Pax8 invests in new office space in Bristol in 'multimillion-pound' development

Born-in-the-cloud distributor makes bet on in-office work being key to growth

Global cloud marketplace Pax8 has opened a new office at The Distillery in Bristol, in a 'multimillion-pound' bet that in-office work remains key to its growth.

Founder and CEO John Street touted Bristol as one of the nation's "top tech hubs".

Indeed, research by the Government's Digital Economy Council as part of its Levelling Up agenda ranks Bristol in the top five of a ‘Tech Power League' table of cities, behind Cambridge, Manchester, Oxford and Edinburgh for growing tech investment.

Street said the Colorado-HQ distributor hopes the opening of its new Bristol office yesterday will help ‘propel significant growth' in its UK business.

"It's such an exciting time for Pax8 as we continue to expand across EMEA," he said.

"Our presence in Bristol has opened so many doors to our success, and those prospects will only continue to grow with our fantastic new office. We also look forward to welcoming our partners and vendors to the space, which will generate further opportunities for collaboration and creativity in the channel."

Street emphasised that employee flexibility remains key, giving a nod to the ongoing trend for hybrid working.

The company said it's designed its office with this trend in mind, building multipurpose break-out rooms, boardrooms and spaces designed specifically to support well-being.

"We've included amenities that support Pax8's ethos to encourage diversity in the workplace from recruitment to staff retention" the company's office opening statement read.

The money

In April, CRN reported that the cloud distributor had raised $185m in a funding round led by SoftBank, raising its total valuation to $1.7bn.

At the time, the company said it was specifically looking to use that cash injection to "accelerate innovation and continued expansion into new markets".

Six months on, Pax8 is now also looking to hire more staff within Bristol to fill its new office.

Earlier office investment in Europe

It's not the first office opening of the year for Pax8.

One month ago, it also launched one in Zwolle, in the Netherlands.

"Pax8 places a high value on diversity and inclusion at every level of the business," said Chloe Cameron chief people officer at Pax8 EMEA.

"In the new office, we're creating an environment to foster a high performing team culture that celebrates the individual, allowing our colleagues to be their authentic selves and perform at their best."