fdi leaders

Technology startups in Europe have never had it so good in terms of showcasing their wares and connecting with potential funders and supporters.  Startup accelerators and tech roadshow events such as Seedcamp, Springboard, Startup Week, and the European Tech Tour are helping the geeks sharpen their business models and score some celebrity.

Interestingly, the Tech City Investment Organisation is hosting an Entrepreneurs Festival in November, which aims to attract more than 300 tech entrepreneurs from across Europe.  As well as gathering together this top talent, the tech media will also be present.  A great opportunity to showcase what a wonderful place East London is for growing technology companies!

Talent events also seem to be dominating our television screens these days too.  Perhaps we will see them become a popular marketing tool for fdi attraction?

It was good to see the Czechs in Cambridge recently, promoting cooperation in the life sciences at a One Nucleus Life Science Leadership Series networking event.  Czech Invest were there in style, and the Czech International Cooperation story is nicely profiled in a recent nature.com blog.

The creative industries are a glamorous sector for economic development, and they certainly help spice up the brochures and promotions of locations seeking investment.  However, how much do they actually contribute to the world of FDI?  An event taking place in Tallinn Creative Entrepreneurship for a Competitive Economy 19-21 October will be looking at the significance of the creative industries for growing economies.

On the evening of Monday 10 October at the Instititute of Directors in London, there will be an interesting FDI-related event, Capitalising on Commercial Opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe.  We will be involved, discussing government incentives on offer.  See you there!

We are always interested in looking at where technology is taking us in terms of new businesses and growth industries.  Our radar has picked up some exciting stories in the area of water technology.

With significant global water challenges ahead, including water scarcity; flooding; sanitation; pollution; and ageing infrastructure, we are seeing technological innovation in countries such as the US, Israel, France, Canada, Japan, Singapore, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain.

The water market is now one of the fastest growing in the world, and water is emerging as an important investment theme.  This is one to watch for future fdi growth.

A glass of whisky is a lovely way to start this blog.

This image is taken from a recent promotion by Scottish Development International highlighting one of Scotland’s major selling points.  It is a country with lots of water, and it is using this water for competitive advantage.  Favourite line from the promotion is: “we’ve a very productive obsession with water.”  Excellent!  We raise our glass to the copy writer.

We see lots of promotional images from locations trying to attract investment, and most of them have limited impact.  Generic in character, they look the same. They use the same words, and sometimes the same pictures.  They could be anywhere.  They are indeed ”Invest In Anywhere”.  To become an “Invest In Somewhere”, locations need to be great at story telling, engaging their audience with a compelling business proposition.

Well done to Scotland for focusing on a genuine locational advantage, and getting our attention.