Scaleup programmes
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Engine Shed
Infrastructure
Impact for scaleups
400+
Companies supported per year
£660m+
Investment raised since start of programme
1,200
Events held every year
300+
Scaleups access and use Engine Shed’s facilities
Key sectors
Engine Shed, based in Brunel’s historic building in Bristol, is the University of Bristol’s innovation hub in collaboration with Bristol City Council. It brings together investors, entrepreneurs, business leaders, academics, and corporates to drive innovation and inclusive economic growth. Supporting scaling businesses since 2013, it provides flexible infrastructure for over 300 high-growth companies.
Engine Shed connects scaling businesses with investors through its ‘Investors in Residence’ programme and the Bristol Angel Hub, in partnership with UK Business Angels Association. Its ‘Investment Activator’ programme, led by TechSPARK, boosts equity investment in the South West by showcasing local scaleups and facilitating investor engagement.
Through its partnership with Geovation, Engine Shed supports scaling businesses using location or property data, offering free access to expert business advice, mentorship, and specialist data support from Ordnance Survey and HM Land Registry. In 2024, Geovation deepened its engagement, hosting joint events and collaborating with SETsquared Bristol.
Hosting 1,200 events annually, Engine Shed attracts 30,000 visitors each year. It also supports the Bristol Technology Festival, a weeklong programme of 70 events highlighting the region’s tech ecosystem.
In the past year, Engine Shed has strengthened Bristol’s innovation landscape. Bristol City Leap joined the Members’ Lounge in April 2023 to support its £1 billion investment in the city’s low-carbon energy transition. Community engagement platform Neighbourly relocated to Engine Shed, embedding itself within Bristol’s innovation network. More recently, engineering consultancy Burroughs established a new office, enhancing collaboration in the region. Through these developments, Engine Shed continues to drive innovation and sustainable economic growth in the West of England.
