Business leaders unite to showcase North East’s startup appeal

A group of North East business leaders have teamed up to reveal why they think the region is the perfect testbed for startups and innovators.

Managing directors and founders from companies like VR firm ZeroLight, online fashion store Pink Boutique, alcoholic tea brand NovelTea and community fitness company Nouveau Wellbeing were among the contributors in a new campaign called #UnlikeNEWhere.

Tyneside video agency Three Motion Media carried out a two-month video interview study to discover why people should consider starting up in the region.

Interviewees highlighted access to talent, first-class business support and a strong sense of community and collaboration as reasons why budding entrepreneurs want to do business here.

Three Motion creative director Neil Wood-Mitchell said: “We wanted to create a video campaign which celebrated the success stories of our best new entrepreneurs but also to try and answer one very simple and clear question, why is the North East the best place to startup?

“We wanted to bring stories from business leaders across various sectors. Whilst they have businesses that differ greatly, they all share the same fighting spirit, resilience and determination to succeed.”

He continued: “I think that the business community take comfort and pride in knowing that their region is economically prosperous. It’s reassuring knowing that there are businesses out there doing extremely well on all levels. We’re meeting founders who started their business with less than £100 investment and are now some of the fastest growing in the UK. That’s genuinely remarkable.

“As a creative business, we find the landscape extremely fertile. The North East’s digital industry is one of the most vibrant and rapidly developing in the UK and there’s a real sense that things are moving in the right direction.”

ZeroLight CEO Darren Jobling commented: “We’re based in this area because fundamentally there is a great talent pool, with five brilliant universities on the doorstep.

“The area is also known for great software engineers. There is a DNA and a natural entrepreneurial cluster of technology companies that are actually based here and this is one of the reasons we’ve been able to grow as we have done.”

Vincent Efferoth, co-founder of Noveltea, said: “The North East is the very reason for our growth. We are already exporting to China, Hong Kong and throughout South East Asia.

“A lot of people call our region the test bed of startups and we believe it’s a perfect ecosystem to do something new. Our brand proves that. Our city offers everything a huge city does but things like business support is a lot more accessible. Businesses also collaborate with each other here like nowhere else in the country. We’re the most underrated region in the UK.”