Vulcan Works – new incubator in Northampton offers a fertile environment for ‘Digital Creative’ start-ups to grow

Building on their successful innovation centres in Oxford and across the UK, Oxford Innovation Space (OIS) launched their latest incubator in Northampton on 19 April, offering a custom-made setting for early-stage Digital Creative businesses to develop and grow.

Funded by the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership, the European Regional Development Fund and West Northamptonshire Council, Vulcan Works is a triumph of re-generation. They’ve taken an historic ironworks in the cultural heart of Northampton and created a space infused with modern facilities – new light through old windows – designed to support smaller enterprises.

It offers flexible working spaces for solopreneurs, freelancers, start-ups, and growing companies working in the creative industries from architecture to software.

Challenges for new and/or small businesses are plentiful and innovation spaces such as the Vulcan Works provide a springboard to development utilising:

• Collaborative spaces for networking, collaborating and learning from each other
• The backing of OIS, bringing access to growth support and business expertise
• Support from local advisers

Supporting this new ecosystem for start-up technology businesses, HCR Hewitsons will work with the OIS team to provide advice on structuring, shareholder and owner arrangements, fundraising and IPR, which are important foundations in building for success. This may be anything from a drop-in workshop over a lunchtime to drafting full-blown documentation for a fundraising event.

This support gives local digital creative businesses the opportunity to maximise their potential for development, taking them from a good idea to a scalable business.

“With one of the highest rates of start-ups in the UK and a culture of innovation and creativity, the potential for the region is enormous.” says David Davies, Head of Corporate at HCR Hewitsons’ Central England Office.

“What Vulcan Works offers, with Oxford Innovation Space’s tried and tested framework, together with contributions from our expert corporate and technology lawyers when needed, is the leg-up that can be so important for releasing that potential.”

OIS’s Business Growth Manager, Darren Smith says: “Vulcan Works is an incredible space that is so conducive to a growing creative business. As well as offering an environment to allow our customers to flourish, they will also benefit from in-house OIS Business Support services and via a wider network of organisations including HCR Hewitsons.”