scheme
**Access to Tier 1 visas to bring exceptional tech talent to the UK

**Championing UK digital
**Through data, case studies, events and media

Our impact

One of our core values as a team is real impact, ensuring that everything we do is having a positive benefit on the people we serve, namely, ambitious digital tech entrepreneurs across the country.

Our work is measured against a set of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) through which we can be held accountable both by Government, who part fundus, as well as the companies we serve, who are integral to our success as an organisation.

Last year we underwent an independent impact evaluation by SQW (a provider of research, analysis and advice in economic and social development), which found that our activities provide both a benefit to the economy, as well as positively contributed to the “development of the digital tech community that is now less fragmented and is better networked and connected within the UK and internationally.” The report also found that Tech Nation generates at least £6 of return on every £1 invested, which is much higher than the industry average.

In order to track our success, we have a variety of different measures including but not limited to: the number of companies engaged on our Growth Programmes (as well as their regional breakdown), the number of live learners on our Digital Business Academy, the number of applicants that come through our Tech Nation Visa scheme, our digital reach, as well as the number of reports and articles we publish and the amount of media coverage they garner as a result.

Our Entrepreneur Engagement Management (EEM) network, based across 11 key regional clusters, helps connect on a local level and help the next generation of UK-based tech entrepreneurs through knowledge, skills, resources and connections.