The Entrepreneur Festival - 15-17 June, Royal Armouries Leeds

^{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.

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 from July 2026)

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}

Innovation

How leaders build and deploy new capability inside real businesses under commercial pressure. What works when the pilot is over. What breaks when it scales.

^{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.

Programme

^{New for 2027}

AI Accelerator

Where AI becomes business action.

Where businesses move from understanding AI to applying it to improve performance, scalability and commercial results.

01

AI Stage

Where AI drives revenue, efficiency and performance across real business decisions.

02

AI Pavilions

How leading organisations apply AI in real commercial environments and use cases.

03

Showcase Expo

Experience AI tools and live demonstrations focused on practical business application.

04

Founder Lab

Learn, test and apply AI directly to real business challenges and decisions.

^{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?

Tickets on sale soon.