OXFORDSHIRE’S digital community is working together to build the county into the UK’s number one digital hub following the official launch of Digital Oxford last night.
The event at Modern Art Oxford saw local digital entrepreneurs and industry workers gather to plan for future growth in the sector and consolidate personal networks.
Chairman of Digital Oxford and managing director of White October, Dave Fletcher, said the launch was “about celebrating the industry and recognising how far we’ve come”.
The 36-year-old said: “We’d like Oxfordshire to be the top digital hub in the country in years to come.”
Mr Fletcher thinks the region has the right “ingredients” to become number one, with the combination of the University of Oxford, strong science, technology and biotech sectors as well as proximity to airports.
One of the main aims was to get tech investors looking at Oxfordshire for investment opportunities “because there certainly is plenty,” he said.
The fledgling organisation has about 80 member businesses, 500 individual subscribers, and 1,500 Twitter followers.
The idea for Digital Oxford, which is run as a voluntary organisation, came about two years ago, largely because the digital industry is so fragmented, with many participants working freelance.
Mr Fletcher said Digital Oxford had a dual role of building awareness of the local digital industry and facilitating networking for individuals.
A committee was formed in June 2014.
A website, which was given a soft launch last year, was officially relaunched last night with new branding and a new jobs board.
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