June has been a big one. We were out in the world — at Olympia for London Tech Week, running sessions on innovation, and wrapping up a founder story that is one of the most practical and honest accounts of the ILR journey we have published. And then, right at the end of the month, two of our founders received Indefinite Leave to Remain in the same week.
That doesn't happen by accident. It happens because of years of work, careful documentation, and a community that shows up for each other at every stage of the journey.
Here's everything that happened in June. There's a lot to cover.
The patterns behind our founders
Each one of our members is unique. A different country, a different sector, a completely different reason for choosing the UK. But when you lay the stories side by side, something interesting happens. Patterns start to emerge.
Some founders were watching someone they loved struggle and decided they couldn't accept it quietly. Some spotted a problem hiding in plain sight that everyone else had walked past. Some looked at a broken system and knew exactly how they would fix it. And almost all of them chose to build here deliberately, specifically, and at real personal cost.
We wrote it all up this month, and if you're somewhere on your own founder journey, there's a reasonable chance you'll find yourself somewhere in it.
Harriet Fuller
We were at London Tech Week
Earlier this month, the team headed to Olympia for London Tech Week — three days at Stand 691, right next to the Ignition Stage. The theme this year was Shaping the Future of Business Through Technology, which felt like exactly the right room for us to be in.
Our focus was specific: connecting with overseas organisations, universities, and networks representing founders who want to build in the UK. But it was also wonderful to meet founders who are already on the route, and some of our existing members even made it onto the stage alongside us.
It was a reminder, again, of how much happens when you put yourself in the room.
The posts are still coming in
We said this after BYBIB 2026 and we'll say it again: what happened after the event genuinely moved us.
The social posts, the tags, the direct messages, the emails — so many of you took the time to share your experience publicly, and we have seen every single one. The posts are still appearing on LinkedIn weeks later, and we are still resharing them with enormous gratitude.
A few that have stayed with us:
"There was an ocean of talent and ideas within the hall... I think the work that Innovator International is doing is extremely important." — Manoj, Ryderoo
"It was genuinely a pleasure to be part of the session and to share my journey with the community." — Sean Zhu, Hyper EV
"For me, Innovator International is a second family." — Burhan Shamurad, UDE Engineering Ltd
"After nearly five hours of travel from Accrington in the middle of the summer heat, the event was completely worth it." — LinkedIn Community Member
And this one, from a founder who couldn't be in the room on the day but took the time to write:
"My journey through the Start-up and Innovator visa route has been much more than an immigration process. It has been a real business-building journey — one that required structure, persistence, evidence, commercial thinking and continuous progress. I am very pleased to share that I have now received Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK." — Nasir Khan, Profitcura Ltd — and congratulations on your ILR!
This is what it's all about. Not the logistics, not the venue. The people. The journeys.
If you missed the full recap of the day, you can read it here:
Innovator International
... And don't forget, our next event in on the evening of Thursday 13th August with Venture Cafe and Tech Nation - more coming soon!
On the subject of events...
Being at London Tech Week — just weeks after BYBIB — brought this question back into sharp focus. The ticket costs money. The travel costs more. The day costs time that could have been spent on the actual business.
So are they worth it?
The honest answer is: it depends. Not on the event, but on how you approach it, what you're trying to get from it, and what you do before and after. We've written the full piece which includes how to choose the right events, what to do when you're there, and why the follow-up is where most people lose their return on investment.
Worth a read before your next one.
Innovator International
What is Innovation? Part 2
On Wednesday 17th June we ran our Part 2 session on What is Innovation? — and it was a great conversation. Thank you to everyone who joined us live. Both sessions investigated where innovation can be found, and the most successful ways to innovate, with a particular focus on whether the best innovations to push an idea into the marketplace, or pull development as a result of identifying a specific consumer need.
Innovator International
Part 1 can be found here:
Innovator International
A founder story worth reading
We are closing out the month with a brand new founder story, and it's one of the most useful things we've published for anyone approaching ILR.
Adam Raymond arrived in the UK in 2021 with a successful exit behind him and a clear vision: a designer toy brand built on exclusive artist partnerships, impeccable craftsmanship, and a deliberate bet on the British collector market. He was right about the opportunity — but the road to proving it involved a market crash, a significant pivot away from digital collectibles, and years of painstaking prototype approvals where a single millimetre in a sculpture's expression could send an entire production run back to the drawing board.
Three years on, he holds Indefinite Leave to Remain. His advice to founders approaching that stage is simple: keep everything from your milestone reviews onwards, and don't wait until the end to get organised. The business is the application.
Harriet Fuller
That's June wrapped. Two ILR milestones, a sold-out event that is still generating conversations weeks later, London Tech Week, a new founder story, and a big session on innovation. Not a quiet month!
With lots of online webinars throughout July, make sure to keep an eye on our Upcoming Events page on Innovator Pulse
Innovator International
See you next time.
