New technology and innovation centre for start-ups to open in West London

Scale Space, a new £50m 200,000 sq ft technology and innovation centre for start-ups, will open in West London next year.

A joint venture between Imperial College London and digital venture builder Blenheim Chalcot, the development at White City will house more than 2,500 entrepreneurs when it officially opens in 2019 – and has been welcomed by the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, Matt Hancock.

Read more: Starting a business in West London

Located within Imperial’s new White City Campus, resident high-growth tech start-ups will include many of Blenheim Chalcot’s businesses, such as Agilisys, Startups Awards winner ClearScore, Startups 100-ranked SalaryFinance, Fospha, and Modulr.

A destination for “innovation, research and entrepreneurship”, larger corporations will also be able to establish their own innovation centres in the area and be part of the Scale Space ecosystem.

Committed to make West London a strong destination for tech and digital businesses, Imperial College London and Blenheim Chalcot will also engage with the local community, and will be working with Onside to develope a state of the art youth zone in the area.

Matt Hancock MP, secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, said:

“This ambitious project will help cement London’s position as Europe’s tech capital and is another vote of confidence in our world-leading digital economy.

“We’re determined to make the UK the best place to start and grow a digital business, so it’s fantastic to see these two established institutions coming together to help the next generation of innovative talent flourish.”

Professor David Gann CBE, vice-president (innovation), Imperial College London, said:

“We are delighted to announce our shared ambition with Blenheim Chalcot to create Scale Space.

“White City is a crucible for innovation and creativity, attracting the best talent and businesses. Scale Space is a fantastic addition to the growth of White City campus, providing tangible evidence of Imperial’s ambition and intent to create prosperity from deep science.”

Manoj Badale, a founding partner of Blenheim Chalcot, said:

“We’re excited to be working closely with Imperial, one of the best universities in the world, to develop a great location for business, innovation and entrepreneurship.

“With Scale Space we’re creating a unique site combining the best of digital innovation with the best of talent development. We look forward to seeing this become a great destination for the best talent, from within Imperial and beyond”