SETsquared, which is the partnership between the universities of Southampton, Bath, Bristol, Exeter and Surrey, was ranked in first place ahead of PoliHub Startup District & Incubator at the Polytechnic University of Milan and INiTS Universitäres Gründerservice Wien at the Vienna University of Technology.
Over the last 13 years, SETsquared has helped over 1,000 hi-tech start-ups to develop and raise more than £1bn of investment, as well as contributing over £3.8bn in GVA (Gross Value Added) to the UK economy.
The European ranking announcement took place at the Incubatore di Imprese Innovative del Politecnico di Torino in Turin this morning, at the end of a two-day event that saw SETsquared’s innovation director Simon Bond present to the continent’s top incubators on university business incubation for accelerating growth.
David Bream, SETsquared’s programme director in Southampton, said:
“SETsquared believes in doing the simple, important things very well, including robust business planning, attracting and developing talented management teams and securing the appropriate funding to fuel the companies’ growth.
“This latest success for the partnership is a reflection of the success of the start-up companies we’ve helped to develop and the entrepreneurs behind these companies deserve much of the credit. Many of our companies have grown to become significant businesses in the Solent area and internationally.”