Welcome to my weekly South West Tech News roundup, where you can get all the headlines from the past week in one place.
What has our busy tech and digital community been up to this week? From award wins and innovative breakthroughs to unmissable events and capital raised, take a moment to reflect on the hive of daily activity taking place in our region.
If you have a story to share, wizz it over to beno@techspark.co – I look forward to hearing from you!
Future Finance launches leadership programme to help drive productivity and innovation in the UK’s financial service sector
A new initiative led by financial services supporting, Future Finance, hopes to drive innovation in the UK’S FinTech sector as a response to slowing productivity.
Research conducted by Future Finance found that the finance advice and wealth management sector faces a range of challenges created by rapid technological advancements and regularity shift that hinder operational efficiencies.
The programme will support business with the skills and insight need to overcome these challenges. This will help to not only optimise business processes, but also expand help to expand financial services to wider and of tern underrepresented audiences.
Participants of the programme will have the chance to engage in four intensive two-day workshops, taking place in Bristol and Glasgow from October to May. Each sessions will provide cutting-edge tools and techniques aimed at boosting productivity and fostering sustainable growth. The programme is led by experts from top universities and industry organisations, ensuring a premium learning experience.
For more information contact hello@future-finance.tech or refer to the programme brochure.
54% of Mums in Tech feel like their career has been held back due to having children
An estimated 20,000 women left the tech industry in the first half of 2023. With caring responsibilities being one of the leading reasons why women leave, non-profit initiative HeyFlow and reproductive health inclusion experts HeyFlow “The Reality of Mums in Tech”: a state-of-the-nation research project to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of working mothers in UK Tech.
The initial findings of the report uncover alarming statistics about the lack of support for working mothers in the tech industry and urge immediate action to prevent further losses. These losses can be attributed to poor communication during maternity leave, lack of training for managers, and structural barriers within organizations that hinder working mothers from advancing.
This report was powered by HeyFlow, the female reproductive health inclusion business that helps remove the disadvantage many women face at work.
The report is part of an ongoing study, and MotherBoard invites more mothers working in UK tech to share their experiences. These contributions will help inform future initiatives, including the City of London’s ‘Women Pivoting to Digital Taskforce,’ where MotherBoard’s founder, Sophie Creese, is a subject matter expert.
Tech-Xpo celebrates 20 years shining a light on trailblazing tech
SETsquared Bristol, the University of Bristol’s acclaimed tech incubator, will be celebrating 20 years of Tech-Xpo, its flagship pitch, demo and connect showcase, this autumn.
Sixteen startups will promote their innovative technologies to an audience of over 150 business leaders and investors on Wednesday 25 September at the iconic Goldney Hall in Bristol, the venue which first hosted Tech-Xpo two decades ago.
If you are an investor interested in attending the event, please email bristol@setsquared.co.uk for an invite.
Grab your tickets for EntreConf
After a sell-out inaugural event, the EntreConf Awards are returning this month at Aerospace, Bristol.
Hosted by Elly Rowley, Leader of NatWest Accelerator, with keynote from Microsoft’s Richard Potter, the EntreConf Awards is an opportunity to come together to celebrate the best of Entrepreneurialism in the region.
techSPARK are proud to be a part of the event as Category sponsors for the Technology Award. Grab your tickets here.
