BCI House – The mindset shift: A journey from agency leadership to tech start-up
BCI Talk
Dominic Mills is the founder of Yuup – a scaling Bristol-born start up that helps people explore unique local experiences. What began as a platform for discovering local activities has evolved into a creative force behind some of the UK’s most ambitious live entertainment.
Before starting Yuup, Dominic had a near 20-year career in the service industries, where he founded digital agency Auros, which later merged with Zone and was eventually acquired by global tech giant Cognizant. Dominic also served on the board of Bristol Creative Industries and has been an active proponent of the creative tech scene here in Bristol.
Dominic will share his journey from agency leadership through to an exit, and what eventually led him to launch a tech startup. In an interview with BCI board member Tom Harber, Dominic will discuss his experience merging his agency with Zone, and what that meant for Bristol when it came to growing the organisation from a London HQ.
He will also offer a behind-the-scenes look at the rollercoaster ride of the acquisition and his eventual exit from the business. Finally, Dominic will speak about what inspired him to start Yuup and the mindset shift required to move from service to product.
Dominic founded Yuup to help communities and enterprises thrive through extraordinary shared experiences. What began as a platform for discovering local activities has evolved into a creative force behind some of the UK’s most ambitious live entertainment.
Under his leadership, Yuup has grown from grassroots experiences to stadium-scale productions, pioneering large-scale drone light shows with record-breaking audiences for Evolution, Christmas Carol, and Wizard of Oz. With the launch of WILD: The Drone Light Show, Yuup is redefining how technology, artistry, and storytelling unite. Previously, Dominic scaled digital agency Auros, acquired by Zone in 2014 and later by Cognizant in 2017.
Taking place 6-11 October, BTF+ is the Bristol Festival of Tech, Creativity + Culture, a six-day citywide festival brought to you by TechSPARK, Bristol Creative Industries and MyWorld.
BCI House, powered by not-for-profit membership organisation Bristol Creative Industries, is a dedicated hub at BTF+ where creative, media and tech come together for four days of events – from workshops and talks to panel discussions and networking – all designed to spark collaboration and amplify the festival experience.
The venue is Unit 11, Temple Studios, Temple Campus Lower Approach Road, BS1 6QA.
To register for this event, you first need to register for the festival here.
Once registered, go to the confirmation email you’ve received, click the link and log in to the attendee portal using your email address and the password provided. Go to ‘schedule selection’ in the left hand side menu and sign up for the events you’d like to attend.
Almost everything on the Community, Live and Showcase track is free. All BCI House events are free.
The Summit track is one of the few paid elements at BTF+ but BCI members can take advantage of a 25% discount on Summit track tickets – email [email protected] for your exclusive code.
Bristol Creative Industries is the membership network that supports the region's creative sector to learn, grow and connect, driven by the common belief that we can achieve more collectively than alone.
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BCI Webinar
In this webinar, business lawyer Jessica Bent will discuss the legal issues to ensure your intellectual property (IP) ownership and rights are clear and protected across all the relationships your business relies on. It will help you identify when IP comes into existence and what you need to protect, own and monetise it.
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12.30pm
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Barclays, Bridgewater House, Finzels Reach, Bristol, BS1 6BX
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In this talk, we’re bringing together two frameworks he’s been refining for years. Demand That Scales and Systems That Sell, into one blueprint that will help you take control over the way you go to market. We’re going to cover the full journey. How to generate consistent, predictable demand using LinkedIn and email, without relying on referrals, random inbound, or hoping your content goes viral.
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