> It seems a bit daft to be choosing a location based on the convenience of the hypothetical middle managers and mailroom employees you'll have in a successful future.
It's not just the middle managers and mailroom staff, though. Most people in Cambridge don't live near the city centre, because it's an old city and much of the space is taken by either the university or business premises. There are, however, many residential areas on the outskirts, and a whole string of surrounding villages.
Plenty of tech companies have set up in the middle of Cambridge, but with the transport policies of the local authorities, car access and parking is absurdly difficult. That makes it awkward to host visitors if you need to, and it is a genuine recruitment issue in that not everyone is willing to walk, cycle, or rely on our less than stellar local bus service for routine commutes to work from the surrounding area. Setting up on one of the business parks -- which are still within cycling distance of the city centre for keen cyclists based there, but also easy to access by car and usually by bus as well -- seems to have all of the advantages of being in Cambridge, without the unnecessary travel limitations.
It's not just the middle managers and mailroom staff, though. Most people in Cambridge don't live near the city centre, because it's an old city and much of the space is taken by either the university or business premises. There are, however, many residential areas on the outskirts, and a whole string of surrounding villages.
Plenty of tech companies have set up in the middle of Cambridge, but with the transport policies of the local authorities, car access and parking is absurdly difficult. That makes it awkward to host visitors if you need to, and it is a genuine recruitment issue in that not everyone is willing to walk, cycle, or rely on our less than stellar local bus service for routine commutes to work from the surrounding area. Setting up on one of the business parks -- which are still within cycling distance of the city centre for keen cyclists based there, but also easy to access by car and usually by bus as well -- seems to have all of the advantages of being in Cambridge, without the unnecessary travel limitations.