INSIGHTS / Blog

With Investment Futures returning to London on 4 November 2025, the event promises to bring together founders, investors, academics, and industry leaders to shape the next wave of innovation. Building on last year’s evolution, where the event expanded beyond company showcases to include roundtables and critical challenge sessions, this year is set to go even deeper. We spoke with Chris Hill, Investment Programme Manager at SETsquared, to discuss emerging trends, shifting investor priorities, and the role Investment Futures plays in driving the UK’s innovation landscape forward.

Investment Futures has evolved beyond simply showcasing companies to shaping conversations about the future of investment. What’s the main focus for this year’s event, and how does it build on last year’s success?

While our core aim remains supporting companies on their investment journeys, with 20 exceptional businesses from across the SETsquared ecosystem heading to London, Investment Futures has evolved into much more than a showcase.

We’ve moved away from lengthy, traditional pitches and introduced fast-paced, dynamic, quick-fire sessions designed to spark curiosity, inspire action, and give companies a powerful platform to launch their investment campaigns. It’s about creating meaningful opportunities for connection.

Equally, the event is about deepening engagement with our investor community. We’re focused on acting as a bridge between early-stage, high-potential companies and investors, ensuring both sides gain valuable insights. Initiatives like the Deal Readiness Toolkit were born from these conversations, as we’ve listened to TTOs and investors who want to get involved at an earlier stage and helped shape ways to make that possible.

For this year, we’re building on the success of last year’s roundtables and panel sessions, feeding back on progress and tackling new and recurring challenges head-on. Key themes include unlocking early-stage talent, ensuring the right people are in the right roles, and exploring alternative funding models to navigate today’s complex investment landscape. By broadening the discussion beyond traditional VC funding, we’re opening up exciting new opportunities and shaping the future of investment together.

AI has been a recurring theme, but are there any new technologies or sectors you expect will capture investor attention in 2026?

AI isn’t going anywhere – in fact, we expect it to evolve even further in the years ahead. If you look back just a few years, the landscape has changed dramatically, and we’re now moving towards more agent-based AI systems capable of taking autonomous actions and driving outcomes, representing a shift towards what feels like “true AI.” This is where we see significant potential and continued investor interest.

Beyond AI, several other technologies and sectors are set to capture attention. Clean energy and clean tech remain huge growth areas as the world doubles down on sustainability, while quantum computing continues to progress and open transformative possibilities.

That said, we’re also noticing an interesting shift in focus, from specific sectors to stages of growth. University spin-outs have become a major area of opportunity. SETsquared has invested significant effort over recent years to strengthen its position in this space, and we expect spin-outs to remain an incredibly attractive proposition for investors looking to back innovative, high-potential companies at their earliest stages.

Given the current economic climate, how are you seeing founders adapt their fundraising strategies, and how is Investment Futures supporting them?

Founders are naturally adapting their fundraising strategies to navigate the current economic climate, with approaches often varying by sector and stage. Earlier-stage businesses are typically pacing their rounds, structuring them carefully, sometimes in tranches, to manage risk and demonstrate progress. Across the board, investors are increasingly looking for strong validation metrics and strategic partnerships, which are increasingly seen as key indicators of a company’s potential.

At SETsquared, both our investment programmes and Investment Futures are focused on supporting founders in more than just asking for money. We help them strengthen their investment proposition by building relationships that accelerate growth and make them more attractive to investors. This includes fostering corporate partnerships, securing early adopters, and blending grants and equity effectively – creating a balanced, strategic approach rather than leaning too heavily on one type of funding.

Ultimately, it’s about helping founders not only raise capital but also position their businesses for sustainable, long-term success in today’s challenging landscape.

With incentives like EIS and SEIS still in play, what’s your sense of where investor appetite is heading this year? Are expectations shifting?

Investor appetite remains strong, particularly with incentives like EIS and SEIS still in place, which are invaluable for encouraging investment in early-stage, high-risk companies. These schemes allow investors to take calculated risks they might not normally consider, which is especially important for SETsquared companies operating in deep tech or MedTech, where the technologies are inherently more complex and riskier.

That said, investors are becoming more selective and are looking for clearer proof points of potential success. While the incentives provide crucial support, there’s a greater demand for evidence that a company is positioned to deliver results. Essentially, the appetite remains strong, but investors are seeking stronger validation before committing, reflecting a more measured approach to early-stage investing in the current climate.

Alongside these schemes, initiatives like the Innovate UK–led Investor Partnerships programme are helping to further leverage early-stage, aligned investment by combining equity with grant funding. This blended model not only reduces risk for investors but also gives founders the resources and credibility to accelerate growth, making it a powerful complement to EIS and SEIS.

Looking ahead, what role do you see Investment Futures playing in shaping the SETsquared ecosystem and the wider UK innovation landscape over the next few years?

Looking ahead, Investment Futures will continue to play a central role in showcasing the strength of the SETsquared ecosystem, highlighting the pipeline of innovation from TTOs right through to scaling companies ready to grow. This visibility is at the heart of what we do, helping to connect groundbreaking ideas with the right investors and resources.

Equally important is our role in supporting and shaping the broader investment ecosystem. By keeping our eyes and ears open, listening to the needs of investors, partners, and innovators, we can structure programmes and engagement strategies that make a real impact. This includes supporting initiatives at both a regional and national level, ensuring SETsquared continues to drive innovation and investment across the UK.

As the investment landscape continues to evolve, Investment Futures 2025 offers a unique opportunity to connect companies with investors and spark the conversations that will define the next decade. From breakthrough deep tech ventures to collaborative challenge sessions, the event promises to showcase not only the brightest companies but also the big ideas shaping the future.

Register your space at Investment Futures on 4 November