PLEXAL: The quirky innovation centre with a 'high street' that's being set up in London's £150 million tech hub

A huge new innovation centre in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has been named Plexal.

The £15 million space, which sits within the larger Here East complex and is being hailed as one of Europe's largest innovation centre, held a "soft launch" on Thursday.

However, the doors won't officially open until May 2017 - at least five months later than was initially planned.

Plexal has been developed by technology consultancy firm Entiq and British property developer Delancey, who bought the Olympic Village with the Qatari ruling family in 2011.

The startup hub has been designed to resemble a "mini city" and comes with a "high street," as well as "civic spaces" and "private spaces."

Those behind it say that it will go beyond what other startup hubs like WeWork and TechHub offer by providing access to lawyers, PR specialists, accountants, and recruiters. It will also offer equipment such as 3D printers and laser cutters.

Claire Cockerton, the CEO of Entiq, gave Business Insider a tour of Plexal ahead of the launch.