Microsoft Advertising partners with Enterprise City start-up support scheme

Global marketing platform experts will support the Exchange start-up scheme

Microsoft Advertising has partnered with Enterprise City to become its online advertising partner, and will host workshops, one-on-one advice sessions and webinars with members of the Exchange business support programme.

Microsoft Advertising will work with the Exchange cohort members to equip them with the knowledge, skills and expertise they need to drive the success of their business with digital advertising.

Exchange, the start-up and scale-up support scheme from Enterprise City will come online from Summer 2020, with each cohort lasting 6 to 12 months. The programme will be based in state-of-the-art new workspace at the Bonded Warehouse in Enterprise City.

The digital marketing platform, which provides pay per click advertising on both the Bing and Yahoo! search engines, will guide entrepreneurs and business-owners through tailored masterclasses, on-demand webinars, and one-on-one consultations with industry leading experts, to support them in their individual business journeys.

Exchange’s first cohort of 23 digital, tech and media businesses will gain exclusive access to the global marketing experts’ advice and tools, and work together to find innovative ways of reaching their target demographics online.

Simon Jacobson, SMB and start-up lead UK at Microsoft Advertising, said: “The UK’s start-up scene has numerous success stories driven by an intelligent, insight-led and data-driven use of advertising. This is something that we want to continue to support, with the Exchange programme, and Enterprise City facilities providing the perfect place for us to do so. We are committed to working with each cohort to ensure they flourish in their own advertising and growth journeys throughout the scheme and beyond.”

Microsoft Advertising has served thousands of customers and agencies in the UK, and over half a billion people worldwide.

Tanya Grady, head of partnerships at Enterprise City, said: “Bringing Microsoft Advertising on-board to support our successful start-ups is an exciting prospect. It will allow our cohort to learn first-hand from one of the world’s leading digital marketing platforms, and support them in creating an insight and data-driven approach to their business. Through the series of masterclasses, workshops and one-on-one advice sessions, our entrepreneurs will be able to receive insight tailored to their specific needs and challenges, allowing them to excel and grow. We’re thrilled to bring another tech and digital titan to support the businesses and community at Enterprise City.”

Microsoft Advertising will join Tech Nation and RSM as partners of the Exchange scheme at Enterprise City. The businesses will combine to build on Manchester’s status as Europe’s fastest-growing major tech city, and support Exchange members in their journeys to become the UK’s next biggest tech start-ups.

What is Exchange?

Exchange is a programme created to support and empower the UK’s next best digital and tech start-ups. It provides access to the right tools, digital infrastructure, professional support and voices of experience can make the difference between success or failure in businesses’ critical early months, and Exchange aims to make that difference. By granting ambitious early-stage tech companies and entrepreneurs’ access to the tools and expertise they need to learn and develop, Exchange hopes to pave the future of tech and digital in the UK.

How will it be delivered?

The scheme is situated in Bonded Warehouse, part of Enterprise City. In order to qualify for the scheme, businesses must meet at least one of the following criteria: the business has been trading for less than three years, it is headquartered in the UK, it is a digital tech business with a product or service to sell, has at least one active client or pilot in progress, or has ambitions of growing and scaling. Successful applications will receive subsidised workspace at Bonded Warehouse throughout the length of the programme, and supported through the wider Enterprise City district once they become alumni.

Enterprise City is set in the heart of Manchester, and developed by Allied London, an award-winning property development and investment company, Exchange intends to create a collaborative community of like-minded, forward-thinking entrepreneurs and global organisations.

For more information about Exchange and to find out how businesses can join its latest cohort of tech entrepreneurs and global organisations, visit www.enterprisecityuk.com/exchange.