Tech Nation to officially re-launch this October

Tech Nation, the startup growth network that closed its doors at the end of March this year, is set to relaunch during Birmingham Tech Week in October.

After losing a bid for a £12m government grant to Barclays Eagle Labs, Tech Nation was forced to shut its operations at the end of March 2023. It was then acquired by the Founders Forum Group in April.

The Founders Forum Group is a global community and group of businesses, and the company’s CEO, Carolyn Dawson, will unveil the vision for “Tech Nation 2.0” on the 16th October during its official relaunch.

Now operating as part of Founders Forum Group, the relaunch of Tech Nation will include four startup growth programmes that it previously provided: Libra, a programme for ethnic minority founders; Rising Stars, a competition for early-stage startups; The Climate Programme, an initiative for climate tech companies; and Future Fifty, a programme for late-stage businesses.

Ekaterina Almasque, General Partner at OpenOcean, comments on the relaunch of Tech Nation: “It was a dark day for the UK tech industry when Tech Nation had to close its doors. After leading the charge for the UK’s digital industries during the “Silicon Roundabout” heyday, overseeing growth programs for start-ups, digital academies, and international expansion efforts, being shut was a significant blow.

“The loss of Tech Nation denied entrepreneurs of a vital network within the UK tech industry. It’s imperative that key players in the industry are able to find each other and share ideas and expertise. Every effort must be made to make this process easier, and this involves linking investors, start-ups, and policymakers. Therefore, it’s welcome news that Tech Nation 2.0 is set to launch in October.

“It’s vital the UK provides grassroots support for its tech start-ups or risk falling behind other nations. It will be important to see how the new Tech Nation is structured. Will it be able to provide the same level of support for the tech ecosystem as the previous incarnation? This means being able to increase R&D budgets, creating additional sovereign funds to support strategic initiatives, and increasing the inflow of talent into start-ups.

“Tech Nation 2.0 will be especially important for deep tech firms in fields like quantum technology. These companies have timelines measured in decades and rely on targeted incentives and funding from the government to ensure continued progress is made. We need to establish the right procedures to guide visionary founders with innovative software concepts from initial whiteboard sketches all the way to becoming publicly listed companies in Piccadilly Square.”