Businessman gives away one-year lease of office space in Manchester

The CEO of hosting company UKFast, Lawrence Jones, decided to celebrate the one year anniversary of TechManchester by donating a year’s free office space in Manchester to BizzleIt, a new tech start-up business. He said that this was as his way of giving back to the Manchester community.

Start-up tech companies need incubator space where they can develop and launch new technology. Business partners Ryan Madeley and Michael Lawes are behind BizzleIt, an online platform where businesses can share products, offers and promotions with groups of consumers. As the pair could not afford Manchester office rents, they worked from home or a local pub. They also needed a space where they could work at night, rather than one that closed each evening.

The space donated by Jones is in FastForward, a 30,0000 sq. foot incubator space for tech start-ups in Oxford Road Manchester operated by TechManchester. No business rates are charged for the tenants, and they have access to TechManchester’s mentors and a network of other tech businesses. FastForward provides much-needed assistance for businesses in their early stages.

At the beginning of a business’ life, saving costs is vital. Unlike BizzleIt, most businesses do not benefit from free office space, but any help to reduce costs is welcome. After the business expands and employs more staff, it will need larger long-term office space.

FastForward and UKFast are passionate about helping young businesses. In the long term, they seek to positively affect commercial landlords of office space in Manchester by nurturing their future tenants.