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Don’t miss a second of the Rising Stars Grand Final

Can’t make it to the Rising Stars Grand Final, but don’t want to miss out on all the action?

All is not lost - we're livestreaming the entire event right now. You can catch all the action and witness the UK's most exciting and innovative early-stage tech companies pitch, via the link below. Don’t forget to join in the conversation online using #WeAreTechNation.

Want to recap on who is pitching at the finall? You can find the details of all the companies involved, here.

Welcome to the Tech Nation newsletter

It's been another action packed month at Tech Nation and for the UK tech sector. We recently unveiled the 30 high-growth tech companies to join Upscale 5.0, joining an alumni of some of the UK's most successful businesses.

Alongside this, we were delighted to announce the companies who successfully made it through to the Rising Stars 2.0 Grand Final on 12 February. The competition was fierce, and whittled the hopefuls down to 20 companies who will pitch in London to become the next Rising Stars.

Finally, we launched applications for Cyber 2.0, in search of the next tranche of pre-Series A Cyber stars looking to accelerate their growth.

30 of the UK’s most exciting scaleups join the prestigious Upscale programme

After a nationwide call-out and an intensive and thorough judging process, we are delighted to announce the 30 companies joining Tech Nation’s flagship programme for mid-stage, fast-growing tech companies: Upscale 5.0. But who made the cut?

Announcing the 20 tech startups set to pitch at the Rising Stars 2.0 Grand Final

Read more >

UK tech sector beats both US and China to lead global growth in 2019

Read more >

Calling UK Cyber Security companies – Applications for Cyber 2.0 are now open

Read more >

Want to know more about Cyber 2.0? Join our webinar on 10 February 2020.

UK migration patterns are shifting, but tech talent demand remains high.

Read more >

“I can’t think of anywhere else in Europe that would have allowed for more professional growth than the UK”

Read more >

Exceptional talent at work – exploring the scope of the Tech Nation Visa

Read more >

Work for Tech Nation

We have a number of exciting roles available:

• Chair of the Board
• Senior Business Analyst
• People Operations Assistant
• Visa Programme Manager

Introducing the leading late-stage tech companies

joining Future Fifty 8.0

We're delighted to reveal the 28 new companies joining the UK''s leading programme for late-stage tech companies. With alumni that includes some of the biggest names in UK tech, the new cohort of Future Fifty 8.0 companies have already raised over ?1.4bn, and employ nearly 6,000 people.

Keeping good company

The 28 companies joining Future Fifty 8.0 will join the 22 companies already on the programme. Together they are the Future Fifty - a powerful network of the UK''s leading late-stage tech companies.

Future Fifty is a leading programme that enables the UK's most successful late-stage tech companies to come together, build a powerful and supportive network, and problem-solve with peers. 

Watch the launch online

Don''t miss a second of the launch of both Future Fifty 8.0 and the Tech Nation Report 2020. 

Watch LIVE now >

Future Fifty 8.0 sponsors:

Welcome to the Tech Nation newsletter

As we hit the half way mark of 2020, it''s fair to say it''s been a historic year already. Entering June, we''re delighted to announce that Stephen Kelly has been appointed as Chair of Tech Nation, to guide our mission to help UK tech innovators scale as sustainably and rapidly as possible.

In May we launched LawtechUK, an initiative that will help transform the UK legal sector through tech, delivered through a collaboration between Tech Nation, the Lawtech Delivery Panel and the Ministry of Justice. 

Finally, we were happy to see the Future Fund go live and open to applications. Eligible companies will receive matched funding of up to ?5 million, with the Government stake in the form of a convertible loan.

Stephen Kelly appointed Chair of Tech Nation

We''re delighted to announce that Stephen Kelly has been appointed as Chair of Tech Nation. As a CEO and director, Stephen has extensive experience of turning around and scaling technology companies, from established technology companies like Oracle and Sage in the UK to growing a Silicon Valley startup into a publicly listed company. 

Plans announced for UK Lawtech R&D 'Sandbox' 

We are excited to unveil the LawtechUK vision and work programme powered by Tech Nation, an initiative to help accelerate the digital transformation of the UK's legal sector. 

Lockdown Unlocked: 14 things we learned

On Tuesday 5 May we held Lockdown Unlocked, an online event designed to help scaling businesses with their key challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We were lucky enough to feature an incredible lineup of some of UK tech's biggest names, including Brent Hoberman, Robin Klein and Check Warner among many others; as well as government figures such as Gila Sacks, Director of Digital and Tech Policy at DCMS, and Francis Evans, Head of Business Finance at BEIS.

Other news:

• Future Fund is now live for applications

• COVID-19: business support in your region

• How to build and leverage your employer brand

• How mindfulness can improve mental health

• British edtech is helping schools and teachers embrace online learning

• "Tough times need innovation, and the UK tech scene is able to deliver"

Tech Nation Talks

A deep dive into local tech ecosystems and what makes them tick.

Work for Tech Nation

We''re still hiring and have a number of exciting roles available:

• Head of Commercial (London)

• Content Lead (London)

Hello Jon

Tech Nation''s Fintech 3.0 programme is open for applications. Since you pre-registered your interest in the programme, you''re one of the first to know and we''d be delighted if you applied.

Why join Fintech 3.0? 

The programme is tailor made to help your fintech or insurtech scale. It focuses on the most exciting and innovative companies the UK has to offer and solving specific challenges they face, creating a strong support network and giving you the tools you need to succeed. But don''t take our word for it...

Not sure what programme you belong in? 

Our Applied AI and Net Zero programmes are also open for applications. You could be eligible for several programmes. Compare them all and read more about the sector programmes here. 

For advice and application support and FAQs, check our Application Guide.

Welcome to the Tech Nation newsletter

Another bumper month at Tech Nation, with the final of Rising Stars 2.0 revealing 10 early-stage tech companies crowned the most innovative and exciting in the sector. You can check out the winners on our blog and recap on all the action, via our livestream.

We also unveiled the renaming and expansion of the Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visa route to the Global Talent visa. We''re delighted to announce that there''s no longer a cap on the number of visas we can endorse and applicants can now choose the length of their visa, up to 5 years. You can catch up on all the updates here.

Finally, in March, we''re looking forward to launching the Tech Nation Report 2020 (sign up to be the first to receive it, here), unveiling the leading companies joining Future Fifty 8.0 and mingling with the North West''s finest at the inaugural Tech Nation Connects event in Manchester.

Announcing the winners of Rising Stars 2.0

After an incredible competition culminating in a competitive Grand Final - and with an impeccably high standard of entrants - we are excited to announce the 10 winners of Rising Stars 2.0. 

Introducing the new Global Talent visa

And some other important changes.

Read more >

What the tech is up with the weather? 

Will it ever stop raining?

Read more >

A letter to my former self

Founders' advice, regrets and encouragement.

Read more >

Paving the way for Diversity and Inclusion

Read more >

Meet the teens shaping the future of AI

Read more >

Cyber 1.0: What happened next?

Read more >

Wales Startup Awards

We''re delighted to partner with Wales Startup Awards, to help celebrate the best new businesses in Wales. The awards take place on 19 June 2020.

Find out more >

Work for Tech Nation

We have a number of exciting roles available:

• Business Intelligence Analyst (London)
• People Operations Assistant (Manchester)
• Visa Programme Manager (London)
• Delivery Lead (London or Manchester)
• Entrepreneur Engagement Manager (North East)

Tech Nation Report 2020:

Investment and employment boom for the UK tech sector

Returning for its sixth year, the groundbreaking annual Tech Nation Report is now available online.

This year''s report highlights how the UK has cemented its position as Europe''s top scaling tech nation and is driving global success in the fields of investment, innovation, growth, employment, and productivity.

Key findings from this year's report:

Technology is rapidly evolving the way we live and work, and UK tech in particular is at the forefront of this change.

Digital tech sector GVA grew nearly 6x faster than that of the rest of the UK economy in 2018 - contributing ?149bn to the UK economy.

Digital tech employs 2.9m people in the UK, an increase of 40% from 2017 (now accounting for 9% of the national workforce).

95 UK companies valued at between $250-$800m in the UK in 2019, set to become the tech unicorns of the future

25% of Europe's top 20 highest investment tech cities are in the UK - Manchester, London, Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge

Watch the launch online

Don''t miss a second of the Tech Nation Report 2020 launch event. The livestream kicks off at 3pm GMT.

Watch the livestream>

Report partners:

Welcome to the Tech Nation newsletter

In what has been a very short period of time, the world has changed dramatically and Coronavirus has continued to spread across the UK, bringing with it a great deal of uncertainty and worry. As a result, we''ve pulled together an extensive hub of business support and information for the tech industry, to help you get through these challenging times, including links to further information hubs by techUK, Scaleup Institute, Enterprise Nation and the British Business Bank. We hope you find it useful.

This week we surveyed leaders from 116 scaling tech companies to understand how the sector is being affected by the global pandemic and to help inform the Government on measures that can be taken to protect and support the thriving tech industry. The results of the survey are available now.

In brighter news, we''re delighted to have launched this year''s Tech Nation Report, which highlights how the UK has cemented its position as Europe''s top scaling tech nation.

On the same day we also revealed the 28 leading late-stage tech companies that made it onto Future Fifty 8.0, joining an impressive alumni that includes some of the biggest names in UK tech.

Coronavirus: tech industry updates

Details of the support available to the tech industry, examples of how tech is supporting the fight against the virus, all the latest updates and how you can help.  

Survey results: Discover the challenges facing UK tech in the Coronavirus crisis >

Tech Nation Report 2020

UK tech for a changing world

The Tech Nation Report has been the UK's state of the nation on tech since 2015. The 2020 report explores the current state of the UK tech sector, how high value scaleups and tech unicorns are fuelling investment, which UK regions are competing on the international stage, and how the UK is leading the way. 

The UK companies joining Future Fifty 8.0

The longest-running and most successful accelerator programme for late-stage tech companies in Europe, Future Fifty brings together the UK's most successful tech companies. Find out who made it into Future Fifty 8.0.

In other news...

• Pandemic-driven development - getting involved in collaborative innovation during the crisis

• Fundraising in a lockdown: when, how, and managing runway
• What the 2020 Budget means for UK tech
• Trailblazing women of UK tech: Sarah Turner
• Paving the way for Diversity and Inclusion
• How our Entrepreneur Engagement Managers support scaling digital tech founders
• Meet the teens who are shaping the future of AI

Work for Tech Nation

We''re still hiring and have a number of exciting roles available:

• Visa Programme Manager (London)
• Delivery Lead (London or Manchester)

• Learning Product Specialist (London or Manchester)

Good morning,  

Hope you and your families are keeping well. 

Over recent days I've received many calls, emails, DMs and messages from the tech community regarding COVID-19. I know all of you are severely affected. How we all respond to this is critical. 

So I wanted to lay out 3 things: 

1. Where you can find useful information on how the tech community is being supported; 
2. How you can support the efforts to beat this virus and;
3. How we get your voice heard into Government via a data-driven approach to help them make informed decisions

Latest information

Tech Nation will be blogging regularly about policy interventions the Government is making to support businesses. The blog is updated regularly so please continue to check it for the latest information.

However, for the details of individual policies from Government, I recommend you regularly visit the Government's Coronavirus webpage. 

For details of specific financial support - with the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme eligibility and details due next week - visit the dedicated pages of the British Business Bank. 

The Chancellor has made an announcement last week regarding paying a percentage of people's wages, capped to a certain amount. For more information, check the Government's GOV.uk's page for employers. 

If you are in the middle of a fund raise, we put this blog together, following a webinar session with over 100 founders and CEOs yesterday, who are doing precisely that. 

In the meantime, if you are concerned about being able to pay your tax due to COVID-19, call HMRC's dedicated tax helpline on 0800 0159 559. The UK Government's Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy also has a business support helpline: 0300 456 3565.

How you can support 

If you feel that you can help the Government in dealing with the spread of this virus, there are a number of contacts we're able to share with you. 

• On vaccines, email Nervtag@phe.gov.uk
• For Ventilators, email ventilator.support@beis.gov.uk or call 0300 456 3565
• Offers of innovation and tech, email DNHSX@nhsx.nhs.uk

If you think you can offer something in other areas, then please email info@technation.io and we will seek to try and match you up to the right team.

Have your say

Finally, understanding how your business is being affected is hugely important to us - we are working with the Government to inform further actions and interventions. It would be hugely valuable to us if you could spare some time to complete a short survey for us. 

The data we collect through this survey is being used to inform the Government of the specific challenges the tech sector is facing so every contribution is vital - thank you for your time.

I realise there are other things happening - but last week (feels like a decade ago), we launched our Tech Nation Report 2020 via a virtual event (we pivoted to an online event from a physical gathering in 96 hours - we had a few hiccups here and there, but a terrific learning experience all round). Take a look, as it shows investment trends across the UK, Europe and the globe and much more. 

Thank you and take care!