About Us
Supporting Startups from Seed Stage to Success Story
The Leading Growth Platform
Tech Nation is the leading growth platform for tech insights, connections, collaboration and talent, empowering ambitious founders and their teams with the access and knowledge they need from seed stage to success story.
Powered by the Founders Forum Group, our approach unites the tech ecosystem whilst placing founders from all corners of the UK and beyond at the forefront, amplifying their needs and challenges and empowering them to grow their businesses so they can positively transform our world.
Our Mission
Tech Nation’s mission is to be the independent voice of the tech ecosystem, amplifying the needs and challenges of ambitious tech founders and their teams and providing them with the support they need to unlock growth.
We occupy a unique position in the tech ecosystem, which allows us to address challenges that extend beyond the realm of business and delve into issues deeply intertwined with societal and environmental impact.
With an exceptional network encompassing business leaders, advocates and experts across the tech sector, our objective is to drive growth for the good of the entire tech ecosystem.
Our Promises
Through our powerful networks we aim to:
– Unite tech leaders, founders, investors and policy makers to drive important conversations to accelerate the tech ecosystem, amplifying the founder perspective at the forefront
– Focus on impact, with founder needs at the core, and facilitate £10bn into startups within the next 5 years
– Champion startups from all corners of the UK, collaborating with regional ecosystems and ensuring 50% of programme participantes are based outside of London
– Be a global connector, celebrating the UK as a place to scale as well as supporting international collaboration to collectively fuel investment and impactful innovation
– Move the needle in the investment landscape for underrepresented founders, through Libra – our early stage growth programme focused on diversity driving innovation – and Creo – our new community for disabled founders or founders building technologies for the disabled community
– Maintain a focus on climate change. The mission of our climate programmes are to support climate tech startups to reduce global emissions, eliminate the worlds waste and restore nature by 1%
But this is only the beginning!
Our vision is create a world in which all founders have access to the knowledge and communities they need to succeed on their scaling journeys.
Would you like to be a part of it? Fill out the form below to enquire about the sponsorship opportunities or apply to one of our programmes – Climate, Libra or Future Fifty.
Our Impact
Over the past decade, Tech Nation has engaged with 5,000+ businesses, accelerating 1,250 of them through 48 growth programmes.
These companies have collectively raised £28.1bn, contributing over £600m in GVA to the UK economy.
£28.1bn+
Investment raised by alumni companies
£600m+
Gross Value added to the UK economy
10,000
Global Talent Visa applications processed and counting
5000+
Companies engaged
35%
Of all unicorns ever created graduated from a Tech Nation programme
40%
Of all decacorns ever created have graduated from a Tech Nation programme
Meet our team
Ellie Steel
Head of Strategy & Operations, Founders Forum Group
Francesca Arese Lucini
Head of Research & Insights, Founders Forum Group
Sammy Fry
Head of Climate
Chantelle Young
Libra Lead
Johnny Mayo
Future Fifty Lead
Ailsa Mealings
Event Operations Manager
Brent Hoberman
Co-Founder & Executive Chair, Founders Forum Group
Brent is Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Founders Factory (global venture studios, seed programmes and accelerator programmes), Founders Forum (global community of founders, corporates and tech leaders), and firstminute capital ($320m seed fund with global remit, backed by over 120+ unicorn founders). Previously, Brent co-founded made.com in 2010 which went public last year with a valuation of $1.1bn, and lastminute.com in 1998 where he was CEO from its inception and sold it in 2005 to Sabre for $1.1bn.
Brent has backed nine unicorns at Seed stage and technology businesses Brent has co-founded have raised over $1bn and include Karakuri (provider of robotics, AI and automation systems), Founders Intelligence (entrepreneur-powered consultancy – recently acquired by Accenture), EQL:HER (network taking action to change the underrepresentation of women in technology), Founders Keepers (technology executive search firm), Founders of the Future (network that identifies and supports aspiring entrepreneurs), Founders Pledge (community for entrepreneurs committed to finding and funding solutions to global challenges), Grip (AI-powered event networking solution), 01 Founders (a network of free-to-access coding schools with a job guarantee), Founders Law (full-service tech law firm), Founders Makers (a creative partner for challengers and forward-thinking corporates), and Polygo (graduate talent accelerator).
Brent sits on the advisory boards of Google Cloud, The Tessa Jowell Foundation, the UK Government Digital Service and the WEF Digital Europe Group. He was also a founding Champion of Change for The Global Tech Group, has been an advisor to four UK prime ministers and in 2015 was awarded a CBE for his services to entrepreneurship.
Carolyn Dawson OBE
CEO, Founders Forum Group
Carolyn Dawson is Chief Executive of Founders Forum Group, overseeing all FF events and businesses, and steering the strategic development of our global network. Previously, Carolyn was President at Informa Tech, a FTSE 100 UK company championing specialists in their core markets. Carolyn led a global portfolio of Digital Media, Research, Events, and Training across a variety of technology sectors and presided over the joint venture between Founders Forum and Informa Tech, prior to her assuming her role as FFG CEO.
Carolyn was recently appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her services to London Tech Week, which she’s led for the past seven years. In this time, she built its global profile and advanced its mission to showcase the best of UK tech. Carolyn is passionate about growing a dynamic and inclusive tech community to realise the positive impact of technology on our world and to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Find out more about our sponsorship opportunities:
Fill out the form here and a member of the team will be in touch