Back in 2012, a little idea called ‘Welsh ICE’ became a reality when Gareth Jones –frustrated by the lack of appropriate support available as an early-stage entrepreneur- decided to bring together like-minded people who were running their own businesses.
Fast forward four years later and what started out as a small collaborative space for start-ups to work has grown and expanded into just over 27,000 square foot with the latest addition of our third building; the Octagon. This latest acquisition is the result of a million pound investment which will allow us to increase our capacity as well as offer more memberships to entrepreneurs and launch our ‘ICE Campus’.
There are already around 120 members here at Welsh ICE who get help, advice and guidance as they launch their own businesses. An independent report published earlier this year estimated that ICE had contributed over £13million to the Welsh economy since its inception in 2012 and supported over 160 businesses to start.
CEO, Gareth Jones, said: “We are thrilled with this new addition to our current properties, Britannia House and the Lodge, as it allows us to create an ICE campus and offer more help to the growing start-up community in south Wales.
“We already have a waiting list of people wanting office space in ICE buildings and the purchase of the Octagon means that we will be able to welcome them into our community sooner than anticipated.”
Gareth added: “Current Octagon residents will be unaffected by the purchase, but they will get the opportunity to join the ICE campus and community and take advantage of all the help, guidance and support that our great team offer.”
We’re also happy to announce that we’re opening a new coworking area, the Courtyard Space, which has been created to accommodate the growing numbers of ICE members and will house an extra 25 desks for new businesses. The Octagon will be available for new tenants from September.
Gareth explained: “We are already bursting at the seams with our current membership, so to be able to offer a further 25 desks in the Courtyard Space, and now with the Octagon also being available for new and current members it is a great time to join our community.
“It is estimated that we have already created around 375 jobs since we started nearly four years ago and we believe this new co-working space and building will add a further 100 jobs to that figure.”
If you are interested in becoming an ICE member of for more information on Welsh ICE give us a call on 02920 140 040 or email [email protected].
