CROYDON has all the ingredients to become an international tech hub, Councillor Toni Letts, the council's new cabinet member for economic development, has said.
The council would also work, she said, to act as a "facilitator and enabler" to support businesses choosing Croydon as their home for new tech companies.
Cllr Letts was speaking at the first Croydon Tech City Summit held at Croydon College on Friday.
The summit was organised by Croydon Tech City and Develop Croydon, the business group working to support the town's regeneration.
Jonny Rose, one of the founders of Croydon Tech City, told delegates that since the organisation started around 18 months ago it had grown from an idea to having a membership of more than 1,000 tech-based companies.
He said it was aiming to provide support for these companies and encourage those thinking to move into Croydon, as perceptions of the town improved.
The changing face of Croydon as it emerged from the aftermath of the riots and began to lose its "concrete jungle" image was taken up by Cllr Letts.
She said: "When I first arrived in Croydon in the 1970s it was a happening place. It was known as Little Manhattan and it was groovy.
"I'm feeling that buzz again and it is people like Croydon Tech City who are part of that buzz.
"A successful economic climate and a mixed economy is a key ambition for this vibrant part of London because it benefits the whole borough."
Cllr Letts said it was important the council did not try to take over the role of people like Croydon Tech City but it could play its part in helping businesses thrive.
She said: "We need to help remove the barriers to growth and we need to find out what conditions are needed if we are to have successful growing businesses.
"We need to understand their challenges and help find effective solutions."
She also assured delegates the council would work with service providers to make Croydon a fully wifi-enabled borough and ensure children were equipped with the skills to meet the needs of the tech age.
Cllr Letts said: "I want to see Croydon Tech City as a hub in a European city and as a hub that is known throughout Europe."
Jo Negrini, the council's director of development and environment, said the council also had a role to play in finding space for start-up tech companies to ensure they were not priced out of the market as land values increased in the wake of regeneration.
She said: "We need to work together around the whole question of space because we have all of the other ingredients here.
"But we need that space so that those businesses can thrive."
