Welsh innovation centre continues to grow

Caerphilly-based innovation centre and co-working space Welsh ICE has said it’s to expand after securing a further 2,500 square foot of office space.

In September 2016, the organisation opened its third building, named the Octagon. This means the campus is now made up of 30,000 square foot of space.

The centre currently houses 170 businesses, as well as 400 staff and entrepreneurs who call it home. The former open-plan floor has been renovated to accommodate nine new, medium-sized offices.

These new offices will provide private space for larger start-ups and companies. The organisation is also running its ICE 50 scheme, which provides 50 start-ups with a fully-funded support package.

They get full-time desk, a tailored mentoring programme, creative workshops, telephone and high-speed internet access and one-to-one support for 12 months.

Jamie McGowan, community manager of ICE, said that the new space was necessary for the continued growth of the Campus and in its journey to help Welsh start-ups.

“For the past six months at ICE we have been operating at a 95% capacity, so in order to continue to grow, we knew we simply needed more space. When the extra space became available we jumped at it, and we are now proud to say that we will occupy the entire ground floor at Britannia house,” he said.

“The office space will be used to support smaller teams who perhaps have outgrown a single desk in our coworking spaces, but are not yet ready for one of our larger offices. The new space will be a perfect and affordable answer for the 4-6 person teams.

“Along with our other buildings, the Octagon and The Lodge, this expansion is all part of our ongoing long-term vision at ICE to have 1000 businesses on site, and with the popularity of our ICE 50 funded spaces, we are well on course to achieve that.”