We're proud to be sponsoring tomorrow evening's Thursday Gathering with Venture Café Manchester, Growing Northern Food Futures: Manchester's AgTech Pioneers, an evening bringing together the founders, researchers and innovators rethinking how we grow, produce and distribute food. As part of our ongoing partnership with Venture Café, we're also sponsoring the catering for the evening, so there'll be plenty to keep you going while you talk.
Why it's worth attending
As we mentioned previously, although the subject matter is always fascinating, it's the room full of innovators and key connections that makes these evenings worthwhile. Founders, investors and researchers from across the North, all in one place, are all genuinely happy to talk.
It's also worth remembering that these evenings are never just about the subject on the agenda. AgTech is the focus tomorrow, but the real value is in the wider conversations around it, the ideas swapped and the people met. Our Operational Lead James will be there on the night too, so if you'd like to say hello or ask him anything, do come and find him.
The evening begins with networking, so there's plenty of time to meet people before the programme starts, and just as much once it wraps up. Some of the best conversations we've seen at these events happen over a coffee before anyone has picked up a microphone.
Meet the founders shaping the future of food
The Venture Café team are collaborating with their community partners Nucleate UK and Silicon Mingle Manchester to bring together the founders, researchers and ecosystem leaders driving change in agricultural biotech.
The Pitch Showcase puts four breakthrough ventures in the spotlight. You'll hear from Gennate, Mushroom+, Bright Biotech and SporeSense as they share how they're using biology, engineering and data to take on some of the biggest challenges facing our food system, from sustainability to food security to productivity. Each is approaching the problem from a different angle, and seeing them side by side should make for a genuinely interesting evening.
Silicon Sessions: a founder roundtable
New to this edition of Growing Northern Food Futures is Silicon Sessions, a founder roundtable hosted by Lewis Sayes, Marketing and Communications Director at Silicon Mingle. This is where the honest, everyday side of startup life takes centre stage. Fundraising, hiring, go to market, the hurdles founders don't always get the chance to talk about openly.
Joining Lewis are Sarah Jane Foster, Chief Strategy Officer at CircKit, and Fiaz Sadiq, Senior Consultant and Deep Tech Strategist at Innovate UK, sharing practical advice drawn from their own experience on both sides of the table.
About Venture Café Manchester
Venture Café is a global movement built on a simple but powerful belief: isolation is the enemy of innovation. Through their weekly Thursday Gatherings, founders, researchers, investors and innovators come together to share ideas, explore new technologies and build meaningful connections. As ecosystem activators, Venture Café Manchester is creating a central hub for the city's innovation ecosystem, driving visibility, collaboration and community.
Reserve your place
Registration is free and takes a couple of minutes through Venture Café.
A huge thank you to everyone bringing tomorrow together, partners Nucleate UK and Silicon Mingle Manchester, our hosts at SISTER, and Venture Café Manchester, powered by ARIA.
Whether you're a familiar face or joining us for the first time, come and meet the community, share your ideas, and discover what's growing across the North. We hope to see you there!
The key details
Growing Northern Food Futures: Manchester's AgTech Pioneers Date & Time: 23rd July, 5:00 - 8:00 PM Location: Sister, Renold Building, 32a Altrincham Street, Manchester, M1 7JR
