Interview: The ‘innovation company’ closing the gap between government, startups and industry

As part of Bdaily’s latest feature, Innovation Week, we spoke with Andrew Roughan, CEO of Plexal, an ‘innovation company’ with a presence in London, Manchester and, most recently, Cheltenham.

Plexal’s CEO, Andrew Roughan, explains what the company does, and what it plans to do throughout 2023 given the government’s recent call for a “more innovative economy”. Read on to find out more…

Plexal is often referred to as an “innovation company”. What are the specific areas or industries in which the company is driving innovation?

“Plexal is driving innovation across multiple sectors including cyber, healthcare, government, public safety, financial services, telecoms, intelligence and defence. Our mission is to solve society’s challenges by closing the gap between government, startups and industry, bringing these parties together as part of a collaborative ecosystem with shared purpose.

“And we’re delivering transformative projects that call on the energy and creativity of SMEs for key government departments and global tech companies such as the National Cyber Security Centre, Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, Amazon Web Services and IBM.

“In tandem with this, our state-of-the-art workspaces house over 1,000 innovators and serve as places for innovation where startups can leverage our relationships with industry, academia, investors and government to develop and deploy their technologies across the public sector.

“Our innovation work is centred around three central pillars: national security, science & technology and prosperity, which means looking at how technology and innovation can make a difference to communities. Providing bespoke consultancy services, we source the right partners from our ecosystem of 15,000 connections.”

How has the recent acquisition of Hub8 bolstered the company’s expansion plans?

“Plexal already had an existing presence in London, Manchester and Cheltenham. However, acquiring Hub8 was particularly significant as it’s been a longstanding partner since we began exploring the South West in 2019 and together we’ve been aligned in working together to deliver the NCSC For Startups programme.

“So, this is just the first step to reinforce our commitment to building places for innovation across the regions, while simultaneously recognising Cheltenham as the home of the UK’s cyber ecosystem given the local GCHQ legacy.

“We’re also committed to entering new markets around the UK, accelerating our efforts to deliver prosperity to communities regionally, ensure national security and offer even more support for local businesses and entrepreneurs.”

Diversity and inclusion is clearly a priority for the business. How are you ensuring that innovation includes everyone?

“We’re committed to helping increase diversity across all industries, with our work in the cyber security space being a key early example of that commitment. Plexal has long sought to grow a more diverse and inclusive cyber ecosystem, enabled by innovation.

“For example, our Cyber Runway programme with DCMS is inclusive-by-design, with 45 per cent of members from Cyber Runway cohort one being female-led startups.

“And we’re proud to have supported female cyber leaders from the Gulf through the UK-Gulf Women in Cybersecurity Fellowship programme. This Fellowship has provided resources and relationships to change how women in the cyber security industry develop technical and soft skills and advance their careers and the industry.

“Plexal is part of the East London Inclusive Enterprise Zone (ELIEZ), which we launched alongside 12 organisations including Here East, UCL and our member Disability Rights UK to support disabled entrepreneurs.

“We’ve also made numerous accessibility upgrades to our Stratford workspace, such as introducing adjustable desks and noise reduction measures as part of a continual effort.”

Could you explain the mission statement of your NCSC For Startups programme for our readers?

“The NCSC For Startups programme aims to solve critical technology challenges and enhance national security. We work in partnership with the National Cyber Security Centre to guide talented cyber businesses harnessing emerging technologies towards the shared mission of making the UK the safest place to live and work online.

“In joining our resources together, we align with the whole-of-society approach outlined in the National Cyber Strategy and can strengthen the UK’s digital economy and drive greater cyber resilience.

“Over the course of three months or 12 months, selected startups receive technical expertise, insights and guidance from the NCSC, Plexal and partners including Hub8, Deloitte and QA.

“The programme is designed to help founders develop their businesses, enhance solutions, adapt their current technology and generate ideas to meet the biggest cybersecurity challenges facing the UK.”

What are some of the key areas of focus for Plexal for the remainder of 2023?

“We aim to bring people together, create new ideas, orchestrate change and drive impact. Despite the progress made by the UK startup ecosystem over the last decade, evolving technologies present fresh challenges – but equally opportunities.

“So, we’re committed to monitoring government policy and spreading the collaborative ecosystem message, exploring how we can continue closing the gap between startups and the government to create untapped science and technology solutions to solve problems.

“Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gave his first speech of 2023 at Plexal and called for a “more innovative economy” and Sir Keir Starmer gave his speech a day later at Here East’s UCL – the building opposite Plexal, also commending startups and innovators. These are encouraging signs that our mission is on the right track.

“The recent cabinet reshuffle and introduction of the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is another promising step towards making the UK a true technology and science superpower.

“The directive from the top of government is clear, and at Plexal we look forward to working with the new departments to unlock the full potential of the UK’s startup ecosystem to fulfil the innovation agenda.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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