The event for Ecosystem Builders
Back for its second edition!
Join us 13–14 November at the Edinburgh Futures Institute.
Organised by:
Over the course of our first two-day conference, participants meet, talk, and connect with people who are creating and nurturing ecosystems where new and growing businesses can thrive.
Join us at Ecosystem Exchange 2025 as we discuss and challenge three key areas of ecosystem building:
- Ecosystem Builders & the Future of UK Tech: AI powers 85% of today’s innovation, but the UK’s tech future depends on more than AI. We’ll explore how to support AI-native startups, update outdated frameworks, and strengthen the wider ecosystem.
- Universities as Engines of Innovation: From research labs to venture builders, are universities evolving fast enough? One of our sessions will take a close look at how academia can drive talent, policy, and commercial impact while maximizing the use of limited resources.
- Building a Cohesive National Tech Strategy: Are the UK’s innovation goals fit for reality? We’ll compare the national agenda against what’s happening on the ground and explore how to align funding, talent, and governance for long-term success, while keeping an eye internationally.
Share your experiences, thoughts, insights and questions
Meet and talk with fellow ecosystem builders
Discuss the big topics affecting the UK tech ecosystem and find collaborative solutions
Speakers shaping the 2025 conversations include:
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Adam French, Partner at Antler (England) |
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Ana Stewart, Chief Entrepreneur at Scottish Government (Scotland) |
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Andrea Taylor, CEO at Edinburgh Innovations (Scotland) |
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Andrew Elphick, Director of Business Clinic & Senior Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University (England) |
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Chris Neumann, Associate at Creative Destruction Lab (Canada) |
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Claire Cockerton, Managing Director at Cockerton & Co (England) |
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David Herbada, Founding Partner at Fikra Ventures (England) |
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Dex Hunter-Torrike, Head of Global Communications & Marketing at Google DeepMind (England) |
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Elizabeth Scott, Chief Executive Director at Turing Innovation Catalyst Manchester (England) |
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Emilio Cuevas, Ecosystem Innovation & Growth Specialist at Innovate UK (England) |
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Henry Whorwood, Managing Director Research & Consultancy at Beauhurst (England) |
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Jane Kennedy, Chief Business Officer at Discovery Park (Scotland) |
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Jennifer Craw, Chief Executive at Opportunity North East (Scotland) |
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Jennifer Forbes Iannolo, VP Business Acceleration at CodeBase (Scotland) |
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Michael Rovatsos, Dean of Research & Innovation at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) |
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Mike Jackson, Head of Venture Cafe UK at Venture Cafe (England) |
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Nadine “Noodles” Groves, Co-founder & COO at Natural Velocity (Australia) |
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Natalia Loza, Founder at Connected.Ventures (England) |
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Rob Kenedi, Founder of Decelerator with Rob Kenedi (Canada) |
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Rose Luckin, Founder & CEO of EDUCATE Ventures (England) |
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Sarita Runeberg, CEO at Maria 01 (Finland) |
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Siobhan Clarke, Chair at Supercritical (England) |
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Stephen Brown, Head of Barclays Eagle Labs at Barclays (England) |
Learning from diversity
We know that no two ecosystems are the same, and each has different challenges, successes and insights depending on geography, industry sector, local politics, and many more factors. We believe in learning from this diversity and from each other, sharing experiences and successes to grow and get better.
Working together to build and grow
There’s an untapped knowledge and experience base out there that can be shared and leveraged to help all of us move forward. This event will encourage sharing and working together outside our own “silos”, to make us stronger together, and help inform groups leading on policy development and lobbying.
Register Now!
Be part of a national gathering for those who build, fund and support startup programmes, a space for open dialogue, meaningful connections, and shared learning to shape a stronger, more ambitious UK startup ecosystem.
Ecosystem Exchange 2024 Recap
Ecosystem Exchange 2024 brought together the people powering the UK's startup landscape. From universities to investors, government to innovation hubs, it was a space to connect, share and challenge ideas.
Not a conference for startups, but for those who build for them.
A bold first step in reimagining how we grow ecosystems — together.
- 180+ Attendees from across the UK
- 108 Organisations across sectors & specialisms
- Powerful Panels on role of ecosystem players, competition, unicorns and more
- Voices from the Ecosystem consisting of incubators, accelerators, policymakers, universities, investors & more
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