Look around FibreHub Pool, a new tech park in Cornwall

He says that earlier in the day he sealed a major contract and a bottle of bubbly is waiting in the fridge at home to celebrate.

As founding director of leading tech firm Headforwards he has been involved in the growth of technology and digital based businesses in Cornwall over the last decade or more.

And now he is breaking new ground by launching the FibreHub – a new business centre which will provide a home for tech businesses.

It is the first phase of a planned FibrePark which is part of Camborne’s multi-million pound Town Deal and could see around 700 people based at the site.

Toby is clearly excited not just about the fact that FibreHub is now up and running, but also about the future prospects of the project.

He says that it could generate between £50million and £60m for the local economy and he has hopes that it will become the home of the best computing degrees in the country.

FibreHub is based in a former Cornwall College building at the Trevenson Road site which has been completely refurbished – decorators were still putting the finishing touches to some areas when we visited.

The FibreHub (Image: FibreHub - free to use)

It is clear from walking around that this is a modern workplace, fitting for the needs of 21st century business and also aligning with the new environment partly created by the pandemic of the last 18 months.

There is an emphasis on adaptable spaces – meeting rooms which are suited for teams large and small and workspaces which provide hot desks and small meeting spaces.

Breakout rooms feature plush sofas, pool tables and pinball machines while a cafe on the ground floor of the building will be open for the public and provide another area for those working there to meet.

This element was a key part of the project and one which has been informed by experiences of people in Cornwall as well as influenced by a trip to Sweden where innovation centres have spaces to eat and drink at their heart – bringing people together to collaborate and innovate.

“In the early days one of the bits of feedback from businesses was ‘we want to have a space where people can pop in and meet’. A few years ago there were lot of people in the business community meeting up at the Starbucks at Chiverton Cross – located on the A30 and with easy access it was an ideal spot.

“Then it became less fashionable to be in Starbucks…but people want a place where people can pop in and meet up. It creates a natural business network effect. You will get someone coming in for a meeting with one person and then see someone else there and start talking to them as well.

“This was an important part right from the beginning.”

So, what was the beginning? Toby explains that he has had the idea for a FibrePark for a number of years, going back to 2013.

He said he asked a number of businesses if they wanted to share a space and received a favourable response. Then it was suggested locating it somewhere with Cornwall College so that industry could work alongside education.

And when the building at the college’s Pool campus became available it seemed like a perfect fit.

The FibreHub (Image: FibreHub - free to use)

The timing of the project also aligned with the Town Deal programme and the second phase will be developed once the funding is in place.

For Toby there is a clear opportunity with the FibrePark to not only move Cornwall’s tech and digital economy forward but also to help the next generation.

“We are starting to spend more time with schools and we have started to redesign the course at the college and change the curriculum to make it relate to reality. One of the challenges in the tech industry is the tech changes quite frequently.

“We are using some tech now that was only just released at the start of the pandemic, using tech that didn’t exist two years ago. For colleges when someone starts their course by the time they finish two years later the tech could have all changed.

“So the challenge is how do we keep it relevant? We can do that by having people working in the industry next to the educational and training side in the same building.

“It means that when students go to the cafe they will mix with people working in the industry – they can share their ideas and work alongside them. The concept here at FibreHub is about businesses mixing together. But why not have students and lecturers in that mix as well? Then they can mix with business, ask questions and find out what is new.”

By creating this mix of education and business it is hoped that students working on projects as part of their learning will get the opportunity to work on “real world” projects which could help those businesses in the centre.

A key part of this is to ensure that students entering the tech industry have the skills that are required by the businesses which could hire them.

Artist\'s impression of the proposed Fibre Park which is part of Camborne\'s Town Investment Plan funded by the Town Deal (Image: Owen & Co)

“The aim is to create the best computing degree course in the UK as it will have industry projects and input included in it – that provides a great opportunity for the people in this location.

“At the moment you will have graduates in computing science getting jobs in the industry who then find they need to be trained before they can start work. If you have that training there from the start it makes it much better for both the graduates and the businesses employing them.

“We want to create a pipeline of talent which will help to grow the tech industry even further in Cornwall, attracting inward investment and money into this area.”

Toby said that from conversations he has had with others in the industry, both here in Cornwall and further afield, they share his excitement for what the FibrePark could create.

“It is really exciting and the bigger companies that I talk to about this are really excited about it.

“It is part of the solving Cornwall’s economic problems – bringing in more money and more investment. There has been a lot of talk about levelling up, but this is genuine levelling up and bringing millions of pounds into the local economy.”

The FibreHub in Pool (Image: FibreHub - free to use)

This is a key reason for why Toby is so passionate about the project, he explains that he does “a bit of volunteering” at a local foodbank and so has seen first hand how many people are reliant on support for basic needs.

“I think most people actually don’t realise how bad the poverty is – it occasionally comes up in a TV programme but that doesn’t show you how bad it is. We have got to get a bit closer to the problem and the combination of bringing schools to working with entrepreneurs can help, creating new opportunities and ambitions for young people.

“From a personal perspective that has given me a lot of drive to want to make a difference and try and help make a difference, particularly in this area.”

As a former teacher Toby said he saw first hand how giving kids opportunities can help them develop and achieve their potential.

And he believes that the FibrePark will ensure that not only will the next generation grasp those opportunities but also develop the economy for the future as well.