LONDON: Start-ups in programmes at the Open Data Institute (ODI) are helping growth in the UK economy and increasing employment, and were a major theme at the ODI 2015 Summit, for which Business Reporter chaired the recent panel session on Open Data Means Business.
The ODI has had many successful start-ups come out of its programmes, which include the Open Data Challenge Series (ODCS), the Open Data Incubator Europe (ODINE) and the Core Incubation programme.
This year ODI start-ups have contributed £6.5 million to the economy, and since 2012 they have accumulated £10.5 million in sales, investments and efficiency savings.
Speaking at a press conference at the recent ODI Summit, Gavin Starks, CEO at the ODI, says: “We have more than 30 start-ups through our incubation programmes and they employ 150 people between them. They are all rapidly growing organisations and have been creating knock-on (effects on the economy to other) businesses.”
For example, TransportAPI, in the ODI start-up programme, now has more than 1,100 developers and organisations signed up to use it, and powers apps such as CityMapper and UK TravelOptions.
Although many of these start-ups have been very socially focused – in the ODCS the categories for applicants have been crime and justice, education, energy and environment, housing, food, heritage and culture and jobs – they have had a knock-on effect on the economy.
Starks says: “We are trying to find businesses that employ people that solve problems. The priority was more about the social return, but it has also created jobs and sustainable businesses.”
In the Open Data Means Business session, chaired by Business Reporter, ODI start-ups which took centre stage included Provenance, a company whose focus is about opening data in the supply chain, and Brightbook, which uses open insight to help SMEs manage the accounting of their businesses.
