Saturday 25 January 2025: The biggest and best start-up event of the new year

Inspiring entrepreneurs and industry leaders will share their journeys of innovation, resilience and success. Hear how they've transformed their ideas, overcome challenges and disrupted industries. 

This stage offers powerful insights into the mindset and strategies that truly drive lasting business success. Get ready to be motivated!

This keynote stage is powered by Constant Contact. Constant Contact offers email and digital marketing tools that make it easy for your small business or non-profit to get the attention and revenue it deserves.

Our first announcement of speakers includes:

• Emma Barnett, BBC broadcaster and journalist will be joined with her husband Jeremy Weil, head of product at the Economists Editorial Intelligence Unit. Together they have turned their passion project 'Colour Your Streets' into a flourishing business.

• Mark Rushmore and Gyve Safavi, co-founders of SURI. The former advertising professionals created a recyclable electric toothbrush, focussed on sustainability. Despite initial challenges with manufacturers, their product has gained incredible traction, earning £3 million in its first year and being stocked in major retailers.

• Susan Allen, co-founder of Here We Flo - A rapidly growing B Corp with big ambitions and an impressive roster of advisors and investors from Graze, Charlotte Tilbury, Unilever, L'Oreal and more. Together with Tara Chandra, Susan launched Here We Flo with a Kickstarter campaign in 2017 and the brand has been shaking up the personal care category ever since, with a purpose-driven, sustainable period care and sexual wellness range that offers "shamelessly natural care for life's messiest moments".

• Deepak Ravindran, co-founder of veg delivery service Oddbox who is on a mission to fight food waste, one curvy cucumber at a time.

• Chris Baker, founder of Serious Tissues will be joined by a line-up of brands who'll be sharing their insights into winning the hearts, minds and spending of consumers.

... With more speakers to be announced.

Explore the future of digital marketing with industry experts. From AI to social media, learn how to create and market high-impact content on a budget and use cutting-edge tools to accelerate your start-up's success. 

Head to this stage for practical, game-changing insights into staying ahead in a fast-paced digital world. 

This stage is powered by Vodafone Business. Keeping pace with digital development can be challenging. Vodafone Business is constantly investing in new technologies to provide a platform for businesses of all sizes to innovate, achieve and stay connected. 

Master the art of raising capital, managing finances and making the most of grant funding. 

A panel of experts and entrepreneurs – including Dragons' Den contestants – will tell you how to secure business finance from a range of sources and ways to build connections with investors. 

This stage will teach you the financial tools and insight you need to take your business into its next phase of growth. 

Your brand is key to success – whether you're launching or growing. 

Join creative entrepreneurs and industry experts for hands-on talks about branding strategies, going viral, pitching to small business journalists and building your personal brand. 

The stage is your go-to resource for mastering the business essentials. 

Talks will cover everything you need to know to grow your business – from product development and cash flow to e-commerce strategies and pitching to buyers. 

Learn from entrepreneurs who've landed in major retailers and take away practical tips to scale your start-up. 

This stage is powered by GS1 UK, the only authorised provider of barcodes, providing a solid foundation for businesses of all sizes to sell their products both online and in-store, worldwide. GS1 UK membership equips businesses with the essential tools, knowledge, and expertise needed to unlock global opportunities and drive growth.

You'll also have the chance to explore the following zones: 

• Connect with business support organisations in the exhibition zone 

• Book a 1-2-1 session with experts and mentors in the adviser zone 

• Meet the team in the Enterprise Nation zone