Replit opens first London office

Replit said on Tuesday it opened its first international office in London, marking the company’s first physical outpost outside the United States. The company said the site will serve growing demand from individual users, small businesses and enterprise customers across Europe. London Mayor Sadiq Khan joined the ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to Replit’s announcement. The expansion pairs a commercial move with a local workforce initiative. Replit said it will work with The Lord Mayor’s Appeal charity on upskilling programs for young Londoners who are not in education, employment or training, a group commonly referred to as NEET. ### Why did Replit pick London for its first office outside the United States? London was named as Replit’s European hub in the company’s announcement on September 8. (prnewswire.com) Replit said the city gives it access to customers ranging from individual builders to enterprises, as it pushes further into overseas markets. Sadiq Khan said London remained “the best city in the world to grow a business,” according to Replit’s release. (prnewswire.com) The mayor said the company’s decision to open in the capital would help support jobs and opportunity in the city. ### How big is Replit now? Replit said it was founded in 2016 and now has more than 60 million users worldwide. The company also said its users include teams at 85% of Fortune 500 companies, underscoring the enterprise customer base it is trying to serve from London. (prnewswire.com) Replit’s recent product updates show it has been expanding its platform for both individual and business users. (pr.capitalpress.com) In August, the company posted updates on enterprise governance tools and model-routing features on its official channels. ### What is the partnership with The Lord Mayor’s Appeal? The Lord Mayor’s Appeal said on August 4 that it had decided to focus exclusively for at least the next three years on helping young Londoners who are not in education, employment or training. (pr.capitalpress.com) The charity said it aims to connect those young people with businesses and training opportunities across the City of London. (replit.com) Replit said its partnership with the charity will begin with a four-week coding course for 100 underrepresented young people in London. The company said the program will provide coding skills and access to mentors from Replit and its local network. ### Who are the public figures attached to the launch? Sadiq Khan appeared at the office opening this week, according to Replit’s release and other republications of the announcement. (thelordmayorsappeal.org) His presence gave the launch backing from City Hall as Replit established its first non-U.S. office. Sir Edward Braham, chair of trustees at The Lord Mayor’s Appeal, said in the charity’s August strategy statement that the group wanted to create more pathways into training and employment for young people. (third-news.com) Dame Susan Langley, the Lady Mayor of London, also said the charity’s focus was to connect businesses with young people seeking access to opportunities in the City. (pr.capitalpress.com) ### What happens next from the London base? The next concrete step is the coding program announced by Replit and The Lord Mayor’s Appeal. Replit said the first four-week course will target 100 underrepresented young Londoners, while The Lord Mayor’s Appeal continues its three-year focus on NEET support through business and charity partnerships. (third-news.com) (thelordmayorsappeal.org)