Welcome to our end of the month recap newsletter. What did you miss?
Events - March Events Update: We're Going Big This Year!
March kicked off with some very exciting news on the events front. We announced that our annual in-person community gathering is confirmed for Tuesday 26th May, and this year we're taking things to a whole new level, co-hosting with the Global Venture Café community for the very first time. We also shared that just weeks later, the team will be heading to London Tech Week to build new international partnerships and extend our reach even further.
To start though, let's focus on Building Your Business in Britain 2026. Confirmed for Tuesday 26th May at 1 Triton Square, Regent's Place in London, the event runs from 2pm to 6pm and brings together successful founders, immigration specialists, investors, supply partners, and the wider Innovator International community under one roof.
The afternoon includes a networking hour from 2pm, a panel session on the Pulse Accelerate programme and the UK growth journey, and two hours of open networking with pizza and a bar to round things off. The venue itself is the former home of Facebook UK and the permanent base of Venture Café London, built to connect innovators, which makes it the perfect fit. Places are limited and approval is required, so if you haven't registered yet, now is absolutely the time.
With over 170 tickets already booked (yes, over half of the tickets have already gone...), please don't leave it too late to ensure you will be joining us too!
Founder Stories - Sean's Journey to ILR
Last week we devoted our newsletter entirely to the stories that sit at the heart of everything we do. The headline feature was Sean Zhu's remarkable journey — from arriving in the UK in 2023 with a vision for connecting Europe's energy transition with Asia's EV supply chains, to building Hyper EV into a functioning business and, just three years later, receiving Indefinite Leave to Remain. It's a story about discipline, documentation, and what it really takes to build something that lasts.
Alongside Sean's story, we took a moment to revisit the wider library of founder stories on Pulse: from Will Wise's CancerBae and Camila's BeLingual, to the regenerative agriculture founder who found opportunity in the soil itself. We also threw it back to one of our earliest features, Arina and RawQ, who faced 11 manufacturer rejections before landing on shelves at Whole Foods and Planet Organic. Every story different. Every one a reminder that innovation comes from people who refuse to wait for perfect conditions.
If you missed it, you can catch up here:
Harriet Fuller
Upcoming Events
We've got more events coming in the month ahead - have you booked your place?
Tuesday 31st March @ 10am: Immigration Specialists Event (Registered Immigration Specialists only)
This dedicated session for immigration lawyers and specialists covers the latest updates from Innovator International alongside a review of Home Office performance statistics and ahead of the Migratory Advisory Committee's review of the Innovator Founder route, it's a particularly timely conversation to be part of.
There's also an exclusive in-person follow-up taking place in London on 26th May, running in the hour before our Building Your Business in Britain event — two great reasons to be in the room that day.
Open Webinar || Wednesday 8th April @ 10am - About our Executive Guides
Ever wondered what an Executive Guide actually does, and whether one could make a difference to your business journey? In this session you'll meet some of our guides in person, hear how they work with founders, and get the chance to ask your questions directly.
Innovator International
Open Webinar || Tuesday 21st April @ 10am - What is Innovation?
One of the most searched and debated questions on the Innovator Founder Visa journey, and we're dedicating a full session to unpacking it. If you're considering an application or just want to understand exactly what assessors are looking for when they talk about innovation then this is the one to book.
Innovator International
Catch up on our articles
More articles have been published over on Innovator Pulse, including navigating our healthcare system here in the UK (a very useful subject). Are we missing something? Do get in touch if you want us to cover a specific topic!
Innovator International
Innovator International
