This Tuesday, we brought our community together for Building Your Business in Britain 2026 — our largest live event to date — held at the stunning 1 Triton Square, London, in partnership with Venture Café London. It was a sell out, with 400 tickets booked, and the energy in the room told us that every single one of those people came ready to connect, to share, and to be part of something meaningful.

This newsletter is our way of saying thank you. To you, to our partners, to our team, and to every founder who walked through those doors.

Venture Cafe London

To start, a huge thank you to Venture Café London, and in particular to Liam Ward and the team, who made sure the day ran seamlessly and whose behind-the-scenes effort made all the difference. As one of our founders put it, Liam deserves to be an honorary member of the Innovator International team after "an absolutely solid shift."

Then, there's the venue. If you haven't been, 1 Triton Square is the kind of space that makes big ideas feel possible. Set in the heart of Regent's Place in central London, the venue provided the perfect backdrop for a day of innovation, conversation, and community. Bright, open, and architecturally striking, it matched the ambition of the people inside it.

Innovation, Conversation, and Connection

From the moment the doors opened, the room was alive.

This wasn't a conference or networking session - it was a conversation. Founders from across the UK and beyond took to the floor to share their stories: the wins, the setbacks, the pivots, the moments of doubt, and the moments of breakthrough. Panels brought together entrepreneurs at different stages of their journeys, offering honest, practical reflections on what it really takes to build a business in Britain.

What struck us most was the quality of the conversations happening in every corner of the room. Between sessions, over pizza, by the door — founders were exchanging ideas, swapping contacts, and finding out they weren't as alone in their challenges as they'd thought.

That's exactly what this event was built for.

A Room Full of Extraordinary Founders

400 tickets. A room full of international founders. That might not sound unusual until you realise how rare a space like this actually is — a gathering specifically built for people who are building businesses in a new country, navigating a new ecosystem, and doing it with ambition and resilience in equal measure.

We had founders from all corners of the world, across every sector imaginable: clean energy, technology, healthcare, consulting, sustainability, and beyond. What united everyone in the room was a shared belief: that innovation doesn't have a postcode, and that the UK is a place worth building in.

💬 What the Community Said

A selection of voices from the day as shared on LinkedIn:

"A room full of international founders, investors, and people genuinely invested in helping migrant businesses grow in the UK.

Honestly? It reminded me why I do what I do.

There's something about being in a space with people who left everything familiar to bet on themselves in a country that doesn't always make it easy.." — Shivika
""Days like today remind me exactly why I started. I'm leaving with a heart full of hope and more energy than ever to keep growing. Genuinely brilliant people in the room. Good pizza too!" — Mo, Ball Revive Ltd.
"We suddenly realised how far we've come. And yes, so much of that journey has required hard work, resilience, long days, difficult decisions, and a lot of learning along the way. But hard work alone would not have taken us this far without the right people believing in us at the right time." — Founder, reflecting on their journey with Innovator International
"We were particularly impressed by Innovator International’s nurturing approach, which clearly prioritises each founder's long-term success. Their emphasis on an early and robust business setup actively builds the right mindset for eventual Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), which aligns perfectly with how we guide our own clients through their UK journeys." - Ashton Ross Law
"Honoured to join the panel at the Innovator International event, sharing my experience as a founder building a renewable energy business in the UK and successfully securing ILR through the Innovator Visa route.
I was especially encouraged by the thoughtful conversations afterwards and the growing community of ambitious international founders building innovative businesses across the UK.

Special thanks to Karen and the entire Innovator International team for the invitation and for creating such a valuable and supportive platform for entrepreneurs." — Sean
"This was actually my first ever event attended with Innovator International, and honestly, it made me realise how much we had been missing over the past two years. Being in a room full of founders navigating similar challenges, ambitions, and experiences was both inspiring and reassuring." — Dhanraj

Our Team is The Foundation of Everything

Events like this don't happen by accident. Behind every smooth introduction, every well-timed session, and every moment that made someone feel welcome, there is a team of people who give everything they have to make it real.

Our management team (Nick Roach, James Roach, Karen Hockenhull, and Richard Harrison) want to thank every member of the wider Innovator International family. Don't forget, Geminus Innovation is a growing business itself. This community exists because of everyone's dedication, belief in what we're all building, and our collective unwavering commitment to every founder in our ecosystem.

And a special mention to our extended team and associates who contribute so much to the foundation of what we do. Whether or not you were in the room on Tuesday, you were part of making it happen.

Our Partnership with Venture Café London

BYBIB 2026 wouldn't have been what it was without the continued support of Venture Café London. Their mission to connect and activate the startup and innovation community aligns perfectly with ours, and the partnership continues to produce events that genuinely matter to the people who attend them.

We're proud of what we built together this year, and we're already looking forward to what comes next...

The conversations that started on Tuesday don't have to stop there. Our community platform, upcoming webinars, and member resources are here to keep the momentum going between events.

If you attended BYBIB 2026 and want to stay connected, make sure you're signed up to Innovator Pulse and following Innovator International on LinkedIn. We'll be sharing highlights, photos, and follow-up resources in the coming days. Don't worry if you didn't make it this year — watch this space. The best events are the ones that keep getting better!