Plexal

Less than one week to go until the second campus takeover at Here East during SXSW London festival! Taking place from 2pm on Wednesday 3rd June, “It all starts Here” will bring together leaders from across creativity and innovation to get into what’s really shaping the industry right now. 📣 We’re excited to announce that a new panellist has been confirmed for Plexal’s afternoon panel, titled “Tech for good: ending violence against women and girls”. Eleanor Kaye (Augur) will be joining the panel alongside Lou-Davina Stouffs (Plexal), Jamie Hodsdon (Waymo) and Laura Suggitt (The Merrittocracy). Expect candid discussion, fresh thinking and practical insight into how tech innovation can strengthen public safety and protect those most at risk. 👉 For more information and to reserve your spot visit: https://lnkd.in/exwEduy9 🧑💻 If you’re attending SXSW London, why not base yourself at the Plexal innovation workspace at Here East for free during the week? Sign up here to secure your space: https://lnkd.in/ebb-n-cu *Please note, a SXSW London badge isn’t required to attend this event* Saj Huq | Jessica Moffatt-Owen | Bruno Sussat | Jennifer Parker | Gavin Poole | Haly Berni | Dave Rowley | Brandon Hucq | LMA | Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park | Jennifer Underwood | David Clayton

🚨 The four-month hybrid Scaleup Programme from Barclays Eagle Labs and Plexal, which is designed for high-growth UK tech companies tackling the challenges of scaling, is now accepting applications for our fourth edition: https://lnkd.in/e44r9N8k 🪜 Through Scaleup Programme, we’ll unpack and overcome obstacles to help your business reach the next level across expert-led workshops, one-to-one support, peer learning and tailored connections with corporates, customers and ecosystem leaders. ⚙️ Built around real-life challenges faced by fast-growth founders, Scaleup Programme is geared towards digital tech businesses pushing the boundaries of areas such as AI and healthtech and will cover four key scaling pillars. 🗣️ Having been part of our most recent Scaleup Programme, five members of our alumni community – working on everything from nature-inclusive infrastructure to cycling performance data – have shared their experiences to help you understand why you should apply: https://lnkd.in/ex4M3r5n Tom Birbeck ARC marine® | Eric DeGolier Body Rocket | Achille Traore White Label Loyalty | Tom Dunning Snicket Labs | Fraser Edwards cheqd | Harry Baker | Monika Radclyffe | Patricia Jamelska | Diane Gilbert | Michelle Zhu | Emma Marshall

Just under two weeks to go until the second campus takeover at Here East during SXSW London festival! Taking place on Wednesday 3rd June, “It all starts Here” will be an afternoon designed to get under the hood of what’s actually shaping the creative and tech industries today. Plexal’s afternoon panel, titled “Tech for good: ending violence against women and girls”, will bring together innovators from startups, the public sector and industry to explore how technology can drive safer communities and effective societal change. Confirmed speakers: 🗣️ Lou-Davina Stouffs, Senior Lead, Research and Insights at Plexal 🗣️ Jamie Hodsdon, Policy Manager, UK and Western Europe at Waymo 🗣️ Laura Suggitt, Founder and Managing Director at The Merrittocracy: A Social Justice Agency Expect candid discussion, fresh thinking and practical insight into how tech innovation can strengthen public safety and protect those most at risk. 👉 For more information and to reserve your spot visit: https://lnkd.in/eMQEB-CN 🧑💻 Planning on attending SXSW London? Base yourself at the Plexal innovation workspace at Here East for free during the week. Sign up here to secure your space: https://lnkd.in/eaFhUHTz Saj Huq | Jessica Moffatt-Owen | Bruno Sussat | Jennifer Parker | Gavin Poole | Haly Berni | Dave Rowley | Brandon Hucq | Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park | Jennifer Underwood | David Clayton

🥼 One week to go until Growth Lab – and we’re excited to bring this new format to life! Growth Lab is Plexal's half-day strategic workshop from our Growth Partnership team, built for ambitious companies ready to pull on that next growth lever with clarity and confidence. 📆 Taking place on Thursday 28th May at Plexal HQ in Stratford on the Here East campus, this edition of Growth Lab will focus on channel partnerships, guiding you from idea to informed action. Done well, channel partnerships unlock leverage, distribution and credibility but at the wrong time or without clear thinking and they can drain time, margin and focus. 🔬 Our hands-on, no-fluff workshop will be chaired by Lisa Perkins, Director of Growth Partnership, and is designed to help you make the right decision about partnerships not to push you into them, allowing you to leave with: • A clear view on whether partnerships are right for you now, later or not at all • A practical next step based on your reality • A sharper lens on how to evaluate growth opportunities 🎟️ Tickets are just £40 and can be booked on Eventbrite: https://lnkd.in/dm7XtsmZ No prior partnership experience required – just a willingness to assess things honestly. Giulia Sale | Diane Gilbert | Mina Begum | Alexander Munday | Maria Barr

👑 The need to protect UK critical national infrastructure is so significant, the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill includes laws to ensure essential services, such as energy and healthcare, and was addressed in the King’s Speech last week. 🎟️ Plexal is independently promoting dialogue around critical national infrastructure through our CISO Forum series of events – and this is your opportunity to be heard while hearing peer insights during our next event at Infosecurity Europe on Thursday 4th June: https://lnkd.in/eiXn-D4D 🗣️ We'll ask the question: what’s the impact of AI on critical national infrastructure? This will give you the opportunity to have your say in a conversation chaired by Jo Miller, National Security Officer at Microsoft. 🌐 The CISO Forum was built to create a trusted, closed environment for senior security leaders to compare challenges, share practical insights and shape collective approaches to cyber resilience – be a part of it. ℹ️ Contact Plexal Innovation Lead, Sarah Pye, for more information. Monika Radclyffe | Diane Gilbert | Maria Barr | Alan Every | Bea Pengelly | Adam Bishop | Michelle Zhu |

🌐 With almost 70,000 employees, the UK’s cyber sector isn’t growing by accident – it’s the result of deliberate collaboration, targeted support and a shared focus on solving real-world challenges. Reflecting this, we brought together startups, scaleups and ecosystem partners at Cyber Runway Live to celebrate the security progress being made across the UK. 🗣️ Saj Huq, CEO at Plexal, said: “The companies we work with are not only building products and services for the private sector, but increasingly supporting government and national security priorities.” From the Cyber Resilience Pledge to the latest sectoral analysis figures, the momentum is evident. “We have technical talent and innovators turning ideas into products into businesses to protect citizens and organisations from cyber attacks,” said James Stanley, Head of Sectoral Engagement at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, reinforcing the breadth of UK capabilities. But there’s no room for complacency. As AI accelerates risk and opportunity, tighter collaboration is needed now more than ever. From long-term programmes to recent engagement with Baroness Liz Lloyd, Minister for the Digital Economy and Cyber Security, we’ve been driving innovation to support the UK’s economic growth and resilience – particularly where critical national infrastructure is concerned. 🔗 Whether you’re a founder, government official, CISO or investor, be part of the conversation – read on for the rundown from Zen Terrelonge: https://lnkd.in/eHg86e3c Andrew Elliot | Monika Radclyffe | Diane Gilbert | Robert Kearney | Sarah Pye | Maria Barr | Bea Pengelly | Alan Every | Adam Bishop | Mary Welton | Jennifer Parker | Sean Pollock |

Photonics is at a tipping point both globally and here in the UK. Last week, I was invited by the Council for Science and Technology (CST) and the Photonics Leadership Group to contribute to a national roadmap for photonics at the Institute of Physics in Kings Cross. I felt extremely privileged to work with some of the greatest minds in our ecosystem to outline a plan to advance photonics. Thank you to Institute of Physics for hosting us, the CST and John Lincoln for leading the way in this important initiative. I'm sharing the key takeaways from the event and my thoughts. 🚨 UK photonics has grown into a £18.5 billion industry, employing over 84,000 people. Photonics now employs more people in the UK than automotive or aerospace manufacturing! 🚨Photonics has a 6-month window within the government to develop and execute a plan of action. 🚨The UK must identify and foster a competitive edge in certain areas and collaborate with international partners. Europe, the US and Japan were identified. Closer ties with Canada and Australia, which share common geopolitical and technological concerns, could also be prudent. 🚨Integrated Photonics, and in particular silicon photonics, is a national strength that can be leveraged to build a pilot line and position the UK at the forefront of innovation. CORNERSTONE spearhead this important infrastructure initiative. 🚨Two key challenges are scaling up excellent academic research and startups, which is a common issue for UK hardtech, and engaging with potential markets and customers (e.g. defence) to develop an early-stage product-driven roadmap. 🚨Photonics has significant implications for the future of national security and defence (NS&D). Still, due to the low volume of these markets, dual-use development must be prioritised. Plexal is committed to working with government, academia and industry to advance advanced hardware domains, such as photonics, for future national prosperity, resilience and security. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you think we can partner together to accelerate the adoption of these crucial technologies. Saj Huq - Dave Rowley - Bruno Sussat - Lou-Davina Stouffs - Darren Lewis - Melina Beykou - Rory Daniels - Ella Shuter