Apprentice runner-up backs digital hub

VANA Koutsomitis addresses the invited audience at Oldham College

1 More Image(s) In Gallery

THE young entrepreneur who was runner-up in last year's series of "The Apprentice" has visited Oldham to back the launch of a digital hub in the town centre.

Vana Koutsomitis spoke about the opportunities the hub will bring when it opens later this year when she attended an event at Oldham College.

Guests heard that the aim of the facility was to bring talent and investment to the borough.

The hub - Wayra North - is set to open in November on Yorkshire Street, with Wayra UK and Hack Oldham jointly moving in.

Along with Ms Koutsomitis, entrepreneurs Andy Powell, founder of Hack Oldham, and Rockwell Shah, CEO of sleeping aid app Pzizz, spoke about the opportunities the hub would bring.

Desirable

Danny Bartlett, spokesman for Wayra, said: "This is the first step of launching the Oldham hub and really it's about getting the movers and the shakers and those people who have been here for years helping the northern industry grow.

"What we're not looking to do is to come up and do this without knowing what we are doing. Local businesses have a better idea of what works and we want to help them.

"It is making sure that businesses here in Oldham and Greater Manchester have the chances and it is about bringing talent and investment.

"It's about grass-roots entrepreneurship and making Oldham the desirable area for investments."

The hub will be based at the heart of Oldham's Independent Quarter at the former Wahoo and Kiss nightclubs, with Wayra North occupying the first and second floors.

Councillor Shoab Akhtar, who welcomed guests, said: "Oldham Council is committed to making growth.

"Part of our commitment to this exciting project is the provision of the building.

Innovation

"It's about switching our young people into the course of the media industry and it's about filling our town centre with people who are creative.

"This will ensure that this continues well into the future."

Wayra UK is a start-up "accelerator" which is part of Telefonica Open Future, a programme that integrates the different initiatives of the Telefonica Group related to entrepreneurship and innovation.

Wayra North will offer access to low-cost and flexible workspace and equipment for small to medium-sized digital enterprises.

Andy Powell of Hack Oldham highlighted the opportunity to network that the hub will offer locals.

He said: "We started 18 months ago with a small group of us and while there is lots of things going on in Manchester, we're all from Oldham and have a passion for Oldham.

"We have a community, we have a couple of people who work in the industry who work in Oldham and all these engineering companies that work round here and they want to help the local community.

"We're really pleased to have the support, and the support from the council."