St John’s Innovation Centre seeks to support businesses through in-house business advisers and a number of different programmes including Understanding Finance for Business, Coaching for High Growth and Inspiration for Growth. These are all focused on the needs of potential high growth companies.
The following gives details of the type of companies that have been supported over the years.
At the end of 2002, the Innovation Park was occupied by 50 companies, many of which were under 5 years old. The success rate for companies in their first 5 years is in excess of 85% compared to 50% for similar businesses in the Cambridge area. The Park has already housed a number of successful companies:
S Limited- Technical consultancy, £15m turnover after 7 years, 150 people employed from 5 at the outset and 8 spin-off companies
T Limited - Satellite communications, £12m turnover after 5 years. The two founders now employ 168 other people.
CM- £15m turnover after 6 years, 60 people now employed.
M Limited- Computer games company, £15m turnover and 120 people employed.
A Ltd - Valued at over £1 billion on EASDAQ
The tenant mix changes as companies move on, but during 2002 included businesses involved in:
- Biomedicine
- Energy
- The Environment
- Computer/telecoms
- Industrial technologies
- Materials
- Consultancy (technical)
The majority of the activities of the tenant companies fell within the fields of Research and Development, design of new products and services, testing and analysis.
The Centre provides free networking advice to tenants and makes recommendations on:
- Sources of assistance in the University
- Product innovation, design and manufacture
- Human resource management
- Bank finance, venture capital, UK and EC grants
- Marketing and public relations
- Training and development
