A state-of-the-art sustainable innovation centre in Southend-on-Sea has appointed a new team of core staff, experts in their field ready to support progressive businesses with big aspirations.
Launchpad is an exciting growth hub for new and innovative businesses with bright ideas looking for collaboration with like-minded SMEs and a supportive environment in which to flourish. This new team of locally based, experienced experts will support businesses based at Launchpad to innovate, collaborate and develop.
Jacqui Stimpson, Launchpad’s Business Growth Manager, explained:
“These new roles are the starting point for hundreds of new jobs for the City of Southend-on-Sea.
“The team at Launchpad are here to make sure the businesses based here are able to take their innovative ideas and thrive.
“The City of Southend-on-Sea and the Airport Business Park Southend are on an upward trajectory.
“This flagship project offers a state-of-the-art base and valuable support for businesses that want to be part of that.”
The new Centre Manager, Georgina Roffey, added:
“As well as providing one of the most enviable workspaces in the local area, this versatile and sustainable building will be a hive of activity focussed on supporting our businesses and the local economy.
There will be regular opportunities to network in this and other national hubs through facilitated events, as well as upskill through workshops covering a range of essential topics that every aspirational business needs, like financial management, strategy and marketing.”
Commissioned by Southend-on-Sea City Council, Launchpad is part of the €150M Airport Business Park; a brand-new, world-class, multi-use business park just a stone’s throw from the airport and local transport links meaning businesses based there can reach a wide market.
Along with investment by Southend-on-Sea City Council, the development of the enabling works for the business park and the Launchpad itself received significant funding from South East Local Enterprise Partnership and further funding for some of the green initiatives at the Launchpad was secured from Nature Smart Cities.
Cllr Paul Collins, cabinet member for asset management and inward investment, says:
“Following the recent completion of building works, it is great to see another milestone reached in this exciting project and further progress being made. We want to see small and medium enterprises thrive in Southend-on-Sea and across our wider economic area, and this new team of local experts will play a huge role in helping to deliver that.
This is just the start of what is set to be an incredibly important workspace in our City and we are very pleased to be worth in with Oxford Innovation on this.”
The cutting-edge building has been given the highest accreditation of sustainability and will be open to new tenants in the next few weeks.
Launchpad is already attracting interest from a range of pioneering start-ups looking to grow.
Growing businesses focussed on innovation including new technology, products or services can register their interest in being at the heart of this exciting collaborative, supportive workspace by emailing info@launchpadsouthend.co.uk or visit www.launchpadsouthend.co.uk for more.
