Greater Manchester hosts first UK hub for global startup accelerator

Global startup accelerator, ZEBOX, has opened a new hub in Greater Manchester, its first site in the UK and sixth worldwide.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, formally opened ZEBOX’s new site on Portland Street in Manchester city centre, where it will support sustainable and technological innovations within the supply chain industry. The startup accelerator was founded by French businessman, Rodolphe Saadé (CEO of logistics group, CMA CGM Group) in 2018 in Marseille; the Manchester location will add to hubs in the Caribbean, West Africa, US and Singapore.

ZEBOX’s new Manchester site will further cement the city-region’s reputation as an international tech hub, and aims to bring together startups and corporate partners from across the UK and Northern Europe to address business and sustainability challenges.

The first ZEBOX UK cohort consists of 10 startups working in the fields of AI, machine learning, quantum computing and decarbonisation.

Joe Manning, Managing Director at MIDAS, Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency said:

“This investment from ZEBOX UK is an invaluable addition to our lively business scene.

“With brilliant businesses such as these adding to our city-region’s strengths in sustainability, logistics and tech, we’re demonstrating our collaborative cross-sector strengths that have a real impact on the UK economy and beyond.”

Martin Bremner, MD at ZEBOX UK, said:

“Our mission at ZEBOX is to connect the entrepreneurial spirit and innovation of startups with the expertise and global impact of corporate leaders. This not only enables them to accelerate growth but to answer global challenges together by developing the sustainable solutions of tomorrow.

“CMA CGM and ZEBOX UK look forward to creating the premier hub of innovation for supply chain and logistics in the United Kingdom, here in Manchester, a region which is an integral part of the UK’s sustainability drive.”