SETsquared, the world-leading business incubator backed by the University of Bristol, today announced the appointment of Monika Gierszewska as director of its Bristol centre.
Monika, pictured, described as a ‘rising star’ by the centre, brings with her a wealth of experience in the technology sector, supporting start-ups and driving innovation. 
She starts in the role on March 1 and will work alongside Nick Sturge, director of Engine Shed – the innovation hub at Temple Meads which is home to Bristol SETsquared – to build on the success of the hi-tech, high-growth business incubator.
Bristol SETsquared supports 64 member firms employing more than 840 people and since 2007, businesses supported by it have raised more than £188m.
She will meet Bristol SETsquared mentors and members – past and present – at a SETsquared Founders Forum today.
Monika has worked in the London fintech (financial technology) scene as well as from her own start-ups. She has a degree in Business Innovation and a passion for building innovation ecosystems.
She said: “I am thrilled to be joining the world’s best university business incubator, and look forward to working with a team of such high calibre. Bristol hosts an exceptionally vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem and I am delighted, that in this exciting role, I will be able to contribute to its growth.”
Monika’s career includes setting up a student incubator at the University of Westminster, running an entrepreneurial community of 6,000 members, setting up two co-working spaces and a digital accelerator programme at Dreamstake, facilitating open innovation programmes between corporate companies, academics and start-ups, facilitating global innovation events at Fortune500 firm Cognizant, and managing corporate innovation delivery across Europe, the Middle East and Asia at venture capital firm Ariadne Capital.
Nick Sturge, who has been Bristol SETsquared centre director for the past 10 years, will now focus on developing Engine Shed, a collaborative project between Bristol City Council, the University of Bristol and the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) based in Brunel’s original train station at Bristol Temple Meads.
He said: “We are absolutely delighted to have attracted Monika, a rising star of the UK tech scene with valuable global experience, to the Bristol & Bath tech cluster. All her experience to date will be relevant to how we develop what we have now and we look forward to Monika taking the Bristol SETsquared Centre to the next level. She will be a great asset to the team and bring an exciting and fresh new perspective.”
Bristol SETsquared is part of the national SETsquared collaboration between the universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey. It was named the best university business incubator in the world last year.
