In recent years, Bristol has truly positioned itself as one of Europe’s leading tech hubs with a truly eclectic mix of mega growth scaleups, small yet hungry startups, and those businesses in between. Last year alone, Bristol tech companies raised £305million from investors, the third-most investment of all UK cities – with only Manchester and London ahead.
A burgeoning tech scene right under our noses is quite something to shout about, right? Well, that is exactly the aim of the Bristol Tech Festival; an event showcasing some of the region’s most innovative technology initiatives. Throughout last week, the Bristol Tech Festival hosted a magnitude of stellar events designed to inspire business communities and empower the region. HdE GROUP were more than proud to have partnered with the festival along with Hargreaves Lansdown, NatWest, Engine Shed & University of Bristol.
So, what did you miss from the Bristol Tech Festival 2020?
After the success of last year’s Bristol Tech Festival event, there was no way a pandemic would stand in the way of giving tech-hungry enthusiasts their content. As the old adage goes, “the show must go on!” and on it did, with the all-digital event showcasing over 50 events from the likes of Moneyhub Enterprise, Deloitte, TLT LLP and many more.
Not forgetting, of course, the Silicon Gorge pitching final which saw startups and scaleups from the region pitching to a (virtual) room full of investors “enablers of investment”. On the Autumn edition of the event being virtual this year, Abby Frear, TeckSPARK and Silicon Gorge Direction explained that this has in many ways “been a blessing” in terms of the number of investors and enablers able to attend the showcase as well as making it easier for companies further afield to participate.
With 2020 marking the start of a new decade, the theme of this year’s Bristol Technology Festival was to explore how the city’s tech cluster predict the next ten years to go. More specifically, how those in the industry can influence for the better in terms of society and the environment.
A lot was covered throughout the week, with a talk from Green Tech South West delving deep into the theme, sparking a discussion from some of the regions pioneering Green Tech innovators on how they are truly shaking things up. From sustainable car rental company Karshare, to the digital and renewable energy supplier, Pure Planet — we’ve learned that there’s certainly no shortage of innovation in this area. Though with Bristol being named the greenest city in the UK by a study this year, paired with our thriving tech hub, this should perhaps come to no surprise…
From the inaugural event last Monday, right through to the finale on Friday, a magnitude of events pouring with innovation and inspiration were enjoyed by many. Examples of which included highly-educational interactive workshops with Invest West, who provided handy tips to budding entrepreneurs on how to create the perfect investor pitch deck, to thrilling discussions on “how to win the innovation lottery” by Geovation’s virtual CTO, Paul Nebel.
Proud partners of Bristol Tech Festival 2020
This year, HdE were delighted to become partners of Bristol Tech Festival. With the uncertainty of the Coronavirus and its impact on businesses across the region, we believe it’s more important than ever for leaders and businesses to come together and provide that much-needed support channel. Bristol Tech Fest has done just that, creating a passionate network of ingenious innovators, imaginative makers, and those of us with the merely curious mind.
“This regions thriving digital and technology sector is a clear demonstration of the region’s importance as an international centre of innovation. We hope events and partnerships like this one with Bristol Tech Festival continue to amplify that message, on a truly global scale,” explains HdE’s Group CEO, Ashley Wheeler.
Adding to this is HdE Group’s CMO and Co-Founder, Dale Graham:
“Building on sectors of this scale and drawing on the regions deep pool of talent, we hope partnerships like this one with Bristol Tech Festival will continue to drive more people and businesses to be apart of our community, not just in Bristol but right across the tech-digital cluster.”
To keep up to date with future technology events in Bristol, head over to bristoltechfest.org.