Five years ago Bloc Digital made a big step… while ‘building’ a business we were considering our studio space.

In the early ‘start up’ days myself and fellow director Chris Hotham had made do with home offices, then came our first rented space. Bloc Digital was growing up and more significantly we were out-growing our current offices. We were looking for a place to welcome new clients, develop our technology and studio capabilities and create more space for new staff. In 2015 Derwent Business Centre gave us that home.

The location was close to the city centre and our initial client base. The development of the former railway site had captured the city’s industrial heritage with the modern business infrastructure.

We have always had a vision to provide our clients, across a range of sectors, with a full digital journey – harnessing state-of-the art technology and creative expertise to deliver marketing, operational and digital solutions. That has meant innovating, developing new skills and capabilities. Our team has grown, so has our tech and kit! The Staton Young team have accommodated that growth and expansion. One unit became two, three and eventually four.

Here we welcomed nearly 50 people to our organisation. We developed our global reach, tested new kit, created virtual worlds and even danced around in motion capture technology. The team at Staton Young have kept developing and growing too – investing in business support services and providing engaging locations for companies not just to start up but to keep growing. It’s great to see how they’re reinvigorating and energising business locations across the city and region.

Our recent business growth is driven by investment in research and development, particularly advancing our international reputation in VR & AR familiarisation experiences and training platforms. The last 5 years have seen us develop strong research partnerships with the University of Derby, including three Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.

The shape of our business has changed too – Bloc Digital has developed into a family of expert divisions – Bloc Arch Viz, Bloc Creative and Bloc Media serving new clients and sectors. These developments are now also shaping our working space, bringing our different disciplines and creative teams together into one studio, and creating collaborative spaces to work closely with some of our research and development partners. Now we’re taking the next step on our journey, moving our headquarters and taking up residence at the University of Derby’s Enterprise Centre.

So we say goodbye to Derwent Business Centre. But we know other new businesses will benefit from a place to grow, to work, develop and build their success. Derwent Business Centre gave us that strong foundation and as such remains a cornerstone of our success story. Thanks Staton Young!