Springboard in the ‘cloud’ thanks to Rackspace cash
January 4, 2012
Texas cloud hosting innovator Rackspace has handed the Springboard tech accelerator programmes in Cambridge and London UK this year a massive boost.
The San Antonio-headquartered business is sponsoring both the Cambridge and London Springboard programmes in 2012 and will provide cloud hosting for applicants and winners.
Fanatical Support® has made Rackspace the world’s leading specialist in the hosting and cloud computing industry. It delivers enterprise-level hosting services to businesses of all sizes and kinds around the world…
There are currently over 3,800 ‘Rackers’ around the world serving more than 1,600 customers.
Applications for the inaugural Springboard London programme are open through to January 29.
Programme director Jon Bradford is seeing a healthy mix of UK and international contenders for a place on the London programme. “Not surprisingly we are seeing teams from Old Street in Tech City but there are a number of overseas teams in the running for places as well.
“Going by previous applications we would expect around 50 per cent of the teams for Springboard London to come from outside of the UK.”
The second Springboard Cambridge programme will be scheduled in for the second half of this year, Bradford tells Business Weekly. Entrants will be sought mid-year and 10 teams will be chosen from the international applications – which can run into the hundreds.
Springboard has been ‘grandfathered’ as only one of two programmes in the UK that are endorsed by UK Trade & Investment for the new entrepreneur visa.
As Business Weekly revealed this summer, the UK is making provision for entrepreneurs with high growth potential businesses to set up in the country.
The Government introduced new visa rules that encourage the brightest and the best to locate to the UK.
It will make provision for entrepreneurs with high growth potential businesses to apply to come to the UK, where they have received at least £50,000 in funding from a reputable approved organisation – for example from a venture capital firm, UK Government Department, or through a UKTI endorsed seed competition.
Springboard is one of the first two seed competitions to be plucked for that elite.
Jon Bradford, the programme’s in-demand director, is pushing the start up mantra globally. He is a hot gospeller for the need for mentoring for start up ventures, arguing that cash alone is seldom enough for fledgling businesses to achieve commercial success.
Next stop is Moscow where Bradford will be co-launching the new TexDrive initiative; Bradford has co-founded what appears to be the world’s largest tech accelerator – TexDrive – targeting Russia, CIS and Eastern Europe.
TexDrive is the first in Eastern Europe and CIS member of TechStars Network, and is supported by Springboard. Both are well known acceleration programmes and networks.
His co-founders in the hi-tech mentor-led business acceleration programme are Alexander Zhurba, Max Shekhovtsov and Andrey Kessel (ex-Amadeus Capital Partners). The venture is anchored in Moscow and has buy-in from top entrepreneurs in Russia, the United States and Europe.