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WORLD LEADING BUSINESS SUPPORT
LondonAn afternoon of pitches, discussion and networking with founders, investors and university partners.
Networking
Networking and lunch, plus the chance to meet the pitching companies and founders.
Keynote
Keynote speaker: Professor Chris Johnson, Lead Research Scientist, Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST)
Pitches
Break
Breakouts
Choose one breakout session to attend. Each session lasts 45 minutes.
How can universities and investors build stronger relationships, improve investment readiness and create clearer funding pathways from pre-seed to scale-up?
Facilitator: Paul Devlin, Head of Research Commercialisation and Impact, Cardiff University
Deep tech has never attracted more attention, but turning breakthrough science into returns remains a long game. Which sectors, models and exits will define the decade ahead?
Facilitator: Maija Palmer, Editor-in-Chief, Global Corporate Venturing
Break
Panel
Facilitator: Thierry Heles, Founder/Editor, The Next Leap
Reception & awards
Drinks reception and networking, closing remarks and the SETsquared Investment Awards.
Awards host: Serena Giaminardi, Head of Programmes and Investment, SETsquared
Keynote & panellist
Lead Research Scientist, Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST)
Professor Chris Johnson is the Lead Research Scientist at the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST), a role he took up in July 2024. His research focuses on cyber security and safety-critical systems, with particular expertise in aviation, industrial control systems and the ethical introduction of machine learning into military applications.
Facilitator
Editor-in-Chief, Global Corporate Venturing
Maija Palmer is head of content at Global Corporate Venturing, a media, events and professional development company focused on corporate venture and startup investing. She has been a journalist for 20+ years at publications including the Financial Times and Sifted, tracking the development of the global tech economy.
Panellist
Director of Exeter Innovation, University of Exeter
Chris is the Director of Exeter Innovation at the University of Exeter. Her team harnesses the world-leading research and education of the University of Exeter to create real and lasting impact by working with organisations of all types and sizes on their innovation journey. The team are responsible for the University’s Business Engagement Strategy and its regional strategy, including liaison with regional stakeholders and supporting the University’s role as a civic and anchor institution in Exeter and the wider South West Peninsula. An economist, Chris joined the University of Exeter as Director of the Marchmont Observatory, established by the University of Exeter in 1999, to develop a response to issues such as lifelong learning and the development of e-learning. Establishing the first regional skills observatory, with responsibility for overall strategic developments and the oversight and commissioning of research in the area of adult skills and learning. Chris also worked closely with Local Enterprise Partnerships to develop regional and local economic strategies.
SETsquared is a partnership between
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