We’re delighted to announce our brand new partnership with Capital Enterprise and Barnsley Council through the TEAM SY (Technology Ecosystem Acceleration and Market-Making South Yorkshire) project.
Based at the DMC in the heart of The Seam, Barnsley’s Digital Campus, the partnership will drive the development and delivery of an early-stage business support programme in South Yorkshire focused on the Internet of Things (IoT). TEAM SY is part-funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
What is an IoT pre-accelerator programme for start-ups?
Our Internet of Things (IoT) pre-accelerator is a programme which —through TEAM SY — supports businesses and entrepreneurs to develop their technology solutions to market. TEAM SY includes Barnsley Council and its DMC technology business hubs, host to the successful IoT Tribe technology accelerator programme alongside a range of innovative businesses and programmes.
IoT is the technology that brings together data, networks, and hardware, and includes everything from manufacturing sensors and monitoring systems to wearable technologies such as smart watches.
The project will support four to five cohorts of early-stage entrepreneurs and ‘spin outs’ from existing businesses over the two-year period. The pre-accelerator will enable South Yorkshire-based technology entrepreneurs and IoT start-ups to prototype new products or solutions through development and testing, as well as gain guidance and mentorship in technology adoption and business growth.
How does Team SY support start-ups?
Capital Enterprise is a body of connectors, influencers, investors, and policymakers, collaborating to serve and super-charge the UK’s technology start-up scene. Their vision is to make the UK the best place in the world to start and scale a business through a powerful membership network of leading universities and colleges, accelerators, co-working spaces, enterprise agencies, innovation institutes, and public sector organisations.
TEAM SY is a £4.6m ERDF part-funded project delivered by Capital Enterprise, alongside delivery partner Barnsley Council, that will directly support high-value digital and tech businesses to collectively raise over £20m in private investment and significantly increase the number of high-value jobs in South Yorkshire.
Aims of our IoT pre-accelerator programme
Our partnership will provide IoT start-ups and entrepreneurs with expert support from the Connexin team in developing solutions and taking them to market. They will also benefit from guidance on business models and ideas. As a leading Smart City and IoT operator in the UK, we have extensive experience in developing IoT solutions — as well as providing city-wide carrier-grade connectivity through LoRaWAN® network deployments — so are perfectly positioned to support early-stage providers that are on a similar development path.
Darren Balcombe, Deputy CEO at Capital Enterprise, said upon announcement of our partnership:
“Partnering with an organisation such as Connexin for our pre-accelerator programme is a great way to support technology entrepreneurs and start-ups in IoT prototype development and testing as part of the TEAM SY project.
Connexin has vast experience in developing IoT solutions and taking them to market, especially with their work alongside Hull City Council in recent years.
I’m very excited to announce this new partnership and role, which will play a big part in supporting the tech ecosystem in South Yorkshire and investing in the next generation of IoT start-ups and entrepreneurs looking to make a difference.”
Fuelling the region’s digital economy
Councillor Tim Cheetham, Cabinet Spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture at Barnsley Council, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Connexin as a partner with the TEAM SY project which brings together both the public and private sector to fuel the digital economy in the region.
Their technical expertise will help our region’s start-ups by guiding their ideas through testing, prototyping, and developing concepts into success stories.
The workspace, co-working, and technical facilities on site at the DMC are fundamental to supporting tech start-ups and build on our successful Enterprising Barnsley business support — we look forward to seeing business growth stem from this innovative partnership.”
Ralph Varcoe, Chief Growth Officer, at Connexin said:
“At Connexin, we’ve seen first-hand the power of IoT in better understanding the world around us to make more informed decisions.
Working alongside Capital Enterprise and TEAM SY, we’re excited to support the tech ecosystem in South Yorkshire as well as make a difference to tech entrepreneurs, the world of IoT, and the end users of IoT solutions.
We’ve been where these companies are and, as we scale up, the opportunity to support start-ups and businesses that are on a similar journey enables us to help develop new ideas and solutions and further challenge the industry.”
How start-ups can get involved in the IoT pre-accelerator programme
The pre-accelerator also creates pathways for start-ups and entrepreneurs towards the IoT Tribe Connected Places Accelerator, a successful programme supporting IoT companies at their next growth stage that includes pilots and trials of their technology within the local and regional ecosystems.
If you are a business interested in applying for the pre-accelerator or any other TEAM SY programmes, you can find more information on the TEAM SY website and become part of the community to receive updates here.
About Connexin
Founded in Hull in 2006, Connexin is an innovative and disruptive technology company specialising in building and operating award-winning Smart City infrastructure to support the Internet of Things (IoT).
Connexin has established itself as a UK market leader in the provision of end-to-end Smart City solutions, such as smart water, smart parking, smart lighting and smart waste.
Thanks to Connexin, Hull became the first city in the UK to benefit from its own purpose-built smart city operating system.
Connexin also gave Sheffield a smart technology overhaul by using the ConnexinOS IoT platform to integrate, view, manage, and respond to information in order to improve highway maintenance services and revolutionise service delivery across the city and surrounding areas.
Connexin, in partnership with Cisco and Newcastle City Council, has helped deliver the UK’s smartest street, which was announced at the Great Exhibition of the North.
Connexin was named one of the Top 100 Fastest-Growing Technology Companies in the Northern Tech Awards.
About TEAM SY
TEAM SY (Technology Ecosystem Acceleration and Market-Making South Yorkshire) exists to expand and improve the start-up support and investment ecosystem in South Yorkshire by attracting, co-developing, and funding world-class pre-accelerator, accelerator, and investment readiness programmes to the region.
A £4.6m ERDF part-funded project delivered by Capital Enterprise and Barnsley Council that will run from October 2020 until June 2023.
The TEAM SY project encompasses three main strands of activities:
Connect People: Being a visible presence in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, making introductions, and signposting entrepreneurs to resources.
Connect Institutions: Ensuring that the ecosystem is ‘joined up’ by sharing information between entrepreneurial support organisations and institutions.
Increase pre-acceleration and acceleration in South Yorkshire: Work with local, regional, and national partners to co-design and fund industry-specific pre-accelerators and accelerators, and work with external partners to attract acceleration programmes to the region.