Member Article

Tech firm hopeful of success after move to Warwick Innovation Centre

A technology marketing firm, which works with the biggest tech firms in the world, has expanded into offices in Warwick after a merger with a US company.

8Digital, which recently joined forces with Gorilla Corporation, has moved into the University of Warwick Science Park’s Warwick Innovation Centre from its former base in nearby Leamington Spa.

The firm helps distributors of technology products - made by likes of Microsoft and Amazon – grow their channels all over the world through dedicated marketing support and business development strategies.

CEO of Gorilla Europe and co-founder of 8Digital John Hones was keen for the firm to be part of a technology hub and said the University of Warwick Science Park fitted the bill perfectly.

He said: “The Warwick Innovation Centre was a great fit for us – there are so many excellent tech companies that are on our doorstep now.

“Once we’ve come through the current crisis, we could be looking to bring in additional staff and the flexibility of the space here means we should be able to grow here.”

John jointly founded 8Digital in 2009 with business partner Nicola Wiseman after opting to start his own business following several years of working for Google in London.

The success of the firm in helping its clients increase their distribution caught the attention of Gorilla Corporation, a similar business based in San Francisco and with offices all over the world.

Gorilla approached 8Digital in 2017, and a deal was agreed for the companies to merge. As a result of the merger, Gorilla now employs 20 people in the UK, around 60 in Europe, and 150 worldwide.

And despite the pandemic, the firm is confident it will move onto bigger and better things now its UK office is based at the Science Park.

Nicola said: “We had trade shows planned this year in places such as Dallas, Portland and elsewhere in the US which would have been a great way to pick up new clients but they sadly had to be cancelled.

“Luckily, we’ve had success networking on LinkedIn during the pandemic, and new clients continue to come in. I’m optimistic about the future and I’m glad we now have a great base at the Science Park to work from.”

And Jane Talbot, centre manager at the Warwick Innovation Centre, added: “8Digital is yet another great name in the tech world which has chosen to base itself at the University of Warwick Science Park.

“We were very pleased to hear how positive John and Nicola’s feedback has been, and we’re sure the company will thrive here.

“Firms choose the Science Park because of the potential to network with other like-minded businesses and there are also a range of services they can tap into that can help them to grow too.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .