The British Business Bank are bringing their flagship Finance Week event to Newcastle next month, bringing insight, inspirational stories and opportunities for North East businesses to explore the finance available to them.  

Innovation SuperNetwork is working with the bank to deliver the event, which is also supported by NEL Fund Managers and CPI Enterprises.    

Investor and Investee: Debra Leeves shares her journey 

It’s always a pleasure to listen to Debra Leeves, Chair of Atelerix, speak about the journey she and the biotech firm have been on. As our keynote for the day, Debra will discuss the highs and lows of attracting investment as an innovative start-up and scale-up company. She’ll also share her perspective as an investor in her own right!  

Meet funders and support providers   

A mini exhibition will take place around the event bringing together some of the key funder and support service providers in the region. Build your contacts and find out what finance might be available to you.   

Choosing the right path: navigating the funding landscape for your early-stage business 

There are a lot of options open to businesses seeking funding at an early stage, but the terminology can be baffling, the options unclear and not always right for your individual business, innovation or ambition.   

This session will introduce you to Pathways to Funding, a new programme of activity led by Innovation SuperNetwork and funded via the North of Tyne Combined Authority.   

The programme is designed to make that journey easier for you, to create opportunities that respond to common needs and barriers faced by businesses in the North and ultimately to help you secure the critical finance you need.   

Hosted by our Innovation Managers, Andrew Hodgson and Karl Murray, the session will help you assess just where you are in terms of investment readiness and help you come up with a plan to give you the best chance of success.   

British Business Bank and Innovate UK will discuss options available through their work, and a panel of funders and businesses will share their insight and experiences.

Scaling your business: where to look for finance, from angel investment to venture capital   

You may have already accessed a grant or start-up loan to get your business off the ground, but now you’re looking to scale or bring a new innovative product to market. Where should you turn for finance and what are the next steps to increase your chances of success?   

In this practical session we’ll help you understand where your business sits on our investment readiness scale. We’ll talk about how grants can help you leverage equity investment and run through the different funding options available to you. We’ll also introduce you to our investor hub – a northern gateway to securing equity investment.   

Hosted by Investor Relations Manager, Charlotte Scott and Innovation Manager, Parveer Pannu, the session will include an esteemed panel of funders and businesses who will share their insights and experiences of unlocking innovation and scaling for growth.   

What else can you expect to see?   

The event will be opened by Louis Taylor, Chief Executive at British Business Bank and feature an introduction from Estelle Blanks, CEO at Innovation SuperNetwork.   

It will close with a pitch session featuring five innovative businesses showcasing their companies. Compered by Jenni Smith of NetKno, the session will also feature some facilitated networking to help businesses and investors connect in the room. 

A closed round-table will also take place during the day, bringing together policy makers, investors, funds and businesses to discuss how we can better support companies to unlock innovation by accessing finance. The outcomes from the discussion will be used to inform future programmes.