This conference will examine support for start-ups and scale-ups, including approaches to tackling barriers to growth and priorities for enabling new businesses to develop and scale.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss practical implications of recent policy initiatives for early-stage and scaling firms. Attendees will assess measures announced in the 2025 Autumn Budget and the Government's Backing Your Business growth strategy for SMEs aiming to expand funding incentives, introduce new tax reliefs and simplify access to business support. The Small Business Protections Bill currently progressing through Parliament will be examined, including measures for tackling late payments and improving cash flow.
Overall, the agenda explores strategy for translating commitments into practical support, alongside approaches to enhancing pathways for access to capital - including public funding and private finance - and ways forward for increasing accessibility for under-represented founders and regional firms. Delegates will consider how increased funding for the British Business Bank and Innovate UK might effectively be deployed, including priorities for improving access to finance and supporting firms with different growth ambitions, funding requirements and business models.
Further discussion will consider priorities for strengthening the networks and partnerships that can connect businesses with opportunities for growth, including how co-ordination between regional and national enterprise hubs, universities, government and industry can be improved.
Access to finance & strengthening investor confidence Attendees will consider priorities for attracting greater private investment into start-ups and scale-ups. They will examine the effectiveness and strategic focus of the British Growth Partnership, direct investment mechanisms, and Innovate UK's Growth Catalyst in broadening the investor base and improving access to growth capital - alongside the role of targeted support for priority sectors such as AI.
Discussion will explore approaches to improving UK listings competitiveness and wider capital markets reform - including early indications from implementation and operation of PISCES - in addressing barriers to scale-up finance, strengthening investor confidence, and improving access to long-term growth capital in the UK.
Sessions will also assess implementation of the expanded Enterprise Management Incentives Scheme and related changes to Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trust Scheme investment limits, including how incentives might impact access to finance and competitiveness in attracting global talent.
Business support, commercial practices & regulation Further discussion will consider measures to tackle late payments as part of the Small Business Protections Bill. Delegates will assess priorities for deployment of new powers for the Small Business Commissioner, approaches to dispute resolution, and what will be needed to improve SME cash flow, supply chain resilience, and scaling capacity.
The role of government procurement will be discussed in terms of opening new routes to market and identifying export-led growth opportunities, including through Advance Market Commitments and proposals for a new online procurement marketplace. Business support mechanisms for start-ups and scale-ups will also be examined, including strategic approaches to tackling fragmentation, priorities for improving access for under-represented founders, and next steps for supporting firms in adopting emerging technologies and strengthening digital capabilities.
Further sessions look at priorities for reducing regulatory complexity and supporting early engagement, including the role of the IPO, CMA and FCA. Areas for discussion include addressing IP protection, tackling barriers to entry and anti-competitive practices in specific markets, and practicalities for developing a framework that supports innovation.
Talent, innovation & regional growth With the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper signalling a shift in research and innovation funding towards Industrial Strategy priority areas, there will be discussion on balancing support for priority sectors with wider innovation objectives, as well as next steps for taking forward recommendations for improving investor-university links highlighted in the Hickson Review published in February 2026. Approaches to embedding entrepreneurship in academic pathways and supporting early investor engagement will be discussed, as well as priorities for deployment and access to proof of concept funding.
Discussion will also focus on measures to support talent attraction and retention, including potential changes to tax-advantaged investment schemes and increasing eligibility thresholds for Enterprise Management Incentives, as well as how the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund might effectively be deployed to projects that support development of regional clusters and strengthen local innovation partnerships.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Business and Trade; Department for the Economy, NI; Department for Education; UK Export Finance; and the Welsh Government.
The agenda: Draft subject to change
8.30 Registration
9.00 Chair's opening remarks Senior Parliamentarian
9.05 Key priorities for improving the UK environment for start-ups and scale-ups Senior commentator Questions and comments from the floor
9.30 Next steps for financing growth - scaling investment, improving access to capital, and strengthening investor confidence priorities for the British Business Bank and Innovate UK | increasing institutional and pension fund investment | addressing barriers to scale-up finance and late-stage capital gaps | implications of capital markets reform and UK listings competitiveness | investor confidence, valuation challenges, and international competition | access to finance for under-represented founders and regional firms | balancing support for priority sectors with wider innovation objectives | improving navigation and co-ordination across support schemes | private markets and implementation priorities for PISCES | implications of the Autumn Budget and the Government's Backing Your Business growth strategy Joanna Jensen, Chair, Enterprise Investment Scheme Association Amelia Armour, Partner, Early Stage Funds, Amadeus Capital Partners Senior representative, business Senior representative, founder Senior representative, private market Questions and comments from the floor
10.20 Supporting innovation and commercialisation - investor-university links, proof of concept funding, and progression from research and spin-outs to scale-ups Scott O'Brien, Chief Investment Officer, Innovate UK Questions and comments from the floor
10.45 Chair's closing remarks Senior Parliamentarian
10.50 Break
11.00 Chair's opening remarks Senior Parliamentarian
11.05 Next steps for the Small Business Protections Bill - tackling late payments, improving cash flow, and supporting SME growth Emma Jones, Small Business Commissioner Questions and comments from the floor
11.30 Priorities for business growth enablers - regulation, procurement, and routes to market Dr Nicola Eckersley-Waites, Senior Manager, Technology and Innovation, Confederation of British Industry
11.40 Strengthening business support - innovation, regional coordination, and access for under-represented founders co-ordination across national and regional growth initiatives | local innovation partnerships and cluster-based approaches | addressing fragmentation and complexity in business support | improving awareness and accessibility of support schemes | attracting and retaining talent | AI adoption and digital capability | support for under-represented founders, including measures for improving inclusive access to growth opportunities | reducing regulatory complexity for growing business | IP protection, barriers to entry, and competition issues in specific markets | priorities for implementation and measuring impact of business support Fiona Bennington, Director, Entrepreneurship, Catalyst Alex Till, Chair, National Enterprise Network Senior representative, technology Senior representative, SME Senior representative, talent
12.05 Questions and comments from the floor
12.30 Next steps for delivering a competitive environment for UK start-ups and scale-ups Senior representative, policy Questions and comments from the floor
12.55 Chair's and Westminster Business Forum closing remarks Senior Parliamentarian Thomas Howard, Westminster Business Forum
Additional senior participants are being approached, but if you or a colleague would like to be considered as a speaker at this seminar, please contact us at [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>, specifying the event and session where you would like to speak and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. If you are offering to speak yourself please don't fill in the booking form, as this will be taken as an order and you will be charged for a place subject to our Ts&Cs.
Booking arrangements:
To secure your place, please use our online booking form .
Once submitted, this will be taken as a confirmed booking and will be subject to our terms and conditions (including cancellation charges) below.
You can also pay in advance by calling 01344 864796. If an advance card payment is not possible, please let me know and we may be able to make other arrangements.
Fees and options are as follows:
access to Next steps for UK start-ups and scale-ups (plus a permanent record of proceedings) is £299 +VAT per delegate concessionary rate places for small charities, unfunded individuals and those in similar circumstances are £140 +VAT. Please be sure to apply for this at the time of booking
If you find the charge for places a barrier to attending:
please let me know as concessionary and complimentary places are made available in certain circumstances typical eligibility: individual service users or carers not supported by or part of an organisation, full-time students, unemployed and fully retired people with no paid work, and small charities concessions are not offered to businesses, individuals funded by an organisation, or larger charities/not-for-profit companies
Can't attend on the day? Watch on-demand:
You can pre-order a recording of this conference above or via our website to watch on-demand when it suits you. The digital packs include:
a full video recording of the conference as it took place, with all presentations, Q&A sessions, and remarks from chairs an automated transcript of the conference copies of the slides used to accompany speaker presentations (subject to permission) access to on-the-day materials, including speaker biographies, attendee lists and the agenda
Fast-track briefing: typically distributed within 1 week following conference Policy reference: distributed 1-6 months following conference Research archive: distributed 6 months onwards following conference Price: £269 +VAT School price: £228.65 +VAT Concessionary price: £126 +VAT Price: £199 +VAT School price: £169.15 +VAT Concessionary price: £99 +VAT Price: £99 +VAT School price: £84.15 +VAT Concessionary price: £75 +VAT
I do hope that you will be able to join us for what promises to be a most useful morning, and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours sincerely,
Peter
Peter van Gelder Director, Westminster Business Forum
The parliamentary patrons of the Westminster Business Forum are: Lord Bilimoria, Rt Rev Lord Bishop of St Albans, Sir Christopher Chope MP, Lord Curry of Kirkharle, Baroness Drake, Lord Elliott of Mickle Fell, Lord Empey, Barry Gardiner MP, Lord Hollick, Rt Hon Lord Hunt of Wirral, Rt Hon Lord Kennedy of Southwark KC, Rt Hon Lord Kilclooney, Stephen Kinnock MP, The Earl of Kinnoull, Lord Lee of Trafford, Lord Leigh of Hurley, Lord Marland, Baroness McIntosh of Pickering, Lord McNicol of West Kilbride, Lord Mendelsohn, Dame Chi Onwurah MP, Lord Razzall, Lord Redesdale, Andrew Rosindell MP, Lord Sharkey, Lord Sharpe of Epsom, Lord Storey, Lord Teverson, Derek Twigg MP, Rt Hon Lord Wakeham, Rt Hon Lord West of Spithead, and Baroness Whitaker. Note: parliamentary patrons take no financial interest in the Forum.
