Entrepreneurship Panel Event: Fundraising for Tech SME’s in the UK
15th October 2025 from 6:00pm — 8:00pm • Information Technologists' Hall
Join us on the 15th October 2025 for a panel discussion in hosted by the Entrepreneurship Panel. Funding for SME’s in the UK today is a hot topic and we are delighted to offer a fireside chat with 3 exceptional speakers, spanning Early Stage through to Scale Up funding experience and expertise for our October 2025 event. For many innovative companies, access to capital is the bridge between a great idea and a scalable business. But today’s landscape is complex. Investors are more cautious, valuations are under scrutiny, and the competition for funding is intense. At the same time, there’s unprecedented support for innovation in areas like AI, health tech, clean energy, and digital infrastructure – creating strong opportunities for companies that can position themselves well. In this session, we’ll look at “what’s shaping the fundraising environment for high-tech SMEs, where the money is flowing, and how leaders can best prepare to attract the right investors, at the right time, on the right terms.”
There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions and discuss with the presenters their views on this crucial market for the information technology landscape here in the UK, with networking prior and post the presentation.
Our Guest Speaker
John Newton
With 40+ years in digital transformation, John Newton co-founded two category-defining Enterprise Content Management companies: Documentum and Alfresco. He led product strategy and innovation and helped grow Alfresco to 2,000+ customers and 11 million users worldwide. John now serves as a strategic advisor to the CEO of Hyland Software, a $1.2B ARR leader in information management, and is an active investor and board member across conversational AI and GitOps. He previously served as Chief Strategy Officer and a director of Agile Growth Corporation, a public SPAC. His work has helped popularize modern enterprise document management and open-source content platforms used across the private and public sectors.
Ian Merricks FBCS FRSA
Ian began as an entrepreneur, founding a digital media group; raising private, VC and trade investment before securing an exit. He went on to build The Accelerator Network; providing growth and investment readiness support for 1,000+ tech startups. In 2023 he launched VenturePath – The Scaleup Investment Platform, connecting £13bn of Series A-B VCs with scaleups. This approach has helped 80+ high growth tech companies secure over £700m of growth capital. Most recently he established the UK Scaleup Investment Mission, an industry-supported initiative to create more UK venture-backed successes, including from under-represented founders and regions.
Chris Adelsbach
Chris is an entrepreneur, investor, and mentor. He is Managing Partner of Outrun Ventures, and one of Europe’s most prolific angel investors in Fintech companies. After a ten year career at GE Capital, Chris co-founded a specialty finance company that became one of the fastest growing businesses in the UK, featuring in the Sunday Time Fast Track 100 for four consecutive years. In 2022 he was named as the leading Seed Investor in Europe by Business Insider and Tribe Capital and in 2023 was named the Investor of the year in the Great British Entrepreneurship Awards. Although primarily an angel investor, Chris formed Outrun Ventures to facilitate investment into the growth stage round of some of his most exciting growth stage portfolio companies
BOOKING
There is a £15 inc. VAT – any surplus will go towards WCIT Charities to the WCIT Charity