Since U.K. spying headquarters GCHQ was established in Cheltenham in the 1950s, the city has attracted large firms like IBM, Raytheon, Microsoft and BAE Systems to the region, and startups like Truststamp, Bamboo Technologies, Ripjar, Hub8 and CYNAM have emerged from the city.
All of these firms draw on the talent that naturally gravitates to such a place, especially when you have these kinds of organizations floating around.
Now it appears that Cheltenham is aiming to more closely target entrepreneurs, investors and startups, especially given that the pandemic has seen talent thrown to the four winds, looking for better lifestyles and more access to nature. Smartly, it will be leveraging its association with the cybersecurity-oriented GCHQ.
In 2019, Cheltenham Borough Council spent £37.5 million purchasing 45 hectares of land adjacent to GCHQ, with the goal of capitalizing on the burgeoning cybersecurity and technology community.
After a year-long process, the council selected key partners as “preferred…
