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.
From accidental manager to confident leader: a workshop with Fi Craig
9.30am
-1pm
adm-Indicia, 40 Queen Square, Bristol, BS1 4QP
BCI Workshop
Accidental managers are usually first-time people managers who’ve been thrown in at the deep end – still doing their old job while figuring out how to manage people through trial and error.
If someone on your team has just stepped into management, they’re probably juggling people and projects, wearing two hats, and figuring it out as they go. That’s exactly why this Accidental Managers half-day workshop exists.
Join Fi Craig to feel confident leading people, define your own version of good management, and gain practical frameworks to guide you as you figure the rest out. Gain confidence and simple tools to start leading a team effectively straight away.
EntreConf 2026 – Day 1
9:00
-17:00
Watershed, Canon's Road, Bristol, UK
Conference
EntreConf is back for two days across June 17-18 2026 at The Watershed with a whole host of fresh inspiration and for entrepreneurs, scale-ups and established businesses alike.
Bristol Creative Industries Members’ Lunch
12.30pm
-2.30pm
The Square Club, 15 Berkeley Square, Bristol, BS8 1HB
BCI Networking
The BCI members’ lunch is an opportunity for a small group of members to connect and exchange information about their businesses. The BCI team chair and host the session which is open to all current members.
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