An initiative which aims to position Wales as a hub for AI-driven growth and entrepreneurship as part of a £1 million regional tech programme has been announced.
Tramshed Tech’s T[ai]th Start is a series of AI Venture Building events across Wales aiming to spur Welsh talent to create the next wave of tech startups. The events will provide participants with hands-on opportunities to learn, build, and test tech solutions while connecting with global sponsors and local networks. This initiative will end with a showcase event that brings together national and global stakeholders.
Through this initiative, Tramshed Tech said it aims to foster and strengthen the Welsh tech community, paving the way for new local tech founders to emerge.
The project is one of 14 across the UK to be funded under the UK Government’s £1 million Regional Tech Booster programme, which is delivered in partnership with UK Tech Cluster Group.
Sophie Webber, head of ventures at Tramshed Tech, said:
‘”The AI Innovation Challenge is a bold pan-Wales initiative designed to supercharge ecosystem growth in a rapid venture-building catalyst programme. Across three high-energy, high-profile events in Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham, we’re bringing budding tech and digital entrepreneurs together with mentors and corporates to unlock the turbo power of AI to rapidly turn new ideas into new projects, product, services – and new tech companies.”
Tech for Growth Minister Kanishka Narayan MP said:
“The Welsh tech sector is thriving, employing 55,000 last year, and worth more than £17 billion. I want to harness the dynamism of the sector and use the Regional Tech Booster programme to spark AI capability and innovation across Wales.
“This work will equip businesses and entrepreneurs with practical AI skills and help them integrate AI solutions to grow to new heights, creating more jobs and opportunities for Welsh communities and tech talent.”
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said:
“The UK Government is supporting Wales’s brilliant tech sector to capitalise on the potential of AI for businesses.
“We have put economic growth at the heart our mission to achieve prosperity in every part of the country and the tech sector is vital for achieving the skilled and well-paid jobs that I want to see coming to Wales.”
The programme also includes a series of investment events, through a National Investment Corridors initiative, with the first two taking place in Bristol and Leeds later this year. Further Regional Tech Booster programme details, including investment event dates and venues, will be available via delivery partners UK Tech Cluster Group as they are confirmed.
Other Regional Tech Booster projects will include a support scheme for early-stage gaming startups in Scotland, a project to create pathways from further education to entrepreneurship in Lancashire, one to unlock growth for tech businesses ready to scale in Yorkshire, and another to accelerate the growth of the advanced connectivity technology industry in Suffolk.
