In June 2025, we held our first 5-day, multi-venue UK Startup & Scaleup Week festival in Sunderland in the North East of England for 420 delegates with the aim of inspiring & educating them on how to start & grow a successful business in the city & wider North East of England. (We previously ran 3 x 5-day Newcastle Startup Week festivals in 2017, 2018 & 2019 & then 2 online versions in 2020).
UK Startup & Scaleup Week is now a purely online resource with weekly blogs, videos, podcasts, business profiles, news, advice & special offers published on this website https://ukstartupweek.com & on our LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok & YouTube accounts. We also run a popular monthly half-day event called PLATFORM in different locations across the North East of England, Teesside & Scotland.
Keep scrolling to see the speaker line up & event schedule for our UK Startup & Scaleup Week festival in 2025…
UK Startup & Scaleup Week 2025
What’s it all about?
Since the pandemic, we’ve seen first-hand how Sunderland (in the North East of England) has been gearing up to be one of the most exciting places to live, work, start & grow a business in the UK & we want to help build an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the city. We’re expecting 500+ delegates to join us in June 2025.
Our previous Startup & Scaleup Week events (in Newcastle) in 2017 & 2018 both attracted 600+ delegates & our 2019 event attracted 800+ delegates from the North East of England, across the UK & around the world!
This year, over the course of 5 days (between 2-6 June 2025), we will cover the following themes that we believe all businesses, projects, products & services need to go through to be a success:
- Monday = INSPIRATION
- Tuesday = GETTING STARTED
- Wednesday = FUNDING & FINANCE
- Thursday = GROWING & SCALING
- Friday = KEEP GOING OR PIVOT?
Day 1 (INSPIRATION) on Monday 2 June 2025 is the main conference / biggest event of the week taking place in the beautiful, 550 person capacity auditorium at The Fire Station in Sunderland city centre.
Featuring a range of inspirational keynote talks, fireside chats & panel discussions plus breakout sessions, exhibitions & networking opportunities, Day 1 will inspire & motivate anyone with an idea for a new business venture, who has recently started a business, is an established business owner or leader, works in a large enterprise serving SMEs, is funder or investor & anyone else who wants to see the business community in Sunderland, the North East & wider North of England succeed.
Day 1 (INSPIRATION)
Venue: The Fire Station, High Street West, SR1 3HA (view on map)
Food & Drink: Teas/Coffees will be available from 8am & throughout the day. Street food & table service meals will be available from The Foyer Bar & Engine Room from 12pm onwards.
| 8am-8.55am | Arrivals, check-in & networking / exhibition stands |
| 9am-9.05am | Intro & welcome (Paul Lancaster) |
| 9.05am-9.45am | ‘Enterprising Sunderland’ panel discussion hosted by Alfie Joey featuring: – Paul McEldon OBE (CEO, North East BIC) – Paul Callaghan CBE (Chairman, The Leighton Group & Chair, Sunderland Music, Arts & Culture Trust) – Sharon Appleby (CEO, Sunderland BID) – David Pattison (Business Investment Manager, Sunderland City Council) – Rita Collins (Regional Director, Yorkshire & the North East Corporate Banking, NatWest) – Dave Martin (CEO, Esports Global & Senior Vice President, British Esports) |
| 9.50am-10.15am | Football + Business with David Bruce (Chief Business Officer, Sunderland AFC) + Lee Rorison (Founder & CEO, Serios Group) |
| 10.20am-10.40am | Adds Lad (Founder & Videographer of The Content PT & Host of The Content Cast podcast) |
| 10.45am-11.05am | Cheryl Reid & Dr Donna Elliott (Co-Founders of Now Is Your Time, Creators of Mind Coding®, authors of the #1 Best Seller, ‘Become The Real You‘ & TEDx Women Speakers) |
| 11.10am-11.55am | Paul Mort (2 x UK Mastercoach of the Year, international speaker & author of Upgrade: The No-Bulls–t Guide to Levelling Up Your Life) |
| 12pm-12.25pm | Ann English (Visual Strategist, Author & TEDx Speaker, CREATE INTRIGUE) |
| 12.30pm-1pm | (Lunchtime exhibitors, networking & 1-2-1 meetings in the Foyer Bar & Engine Room + book signings from Daniel Priestley, Paul Mort & Ann English in the Xero Business Lounge / FIRESIDE area) |
| 1pm-1.30pm | Dave Swan (CTO, Tharsus) on how to develop innovative tech products & bring them to market |
| 1.35pm-2.20pm | Daniel Priestley (Founder of Dent Global, ScoreApp & BookMagic.ai, international speaker & author of Key Person of Influence, Oversubscribed & Entrepreneur Revolution) |
| 2.25pm-2.50pm | Steve Underwood (Founder & Managing Director, Bonded Agency) |
| 2.55pm-3.20pm | Kat Bond (Head of Partner Success, Xero UK) + Graeme Tennick (Founder & Chief Impact Officer, Tennick Accountants) |
| 3.25pm-4.10pm | Sara Davies MBE (Founder & CEO of Crafter’s Companion, Dragon on BBC’s Dragons’ Den & author of The 6 Minute Entrepreneur) in conversation with Carl Swansbury (Partner & Head of Corporate Finance, Ryecroft Glenton) |
| 4.15pm-4.40pm | ‘Startup Stories’ panel discussion hosted by Jamie Collis (Partner, Recognition PR) featuring: – Danielle Croce (Director, Intasite) – Aman Chahal (CEO & Co-Founder, TaperedPlus) – Joshy Jin (Founder, WowzaBox) – Louise Kennedy (Managing Director, Oculus HR) – Judith McMinn (CEO & Founder, Rezon) |
| 4.45pm-5pm | Closing remarks by Paul Lancaster (Founder & Event Producer, UK Startup & Scaleup Week) + Alfie Joey |
| 5.15pm-Late | After party drinks & networking in The Fire Station (& nearby venues) |
(We will also be running breakout sessions, networking events, book signings & talks during the day in the Xero Business Lounge | FIRESIDE at The Fire Station).
(Choose the ‘Day 1 Only Ticket’ option if you just want to attend the event listed above. Choose the ‘5 Day / Multi Day Ticket’ (better value) if you want to attend this day & at least one more across the week).
Day 2 (GETTING STARTED)
Venue: The British Esports Performance Campus, The Place, Athenaeum Street, Sunniside, Sunderland SR1 1QX (view on map) + Diego’s Joint, 28 Norfolk Street, Sunniside, SR1 1EE (view on map)
This day will provide practical information & advice on how to start a new business, product or service & bring your creative ideas to life. It will take place at The British Esports Performance Campus & Diego’s Joint in the Sunniside area of Sunderland city centre with specific content aimed at different sectors & types of business.
The Day 2 schedule & speakers are:
| 9am-9.45am | Arrivals & networking (with optional tour #1 of British Esports Performance Campus) |
| 9.55am-10am | Intro by Paul Lancaster (Founder & Event Producer, UK Startup & Scaleup Week) |
| 10.05am-10.30am | British Esports overview |
| 10.35am-10.55am | North East BIC startup support overview with Helen Wardropper |
| 11am-11.30am | Business startup panel discussion with Reshma Begum (FSB), Graeme Tennick (Tennick Accountants) & Sophie Gowling (NatWest Enterpreneur Accelerator) |
| 11.35am-12pm | Taking care of yourself (& your colleagues) as you start & grow your business with Sue Thompson (District Manager, Slimming World) |
| 12pm-1pm | LUNCH (+ optional tour #2 of British Esports Performance Campus) |
| 1pm-3pm (choose from the options to the right) | Video Content Creation workshop with Issy Howell (Head of Production & Senior Video Editor, Howell Media) (1pm-3pm) |
| Podcast Workshop with Dawn Young & Peter Bull (Cluarantonn Podcast Services) (1pm-3pm) | |
| Pitching Session & Practise with NatWest Accelerator (1pm-2pm) | |
| Tech Product Development workshop with Mark Renney (MD, Wubbleyou) (1pm-3pm) | |
| Social Enterprise & Community Interest Company session @ Diego’s Joint with Dan Makaveli (Owner & Managing Director, Diego’s Joint & Media Savvy CIC), Anthony McDermott (Social Enterprise Business Coach & Trainer, North East BIC) & Corinne Lewis-Ward (Founder, Powder Butterfly & Director, Creative Heritage Studios CIC) (1pm-3pm) | |
| 3pm-4pm | NatWest Accelerator Pitches & Judging in British Esports Function Room (3pm-4pm) |
| 5pm-5.15pm | Closing remarks by Paul Lancaster (Founder & Event Producer, UK Startup & Scaleup Week) |
| 5.30pm-LATE | After party & networking at Diego’s Joint & 3 Stories |
(Choose the ‘Day 2 Only Ticket’ option if you just want to attend the event listed above. Choose the ‘5 Day / Multi Day Ticket’ option if you want to attend this event & at least 1 other event across the week).
Day 3 (FUNDING & FINANCE)
Venue: City Hall Sunderland, Plater Way, Sunderland, SR1 3AA (view on map)
This day is at The City Hall & is for anyone looking for funding to start or grow a business (covering grants, loans, investment, crowdfunding & other sources of finance).
| 8am-9am | Arrivals & networking |
| 9am-9.05am | Intro by Paul Lancaster & Neil Stephenson (UK Startup & Scaleup Week | PLATFORM) |
| 9.05am-9.25am | Vicky Mears (Director UK Network – North of England & Midlands, British Business Bank) on ‘Helping smaller businesses access the finance they need to succeed’ |
| 9.30am-9.50am | ‘Get Funding: Making it easier to secure the right business funding’ with Julie Cuthbertson (Strategic Projects Director, UMi) |
| 9.55am-10.10am | Ben Mushen (Founder, North East Support Directory) |
| 10.15am-10.35am | James Katirai (Head of Investments, NEL Fund Managers) & Susan Snowdon (Investment Executive, NEL Fund Managers) |
| 10.40am-11.25am | Naomi Allen Seales (Investment Manager, Northstar Ventures) update on the ‘Venture Sunderland Fund’ followed by a panel discussion hosted by Jamie Hardesty (Sunderland Software City) featuring: – James Farrell (Country Manager, Founder & CEO, SmartCraft UK & clixifix) – Connor Greig (CEO, OneClickComply) – Rojin Yarahmadi (Co-Founder & CEO, PolyBox) – Tom O’Neill (Investment Manager, Northstar Ventures) |
| 11.30am-11.50am | Special guest TBC |
| 11.55am-12.15pm | Stephen Waud (CEO, Business Enterprise Fund) |
| 12.20pm-12.30pm | Neil Guthrie (Director of Development & Property, Sunderland City Council) overview of Riverside Sunderland Masterplan & Investment Opportunities |
| 12.30pm-1.30pm | LUNCH (+ optional tour of The Beam + Maker & Faber buildings) |
| 1.30pm-1.55pm | Preparing for Growth presentation by Graeme Tennick (Founder & Chief Impact Officer, Tennick Accountants) |
| 2pm-2.30pm | Understanding the Stages of Growth Funding with Harry Linklater (Partner, HNH Partners) |
| 2.35pm-3pm | Gender Smart Investing to Fuel the UK Economy with Jordan Dargue (Co-Founder, Lifted Ventures) |
| 3.05pm-3.30pm | Investment Insights panel discusson with Neil Stephenson (Angel Investor & Adviser, Stephenson Ventures), Michael Hall (CEO, eQuality Solutions, Bethany Ainsley (Founder & CEO, OptiMe) & Richard Butts (Corporate Partner, Ward Hadaway) |
| 3.35pm-4pm | Rita Collins (Regional Director, Yorkshire & the North East Corporate Banking, NatWest) on ‘High Growth & IP Funding’ |
| 4.05pm-4.50pm | Investment Pitches hosted by Nickie Kilkenny (Accelerator Community Manager, NatWest) |
| 5.30pm-LATE | Networking drinks / after party at The 3 Stories, 92 High Street West, SR1 3BY (view on map) |
(Choose the ‘Day 3 Only Ticket’ option if you just want to attend the event listed above. Choose the ‘5 Day / Multi Day Ticket’ option if you want to attend this event & at least 1 other event across the week).
Day 4 (GROWING & SCALING)
Venue: The Founders Bar, Stadium of Light, Sunderland, SR5 1SU (view on map)
This day is all about sales, marketing, business development, leadership, mindset, automation & AI, how to find talent & build teams, partnerships, national & international expansion.
| 8am-9am | Arrivals & networking (+ optional ‘Stress Less 4 Wellness’ morning Yoga & Mindfulness session led by Gillian Dodd, one of our Day 5 speakers) |
| 9am-9.05am | Welcome & intro from Paul Lancaster (Founder & Event Producer, UK Startup & Scaleup Week) |
| 9.05am-9.45am | Alfie Joey aka The #SpeakEasyGuy on the how to grow your business through better communication |
| 9.50am-10.05am | Charlotte Windebank (Co-Founder, FIRST – Enterprise Skills for Everyone) on Growing & Scaling |
| 10.10am-10.40am | Building a Thriving and High-Performance Culture with Ivan Hollingsworth (Director, Centric Consultants Limited & Chairman, Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF) |
| 10.45am-11.15am | Going Global with Phil Blacklock (Department for International Trade), Claire Pickersgill (Founder & MD, House of Hype) & Muhammad Ali (Managing Director, Uptivity) |
| 11.20am-11.50am | ‘Scaling your UK Startup in China’s Dynamic Market’ with Weiting Huang (Senior Business Development Manager, EZAM HE Solutions), Philip Inegbedion (Head of Business, Otaski Energy Solutions), Paul Sparks (International Trade Adviser, Department for International Trade) & Eric Guo (CEO, SPARK EPOS) |
| 11.55am-12.25pm | Nevil Tynemouth (Lead Director, New Results Ltd) on maximising your business development & sales |
| 12.30pm-1.30pm | LUNCH + Networking (with optional tour of The Stadium of Light, home of Sunderland AFC) |
| 1.30pm-1.50pm | Ammar Mirza CBE (Executive Chairman, ISS Airview) on how to grow your business in some of the fastest-growing markets worldwide including Saudi Arabia, the Middle East & Asia |
| 1.55pm-2.15pm | Nicky Jolley (Managing Director, HR2day) on how to look after your employees & avoid tribunals |
| 2.20pm-2.50pm | ‘Growing the Film, TV & Media Industry in the North East’ with Chris Howell (Managing Director, Howell Media), Issy Howell (Head of Production, Howell Media) & Adds Lad (Founder & Videographer of The Content PT & Host of The Content Cast podcast) |
| 2.55pm-3.15pm | Jamie Ahmed (Director of Media Buying, Blacktip Social) on the importance of emotion in marketing |
| 3.20pm-3.40pm | BREAK |
| 3.45pm-4.05pm | Mark Renney (Managing Director, Wubbleyou) on how to grow your business through better use of tech, automation & AI (& productising your services) |
| 4.10pm-4.30pm | ‘From cherry to client: How to grow a Personal Brand that hooks the right people for growth’ with Laura Pearman (Founder & Personal Branding Consultant) |
| 4.35pm-4.55pm | Graeme Tennick (Founder & Chief Impact Officer, Tennick Accountants) on ‘The 3 Step Approach to Building the Business of Your Dreams’ |
| 5pm-5.05pm | Closing remarks |
| 5.30pm-LATE | Networking drinks / after party in The Founders Bar at The Stadium of Light (+ ‘Baldies Unite – Bald In Business’ podcast LIVE) |
(Choose the ‘Day 4 Only Ticket’ option if you just want to attend the event listed above. Choose the ‘5 Day / Multi Day Ticket’ option if you want to attend this event & at least 1 other event across the week).
Day 5 (KEEP GOING OR PIVOT?)
Venue: Hope Street Xchange, 1-3 Hind Street, Sunderland, SR1 3QD (view on map)
This day is all about how to survive & thrive in the weeks & months ahead, how to know what is & isn’t working, how to stay focused & how to change direction if necessary. It’s also a celebration of the week we’ve just had with a closing party for everyone.
| 8am-9am | Arrivals & networking (+ optional ‘Stress Less 4 Wellness’ morning Yoga & Mindfulness session led by Gillian Dodd who will be speaking later) |
| 9am-9.05am | Opening words & welcome from Tim Pain (Director of Innovation & Skills, University of Sunderland) |
| 9.05am-9.15am | Paul Lancaster (Founder & Event Producer, UK Startup & Scaleup Week) |
| 9.20am-9.40am | Daniel Step (Director, We Are DSC: Decisively Supportive Company) |
| 9.45am-10.15am | ‘From Knockbacks to Momentum: Finding Direction in the Chaos’ with Jane Fisher (Founder & Director, Jane Fisher Associates & Fresh Perspectives NE) |
| 10.20am-11am | John Forth & Phil Gray (Co-Founders, IS THIS YOU?) on the importance of resilience, focus & balance in your personal & professional life for future success |
| 11.05am-11.30am | Gillian Dodd (Yoga Teacher, Yoga Therapist & Owner of Gillian Dodd Training & Development) on ‘Not worrying about fitting into a stereotype & not giving up’. |
| 11.35am-11.55am | Polly Brennan (Founder, Adventurous Coaching) on ‘The Entrepreneurial Adventure – SOS to SAS – Pack Your Mental Kitbag’ |
| 12pm-1pm | LUNCH + networking |
| 1.05pm-1.40pm | NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator panel discussion on ‘Resilience, Innovation & Pivoting to Success with Georgina Williams-Hodgson (Owner, nousana), Alex Head (Financial Advisor, Bespoke Financial Wellbeing), Christina Lord (Founder, Authentic Action Coaching), Paul Lancaster (Founder, UK Startup & Scaleup Week) & Nickie Kilkenny (Accelerator Community Manager, NatWest) |
| 1.45pm-2.25pm | ‘Knowing when to stay the course & when to pivot’ with Sarah Cox (Innovation Missions Programme Director, Innovation SuperNetwork) |
| 2.30pm-3pm | Fireside chat with Simon Whitaker (CEO, Master Debonair & Founder, The Fuelled) & Paul Lancaster |
| 3.05pm-4pm | Stuart Bramley (Founder & CEO, MIRA Marketing) |
| 4.05pm-4.30pm | Closing remarks & thank yous |
| 4.30pm-7pm | Official closing party / networking drinks + finger food at Saba Maison de Luxe (Indian restaurant) |
(Choose the ‘Day 5 Only Ticket’ option if you just want to attend the event listed above. Choose the ‘5 Day / Multi Day Ticket’ option if you want to attend this event & at least 1 other event across the week).
Want to join us?
If you’d like to attend, please choose one of the 6 ticket options via the form below or on our Eventbrite page.
UK Startup & Scaleup Week is sponsored by; Xero, NatWest, North East BIC, Wubbleyou, Ward Hadaway, Tennick Accountants, BearTech, BJSS, Waterstons, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Northstar Ventures, Sweeney Miller Law & UMi – Get Funding
Our Day 1 Exhibitors also include; Blu Sky Chartered Accountants, Business Enterprise Fund (BEF), FIRST – Business Skills for Everyone, Enterprise Made Simple, North East Chamber of Commerce, Tokenetic
Want to be a sponsor / partner with us?
Want to raise your profile & build awareness of your business, product or service in the North East / North of England? Want to find more customers, clients, partners or collaborators? Want to find new talent? Want to position yourself as a supporter of startups, scaleups, entrepreneurship, innovation & creativity?
Our UK Startup & Scaleup Week festivals & monthly PLATFORM events provide unique opportunities for you to do all of the above & so much more. Find out how at https://ukstartupweek.com/sponsorship/
Paul Lancaster
Founder & Event Producer
PLATFORM | UK Startup Week
https://ukstartupweek.com