A record 45% of funding raises led by women

A record 45% of total funds raised by our companies were led by women in 2022. Women raised £15 million of the total £33 million raised by 85 of our companies. This is testament to our long-term focus for inclusivity within the tech sector which includes our programmes, Enterprising Women and Breakthrough Bursary. Our new…

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Paul Forster award nomination for championing women in tech

Paul Forster in SETsquared Bristol corridor, wearing bear logo on red jumper

We’re thrilled that our Community Manager Paul Forster has been nominated for FDM’s Everywoman in Technology Male Agent of Change Award. This is testament to his active commitment to championing and advancing the progress of women in tech. At SETsquared Bristol Paul supports over 80 of our technology companies and develops a network of expert advisers and community partners to…

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Twelve innovative tech startups join our community

Polly Pale, Alo Mundus Founder

We are thrilled to welcome twelve new startup companies joining our incubation programme at the start of 2023. The new cohort represents a variety of sectors as well as creative uses of technology to help solve some of the world’s biggest problems, from improved access to healthcare and education to achieving net zero. Four of…

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Introducing Kimberley Brook, Interim Director at SETsquared Bristol

Kimberley Brook, Interim Director at SETsquared Bristol

We’re delighted to welcome Kimberley Brook as our new interim Director at SETsquared Bristol. As Director, Kim will focus on the strategic growth of our incubation and pre-incubation programmes, alongside the development of corporate partnerships and investor relations.  Kim takes the helm from Marty Reid who has taken up the role of Interim Executive Director…

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Bristol startups shine at SETsquared@20 Investment Showcase and Impact Awards

Kim and Optect at Invest 2022

SETsquared celebrated its 20th anniversary in style with a bumper edition of its annual Investment Showcase and an awards celebration night, which recognised member companies which have had a significant social, environmental, or economic impact. Over 200 investors and funders came together at Church House, Westminster, to see the latest crop of SETsquared-backed startups, spin-outs…

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Anna-Lisa Wesley: Down with the elevator pitch, up with good chat

Anna-Lisa Wesley at SETsquared Bristol

Anna-Lisa Wesley, Entrepreneur in Residence at SETsquared Bristol, shares her six-step guide to get through informal pitch situations with your reputation intact and maybe even a few hot leads. For as long as I’ve been in business we‘ve been talking about refining the elevator pitch. That idea that an entrepreneur might serendipitously find themselves in…

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Diverse founders are worth investing in – Paul Forster

Paul, Anna-Lisa and Lara Lalemi at Enterprising Women 2.0 Showcase

It’s a fitting time for an update on SETsquared Bristol’s equality, diversity and inclusion work as October is Black History Month, plus Ada Lovelace Day, Dyslexia Awareness Week and Diwali all fall within this month. Yet it’s been only a year since my last update, and year can be a short time in the world…

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Minority ethnic tech founders supported by Breakthrough Bursary

We are thrilled to relaunch our Breakthrough Bursary for the fourth year, continuing SETsquared Bristol‘s commitment to tech inclusivity.   The bursary is for UK tech entrepreneurs from a minority ethnic background, providing access to tailored business support at heavily discounted rates. This includes coaching and mentoring, advice clinics, events, skills and training workshops and support…

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