A major event hosted in the epicentre of London's startup community in Tech City has
attracted hundreds of technology enthusiasts from all over Europe.
'Inspiration Centraal' - the free event hosted by Dutch hosting company TransIP - has
so far seen more than 3,500 technology enthusiasts attend to hear talks from some of
London's most successful startup entrepreneurs, including MindCandy founder Michael
Acton-Smith and 'gaming industry godfather' Ian Livingstone.
Tech startup royalty aside, the event's 'schexy tech' theme and its pole dancing
robots - creations of the artist Giles Walker - have created a significant level of buzz
and some controversy in London's startup community.
The eight day event, which will draw to a close on Thursday, has been staged to
celebrate the UK launch of Dutch VPS, hosting and domain name company TransIP. TransIP is
the biggest provider of hosting services in the Netherlands, and has selected London as
its first overseas market.
"We chose Shoreditch and Tech City quite deliberately as our new home, as we are a fan
of London's growing stature as an international technology hub, but frankly our
expectations have been exceeded by the level of engagement we've experienced from the
startup community in this beautiful city," said TransIP CEO Jeroen Hüpscher.
"We've been blown away by the reaction to our event, the level of attendance and the
infectious enthusiasm for building a vibrant and successful startup ecosystem. There can
be no doubt that London - and in particular East London - is the startup capital of
Europe. We're looking forward to helping London consolidate this status by continuing to
give startups the technology infrastructure they need to realize their visions. This is
the exciting bit for us as a provider."
The robots will be pole dancing for the remaining four days of the event, along with
presentations from leading figures in the technology industry. Renowned trendspotter and
futurologist Magnus Lindkvist kicks off the event schedule this evening.