CodeBase, alongside Edinburgh Futures Institute and Barclays Eagle Labs, is playing a leading role in organising a UK-wide conference, Ecosystem Exchange, taking place at Edinburgh Futures Institute today, and marking the first time a conference dedicated to the UK’s technology ecosystem growth has taken place.
Jon Hope, SVP Ecosystems, CodeBase, said: “The overall aim of the event is to bring together ecosystem builders from across the UK to share perspectives, learning, and find ways to do things better.”
There are over 200 registered to attend, with participating organisations including the University of Edinburgh, Glasgow City Innovation District, Opportunity North-East, University of Strathclyde, Conception X, Sustainable Ventures, and Techscaler, the Scottish Government’s startup support programme run by CodeBase. Attendees will include regional and city ecosystem managers from across the UK, representatives from national and local government, universities, investors, and banks.
Speakers and panellists include Mark Logan, former Skyscanner COO and chief entrepreneurial adviser to the Scottish Government, Barclays Eagle Labs Managing Director Abdul Qureshi, Andrew Wordsworth, CEO of Sustainable Ventures, which recently opened a hub in Glasgow, Edinburgh Futures Institute’s Director of Innovation, Alessandro Rosiello, and Sarah Hardy, Director and Head of New Investment at investment firm Archangel.
Over the course of this one day mini-conference, participants will meet, talk and connect with people who are creating and building ecosystems where new and existing growth businesses can thrive. The exclusive event will feature interactive panel discussions, networking opportunities, and an evening mixer event where attendees can explore the present and future landscape of tech ecosystems.
The agenda will include panel sessions on topics including ‘competition versus collaboration: fostering synergies within the ecosystem’, ‘unicorn chasing or sustainable growth?’, and ‘the role of universities in the UK tech ecosystem’. The overall aim of the event is to bring together ecosystem building experts to share their challenges, successes, and insights, and enable progress across different geographies and industries.
Jon Hope added: “It’s right that the UK continues to look towards international tech ecosystems, such as in North America and Asia, so we can plug into and learn about developing trends, experience, and playbooks. But across the UK we have some world class capabilities and programmes, and the Ecosystem Exchange is about better sharing insights from across the UK, and by increasing meaningful collaboration and improved connectivity. This process will help our regional and national ecosystems to evolve to the benefit of everyone.”
