York Science Parks’ Springboard welcomes three new businesses

Three new businesses launch in York Science Park’s Springboard startup space.

Springboard, which is a specific space that caters for the needs of very early stage businesses and entrepreneurs, welcomes a company registration agent, a software company specialising in the education sector and a company providing innovative IT solutions and support for SMEs.

Located in the Ron Cooke Hub on the University of York’s Heslington East campus development, Springboard, established in 2010, allows entrepreneurs and businesses to easily access business personnel, academic departments and world class researchers, which can lead to innovative solutions and business opportunities.

One of the new businesses that launched in the Springboard is Atom Stream, a provider of complete end-to-end IT solution for SMEs ranging from IT support through to email, telephones, broadband, consultancy and hardware supply.

After developing highly-automated monitoring and management systems, the IT company now offers IT support to Yorkshire-based companies at highly competitive prices.

John Benson, the founder of Atom Stream, said: “We chose to base ourselves at Springboard as it allowed us to start up a new business with minimal capital investment. This has meant we can invest in taking on more staff, which we otherwise would not have been able to do until the business was larger. The team at York Science Park have been great and their speed at dealing with our application has meant we have been able to start trading much sooner than we would have been able to otherwise.”

The second business, Superformation, are Company Registration Agents that provides fast online incorporation service for people wishing to register and incorporate new companies in the UK.

The company’s services, which are all available and are free, include checking if the company name is available, adding Directors, Shareholders and setting up the Companies Registered Office. Additional add-ons include virtual office, mail forwarding, banking and offshore incorporations.

The third company, Tivoli IT, provides locally developed, multi-platform software for sport in the education sector.

Aimed primarily at school sports organisers, the company offers a product called ‘PEresults’, a competition management tool designed for school sport which provides a low cost solution to maximise productivity and minimize administration time for all staff involved in arranging, managing and reporting on competitive school sport.

The software also includes ‘live results’ displayed on school websites, collects and uploads participation data, assists with compliance matters and links with all the various stakeholders involved in organising and managing competitive school sport at all levels. Since being launched, over 2,000 schools have bought the software, and the company expects this to grow significantly in the future.

Mark Gillett, director of Tivoli IT said: “Springboard offers the perfect location for a start-up company such as ours. I know how time consuming and costly setting up a new office is, but with Springboard you just move in and everything is done for you – no communications and technology infrastructure to sort out, no long and complicated premises lease to tie you up, no office furniture to buy, no local café to seek out. It’s all here, already done for you, to a very high standard. Both the facilities and the team are superb and have made sure that I can get on with running the company and building my client base from the moment I arrived.”

Tracey Smith, managing director, York Science Park, commented: “We have had a very strong start to 2015 with a continuous flow of enquiries for our start-up space, Springboard. There is a real sense of optimism and opportunity around at the moment and it’s great to see these three entrepreneurial business start life at York Science Park where I am sure they will make the most of the support and networks we offer.”