Original post by JAMILLAH KNOWLES via TNW
Canary Wharf Group, the property development, investment and management group of companies, has announced plans to open an accelerator space for financial tech companies at One Canada Square in London.
With plans to open early next year, the incubator hopes to foster small businesses with a focus on transparency, competition and client services in finance.
The accelerator will be called Level39, as it will be placed on the 39th floor of One Canada Square, taking up the entire 29,000 ft space. The area is already known as a business district and so should provide access to possible partners, investment and talent.
The Group says that it will be using Level39 to bring together its existing financial and professional services tenants, which employ over 100,000 people at Canary Wharf, and connect them with London’s tech scene.
The initiative will be led by Eric Van Der Kleij, technology entrepreneur and outgoing Chief Executive of Tech City Investment Organisation (TCIO). Van Der Kleij has been appointed by the Group to help Canary Wharf and Wood Wharf become even more attractive to the FinTech sector and the wider digital economy.
The expansion of the East London hub often dubbed ‘Silicon Roundabout’, set around London’s Old Street station will likely help to further establish London as a technological industries hub.
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