United Kingdom
January 19, 2016
VentureFest, part of the Innovate UK series of events, is to come to the east of England for the first time. It offers an opportunity to hear some of the region’s leading entrepreneurs, many of whom are now leading angel and VC investors in the next generation of innovation. The event is to be held at the Rowley Mile Racecourse in Newmarket on 24th May 2016.
Agri-Tech East is hosting one of the breakout streams and William Kendall – Suffolk organic farmer, investor and entrepreneur, MD of New Covent Garden Soups and Green and Blacks and High Sheriff of Suffolk 2015 – will be giving his insights into the agri-tech investment scene.
William will be joined by Struan McDougall, CEO of Anglia Capital Group; Sean Butler, CEO of Cambridge Agri-Tech Ltd; and Martin Lutman, Programme Manager at Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership.
Dr Belinda Clarke, Director of Agri-Tech East, explains: “There are many options available for funding new businesses in this sector, but it is often confusing for people new to the investment process. We are aiming to help explain the landscape and to showcase some examples of some early stage companies so that delegates can hear for themselves the journeys they have taken.”
For early birds there are a limited number of free tickets for this event – if you would like to attend then do contact us.
More information about VentureFest East
Venturefest East Team (click to view larger) From left: Mark Pendlington, Chairman of New Anglia LEP; Dr Soraya Jones, Board Member of the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) and Entrepreneur in Residence at St John’s Innovation Centre; Laura Welham-Halstead, Head of Communications and Connectivity at Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership (GCGP).
VentureFest East is the brainchild of St John’s Innovation Centre (SJIC), Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough and New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), and is part of the Innovate UK series of events. It provides opportunities to listen to the region’s innovation gurus.
David Gill, MD of SJIC, will be chairing the opening keynote. He comments: “VentureFest East is a unique opportunity to distill the knowledge and expertise from winning entrepreneurs and business insiders, which is valuable input to other innovative companies that we support.”
The event is also supported by Agri-Tech East, Cambridge Cleantech, Cambridge Network, Cambridge Wireless, Games Eden and OneNucleus.
Dr Soraya Jones, KTN Board Member and Entrepreneur in Residence at SJIC, comments: “It’s great to see the local innovation eco-systems and clusters working together to showcase new, promising enterprises from the region.”
The number of enterprises in the East of England region grew by 7% in the year to March 2015, to around 243,000*. This compared with an increase of 3.86% in the total nationwide, itself the fastest rate of growth seen since the index was launched in 2012. Given the strengths within the region, VFE will provide a unique opportunity for the top company leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators to share ideas and experience from different sectors and to find new ways to develop partnerships.
This highly focused one-day event will feature world-class presentations including: Hermann Hauser, co-founder of investment company Amadeus Capital Partners and serial entrepreneur/investor; David Cleevely, international telecoms expert who founded and exited many successful companies, including Analysys Mason and Abcam, and Charles Cotton, the builder of global high-tech companies and author of ‘Cambridge, the Global Phenomenon: 50 years of Innovation and Enterprise’ and many more.
Find out more at www.venturefesteast.co.uk
*Source: Barclays and BGF Entrepreneurs Index, 2015
Note
Venturefest East is jointly delivered by Innovate UK, The Knowledge Transfer Network, St John’s Innovation Centre, Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership (GCGP), New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, sponsored by University of East Anglia, Taylor Vinters, Barclays Bank, SBRI Healthcare and Adnams, and supported by Alliantus Ltd, Agri-Tech East, Cambridge Cleantech, Cambridge Network, Cambridge Wireless, GamesEden and One Nucleus.
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