London is the mothership of the UK startup scene. Its appeal is so powerful that startups are fairly thin on the ground across the rest of the country. People looking for interesting startup jobs in London should focus chiefly on Tech City UK (or Silicon Roundabout as it’s more fondly dubbed).
In the late ‘00s, entrepreneurs began to be drawn to East London where rents were cheaper and costs were low. Like most now-trendy boroughs, the artists had gotten there first. The creative influx turned Shoreditch from a ‘nearly derelict’ part of London into one of the most desirable locations in the city.
Amongst the first technology companies located in the area were Dopplr, Last.fm, TweetDeck, Songkick and MOO among many others. The founders of Last.fm famously lived and worked in tents on the roof of an office building, making lunch for the company underneath in lieu of rent. After receiving major investment from the UK government in 2010 the startup scene has continued to grow, creating lots of interesting opportunities in London startups.
Job seekers eying up the London startup scene have a lot to take in. London benefits hugely from being at the centre of the European venture capital, accelerator and business angel scene, as well being the European hub of finance and media.
There are lots of opportunities for job seekers looking for jobs in web design, web development and software engineering. Communications professionals are also in demand, particularly those with skills in business administration, sales and business development.
Marketing pros are always needed in London’s connected startup scene, and people looking for jobs in online marketing, social media management and promotional marketing will be spoilt for choice.
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