15 – 17 JUNE 2027 ⋅ ROYAL ARMOuRIES, LEEDS
Where action starts
with the right people
A platform for
Growth, capital and exit.
The UK’s national forum for 4,000+ founders, investors, operators, advisors and policymakers building, scaling, funding and shaping businesses.
Helping people access the experience, capital and relationships they need to make better decisions and act with confidence.
Why Attend
Founders & entrepreneurs
- Meet investors actively looking at businesses like yours
- Learn from founders and operators who have built, scaled, funded and exited
- Find advisors who understand growth, capital and exit decisions
- Build relationships with regions, partners and specialists backing entrepreneurial businesses
Why Attend
Investors & capital providers
- Meet founders building, scaling and preparing for their next stage of growth
- Find relevant businesses across sectors, stages and funding needs
- Use private investor spaces and structured introductions to meet the right people faster
- Build relationships with active funds, LPs and partners across the UK founder market
Why Attend
Advisors
- Meet founders making decisions about growth, acquisition, funding and exit
- Build relationships with businesses before they reach a critical decision point
- Show expertise in the rooms where growth decisions are being shaped
- Connect with founders, investors and operators who need practical support
Why Attend
Government & public sector
- Meet the founders, investors and business leaders affected by the decisions you make
- Understand what businesses need to start, scale, fund and grow in your region
- Position your region around enterprise, investment and long-term growth
- Build direct relationships with the people shaping the UK’s entrepreneurial economy
Advisory Group
Backed by people who have done the work.
Founders, investors and operators guiding the direction of the Festival.
Tarun Ghulati
Chairman, President, CEO, Strategic Advisor, Board Member, Serial Entrepreneur, Investor, Philanthropist and Politician. He is Chairman of St John’s Wood Capital Ltd.
Sara Davies
Founder of Crafter's Companion, Dragon on BBC's Dragons' Den, The 6 Minute Entrepreneur
Sharon Slinger FRICS FIWFM
Founder & Director, Constructing Rainbows
Gagan Mohindra MP
Member of Parliament for South West Hertfordshire
Angela Barber
Co-Founder, Foxglove Investments Group / Angel Investor
Keith Griffiths
Founder & CEO, Arthington Ventures / The Entrepreneur Festival
Yetunde Bode
Founder & Creative / Managing Director, Bay&co
Tas Javed
Managing Director, Rhodes Healthcare
Angela Barnicle
Director City Development, Leeds City Council
Lord Dominic Johnson (Chair)
Member of The House of Lords – former Investment Minister & Conservative Party Chairman
Across 5 Core Themes
The full founder journey.
Five stages, each reflecting a distinct set of decisions, pressures and priorities inside a business.
Theme 01
Start-Up
What must be in place before you scale. Sessions challenge founders on whether the business is genuinely ready; demand proven, team in place, capital understood. Delivered by those who have been through it, not those who have coached others through it.
Theme 02
Build & Scale
The operating decisions that determine whether growth holds or breaks. Capital discipline, team architecture, investor pressure, and the specific moments when scaling businesses come apart.
Theme 03
Investment
Raising, deploying and managing capital, and the decisions that move a business to it’s next stage.
Theme 04
Leadership
What it costs to lead when the pressure is on, and what happens when leaders stop holding standards. The decisions most leaders avoid talking about.
Theme 05
Exit
What buyers examine, how value is protected, and what founders get right and wrong after the deal. Speakers who have been through exits; what they would do differently, and what held under scrutiny.
The Innovation Zone.
Explore the sectors at the heart of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy. Meet the founders, investors and industry leaders shaping their future, and discover where the opportunities lie for your business.
Discover opportunities in industries where innovation meets demanding real-world challenges.
Connect with founders and established businesses to explore routes into supply chains, commercial partnerships and new markets for specialist technology and expertise.
Find out how founders are turning new technology into better businesses.
From smarter operations to entirely new products, explore where AI and digital tools can make a real commercial difference, and connect with the people putting them to work.
Turning scientific breakthroughs into businesses that improve lives.
Explore the journey from research to commercialisation across biotech, diagnostics and health technology, connecting with the expertise, investment and partnerships needed to move promising ideas forward.
From a promising prototype to production at scale.
Explore how businesses are developing products, strengthening supply chains and adopting smarter manufacturing.
Meet the founders and industry leaders turning technical capability into commercial success.
Where creative talent becomes commercial success.
From screen and media to design, gaming and beyond, explore how founders are building audiences, protecting ideas and growing creative businesses.
Meet potential collaborators, clients and partners along the way.
The changing energy landscape is creating demand for new ideas, technologies and businesses.
Explore the opportunities in clean energy, infrastructure and industrial decarbonisation – and meet the people working to bring those solutions to market.
JOIN THE ROOM
Where action starts with the right people.
The place where founder decisions, capital conversations and commercial relationships move forward. Will you be there?