Agenda | BVCA Accelerate

Agenda

Conference: 21-22 May, BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, London
Drinks Reception: 22 May, The Rooftop, The Trafalgar St. James, London

Building the Innovation Nation


Held for the first time across one day for maximum networking, dip into different streams throughout the conference and hear from trailblazers across the industry on all the hottest topics related to Seed to Series A, all the way through to Growth Capital.

This year’s agenda will examine the strategic issues shaping the next few years, including amplifying the UK’s world-class research ecosystem; making Britain a growth superpower; improving culture and diversity in VC & angel investing; growth in the age of ESG; the dealmaking environment for VCs and founders; expanding into new markets and more. You can view the full agenda below or download it as a pdf.

Day 1: Seed to Series A

21 May, 08:30 - 17:00
Morning Sessions 09:00 - 10:55
Mid-Morning Sessions 10:55 - 13:45
Early Afternoon Sessions 13:45 - 15:25
Late Afternoon Sessions 15:25 - 17:00

Day 2: Late-Stage Venture to Growth Equity

22 May, 08:30 - 16:50
Morning Sessions 09:00 - 11:00
Mid-Morning Sessions 11:00 - 13:30
Early Afternoon Sessions 13:45 - 15:40
Late Afternoon Sessions 15:40 - 16:50

Day 2: Drinks Reception

22 May, 17:30 - 20:00
Reception 17:30 - 20:00

Day 1: Seed to Series A

08:30

Registration

09:00

Welcome

Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

09:05

Fireside

Interviewer: Jenny Tooth OBE

CEO, UKBAA

Debbie Wosskow OBE

Co-Chair, Invest in Women Taskforce

09:20

Bridging the gap – making connections between angels and VCs across the UK Panel
Synopsis: This panel will explore the synergies between angel investors, angel syndicates and VCs.
Read more

Moderator: Jenny Tooth OBE

CEO, UKBAA

Andrew Noble

Partner, Par Equity

Cam Ross

CEO, Green Angel Syndicate

Amrit Sami

Investment Associate, Mercia

09:45

Data & trends: The landscape for early stage investing in 2024 Presentation

Henry Whorwood

Managing Director, Research & Consultancy, Beauhurst

09:55

Interview with a Super Angel - Rupa Popat Fireside

Interviewer: Roderick Beer

Managing Director, UKBAA

Rupa Popat

Founder & Managing Partner, Araya Ventures

10:10

Founder pitches: Pre-seed
Synopsis: From Pinterest for travel, to a sustainability talent pool and an all-in-one family organiser app - our founders have home, work, and play covered. Find out more at our first pitching rounds.
Read more

Host: Olivia Green

Senior Policy Executive, Venture Capital, BVCA

Scott le Roi

Founder and CEO, Pogo Travel App

Oliver Petrus

Co-Founder and CEO, Rejoy

Nick Valenzia

Co-Founder, Leafr

10:25

Morning break

Diversity Zone

10:55

Breaking the class ceiling Panel

Moderator: Ladi Greenstreet

Co-CEO, Diversity VC

Tom Adeyoola

Strategic Director, Extend Ventures

Vishal Bhatia

Fund Manager, London Fields

Jessica Rasmussen

Co-Founder & CEO, Two Magnolias

11:20

Embracing Neurodivergence in Venture Panel

Moderator: Roderick Beer

Managing Director, UKBAA

Louise Doherty

Angel Investor

Roei Samuel

Founder and CEO, Connectd

Nikita Thakrar

Co-Founder & CEO, Included VC

11:45

Flying solo – the rise of solo GPs Fireside

Interviewer: Jenny Tooth OBE

CEO, UKBAA

Sarah Drinkwater

Solo GP, Common Magic

12:00

Founder pitches: Seed

Host: Olivia Green

Senior Policy Executive, Venture Capital, BVCA

Alex Bruh

CEO, Wax Poetics

Louise Doyle

Founder, Needi

Llewellyn Kinch

Founder and CEO, MakeMyHouseGreen

Baris Ozaydinli

CEO and Founder, Scooch

Glenn Smith

CEO, fueld.ai

12:15

Keynote

Rushanara Ali MP

Shadow Minister for Investment and Small Business

12:30

Networking lunch

Industry Development Zone

13:45

Welcome back

Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

13:50

The Investment Compact - building long-term partnerships between pension schemes and VCs Fireside
Synopsis: Tom Taylor in conversation with Kerry Baldwin, Chair of the Pensions and Private Capital Expert Panel
Read more

Interviewer: Tom Taylor

Head of Policy, Legal & Regulatory, BVCA

Kerry Baldwin

Managing Partner, IQ Capital and Chair of the Pensions and Private Capital Expert Panel

14:10

Emerging Managers: is fundraising on the rebound? Panel

Moderator: Denise Typl

Senior Manager, Industry Development, Membership, BVCA

Ruth Foxe Blader

Founder, Foxe Capital

Brian Kinane

Founding Partner, Sure Valley Ventures

Mayowa Ogunremi

Investment Principal, Form Ventures

14:35

Exit strategies in turbulent times Panel, sponsored by Cooley
Synopsis: With the uncertain macro environment, will we see a thaw in the IPO deep freeze? And where else will exits come from in the current market? On this panel, a seasoned panel of investors discuss the outlook for exits sharing examples of their own experience of exiting at speed in a tough market.
Read more

Moderator: Ben Shribman

Partner, Cooley

Amelia Armour

Partner, Amadeus Capital Partners

Greg Bennett

Partner, Passion Capital

Nils Howland

Vice President, Dawn Capital

15:00

Afternoon break

Tech Zone

15:25

Building the Science & Tech Superpower – what next for life sciences & deeptech Panel
Synopsis: The UK has built a £1 trillion tech sector with a thriving start-up scene. As the government launches its 'Science and Tech Superpower' campaign to support UK scale-ups, this panel discusses the challenges and opportunties for deep tech and life sciences.
Read more

Moderator: Laura Foster

Head of Technology and Innovation, techUK

Ed Bussey

CEO, Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE)

Miles Kirby

CEO, Deeptech Labs

Cristoph Ruedig

Partner, Albion Capital

15:50

Picking VCs in a downturn – the LP perspective Panel

Interviewer: Michael Laycock

Director, Funds, British Patient Capital

Marcus Börner

Founding Partner, AQVC

Chloe Dagnell

Principal, Isomer Capital

Sion Evans

Investment Manager, VenCap

16:15

Is Crypto going mainstream? Fireside
Synopsis: Is the crypto winter coming to an end and the outlook for the sector with less hype, but more practical possibilities.
Read more

Interviewer: Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

Jay Gujral

Global Commercial Director, Block Dojo

Kitty Horlick

Director, Rarilabs

16:35

Transatlantic perspectives – are European startups undervalued? Fireside

Interviewer: Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

Sonal Pai

Investor, First Spark Ventures

Tom Wilson

Partner, Seedcamp

16:55

Closing remarks

Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

17:00

Close of Day 1

Day 2: Late-Stage Venture to Growth Equity

08:30

Registration

09:00

Welcome

Amy Abbott

Director, Industry Development, BVCA

09:05

Making the UK a global destination for venture Fireside
Synopsis: What will make entrepreneurs "start here and stay here" and how the UK venture landscape measures up against other global locations.
Read more

Interviewer: Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

Catherine Lewis La Torre

Former Chief Executive of British Business Bank, British Patient Capital and British Business Investments

09:15

The outlook for growth - challenges and opportunities Panel, sponsored by Stephenson Harwood
Synopsis: How resilient managers are overcoming today’s challenges and where do the biggest opportunities lie?
Read more

Moderator: Malcolm MacDougall

Partner, Stephenson Harwood

Karim Abdel-Ghaffar Plaza

Founding Partner, Westerly Winds

Chris Kay

Partner, FPE Capital

Tiffany Young

Origination Director, YFM Equity Partners

09:45

Global fundraising & investing trends  Presentation

Nalin Patel

Lead Analyst, EMEA Private Capital, Pitchbook

10:00

Is a European Silicon Valley a pipe dream?   Panel
Synopsis: This panel will discuss the scale up gap in UK & Europe and what can be done to catch up with the US in private and public markets. 
Read more

Moderator: Catherine Lewis La Torre

Former Chief Executive of British Business Bank, British Patient Capital and British Business Investments

James Clark

Marketing Director, Molten Ventures

Fidel Manolopoulos

Partner - Co Head of EMEA Investment Private Equity, Federated Hermes

Chris Wade

Partner, Isomer Capital

10:30

Keynote

Gareth Davies MP

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury

10:40

Morning Break

Innovation Zone

11:00

Welcome back

Amy Abbott

Director, Industry Development, BVCA

Leon de Bono

Managing Director, Industry Development, BVCA

11:05

AI-VC - is AI coming for you? Presentation

Karen McCormick

Chief Investment Officer, Beringea

11:15

AI-VC - is AI coming for you? Panel
Synopsis: As firms expand their deployment of artificial intelligence, the stage will be set for large-scale transformation. Are you ready?
Read more

Moderator: Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

Karen McCormick

Chief Investment Officer, Beringea

Adam Shuaib

Partner, Episode 1

Jay Wilson

Partner, Albion Capital

11:45

Un-Blockchain - the next steps for crypto compliance Founder Fireside
Synopsis: Crypto compliance solutions to inspire confidence, detect and prevent financial crime.
Read more

Interviewer: Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

Simone Maini

Chief Executive Officer, Elliptic

12:00

Beyond IPO – listed funds, CVCs, & portfolio transactions Panel

Moderator: Harriet Assem

Head of Sustainability, BVCA

Tim Levene

CEO, Augmentum

Olav Ostin

Founder and Managing Partner, TempoCap

Matt Ridley

Head of Venture Capital, Hangar 51, International Airlines Group (IAG)

12:30

Turbocharging the innovation economy Fireside

Interviewer: Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

Andrew Williamson

Managing Partner, CIC

12:45

Networking Lunch

13:45

Welcome back

Amy Abbott

Director, Industry Development, BVCA

Leon de Bono

Managing Director, Industry Development, BVCA

13:50

Keynote

Yoram Wijngaarde

Founder & CEO, Dealroom

14:00

Bridging the pensions gap - lessons from the Investment Compact Fireside

Moderator: Sarah Adams

Director of Policy, BVCA

Dr Allan Marchington

Managing Director, and Head of Life Sciences, ICG

Harry Raikes

Investment Director, Schroders Capital

14:15

Investing in disruption Founder Fireside
Synopsis: Challenging the status quo in a regulated industry in a positive way.
Read more

Interviewer: Stuart Chapman

Co-Founder, Molten Ventures

Michael Mueller

Founder and Executive Chair, Form 3

14:30

Buy & Build – what does growth by acquisition look like in 2024? Fireside
Synopsis: Is a new phase of dealmaking on the horizon?
Read more

Interviewer: Isobel Clarke

Director of Policy, BVCA

David Burns

Managing Partner, Phoenix Equity Partners

14:45

CMR Surgical, the UK med-tech transforming surgery for millions Founder Fireside

Interviewer: Umur Hursever

Partner, Lightrock

Mark Slack

Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer, CMR Surgical

15:00

Afternoon Break

Tech Zone

15:40

Venture and Growth Debt: Strategies for success Panel
Synopsis: Venturing into venture debt - strategies for success.
Read more

Moderator: Leon de Bono

Managing Director, Industry Development, BVCA

Stephen Fahy

Partner, Venture Debt, Hambro Perks

Stephanie Heller

Managing Partner, Bootstrap

Hayden Smith

Partner, Fuse Capital

16:10

Going global - expanding into new markets Panel
Synopsis: International growth opportunities - how to navigate the challenges and create significant scale and value.
Read more

Moderator: Leon de Bono

Managing Director, Industry Development, BVCA

Ben Leslie

Investment Director, Puma Private Equity

Richard Shaw

Partner, Growth Capital Partners

Nicholas Stocks

General Partner, White Star Capital

16:40

Closing remarks Keynote

Michael Moore

Chief Executive, BVCA

16:50

Close of Day 2 Conference

Day 2: Drinks Reception

17:30

Venue: The Rooftop, The Trafalgar St. James, 2 Spring Gardens, London SW1A 2TS

Places are limited and subject to approval by the BVCA, please register interest when booking your Accelerate tickets.

20:00

Close of Accelerate

Day 1: Seed to Series A21 May, 08:30 - 17:00

Morning Sessions

09:00 - 10:55

08:30

Registration

09:00

Welcome

Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

09:05

Fireside

Interviewer: Jenny Tooth OBE

CEO, UKBAA

Debbie Wosskow OBE

Co-Chair, Invest in Women Taskforce

09:20

Bridging the gap – making connections between angels and VCs across the UK Panel
Synopsis: This panel will explore the synergies between angel investors, angel syndicates and VCs.
Read more

Moderator: Jenny Tooth OBE

CEO, UKBAA

Andrew Noble

Partner, Par Equity

Cam Ross

CEO, Green Angel Syndicate

Amrit Sami

Investment Associate, Mercia

09:45

Data & trends: The landscape for early stage investing in 2024 Presentation

Henry Whorwood

Managing Director, Research & Consultancy, Beauhurst

09:55

Interview with a Super Angel - Rupa Popat Fireside

Interviewer: Roderick Beer

Managing Director, UKBAA

Rupa Popat

Founder & Managing Partner, Araya Ventures

10:10

Founder pitches: Pre-seed
Synopsis: From Pinterest for travel, to a sustainability talent pool and an all-in-one family organiser app - our founders have home, work, and play covered. Find out more at our first pitching rounds.
Read more

Host: Olivia Green

Senior Policy Executive, Venture Capital, BVCA

Scott le Roi

Founder and CEO, Pogo Travel App

Oliver Petrus

Co-Founder and CEO, Rejoy

Nick Valenzia

Co-Founder, Leafr

10:25

Morning break

Mid-Morning Sessions

10:55 - 13:45

Diversity Zone

10:55

Breaking the class ceiling Panel

Moderator: Ladi Greenstreet

Co-CEO, Diversity VC

Tom Adeyoola

Strategic Director, Extend Ventures

Vishal Bhatia

Fund Manager, London Fields

Jessica Rasmussen

Co-Founder & CEO, Two Magnolias

11:20

Embracing Neurodivergence in Venture Panel

Moderator: Roderick Beer

Managing Director, UKBAA

Louise Doherty

Angel Investor

Roei Samuel

Founder and CEO, Connectd

Nikita Thakrar

Co-Founder & CEO, Included VC

11:45

Flying solo – the rise of solo GPs Fireside

Interviewer: Jenny Tooth OBE

CEO, UKBAA

Sarah Drinkwater

Solo GP, Common Magic

12:00

Founder pitches: Seed

Host: Olivia Green

Senior Policy Executive, Venture Capital, BVCA

Alex Bruh

CEO, Wax Poetics

Louise Doyle

Founder, Needi

Llewellyn Kinch

Founder and CEO, MakeMyHouseGreen

Baris Ozaydinli

CEO and Founder, Scooch

Glenn Smith

CEO, fueld.ai

12:15

Keynote

Rushanara Ali MP

Shadow Minister for Investment and Small Business

12:30

Networking lunch

Early Afternoon Sessions

13:45 - 15:25

Industry Development Zone

13:45

Welcome back

Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

13:50

The Investment Compact - building long-term partnerships between pension schemes and VCs Fireside
Synopsis: Tom Taylor in conversation with Kerry Baldwin, Chair of the Pensions and Private Capital Expert Panel
Read more

Interviewer: Tom Taylor

Head of Policy, Legal & Regulatory, BVCA

Kerry Baldwin

Managing Partner, IQ Capital and Chair of the Pensions and Private Capital Expert Panel

14:10

Emerging Managers: is fundraising on the rebound? Panel

Moderator: Denise Typl

Senior Manager, Industry Development, Membership, BVCA

Ruth Foxe Blader

Founder, Foxe Capital

Brian Kinane

Founding Partner, Sure Valley Ventures

Mayowa Ogunremi

Investment Principal, Form Ventures

14:35

Exit strategies in turbulent times Panel, sponsored by Cooley
Synopsis: With the uncertain macro environment, will we see a thaw in the IPO deep freeze? And where else will exits come from in the current market? On this panel, a seasoned panel of investors discuss the outlook for exits sharing examples of their own experience of exiting at speed in a tough market.
Read more

Moderator: Ben Shribman

Partner, Cooley

Amelia Armour

Partner, Amadeus Capital Partners

Greg Bennett

Partner, Passion Capital

Nils Howland

Vice President, Dawn Capital

15:00

Afternoon break

Late Afternoon Sessions

15:25 - 17:00

Tech Zone

15:25

Building the Science & Tech Superpower – what next for life sciences & deeptech Panel
Synopsis: The UK has built a £1 trillion tech sector with a thriving start-up scene. As the government launches its 'Science and Tech Superpower' campaign to support UK scale-ups, this panel discusses the challenges and opportunties for deep tech and life sciences.
Read more

Moderator: Laura Foster

Head of Technology and Innovation, techUK

Ed Bussey

CEO, Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE)

Miles Kirby

CEO, Deeptech Labs

Cristoph Ruedig

Partner, Albion Capital

15:50

Picking VCs in a downturn – the LP perspective Panel

Interviewer: Michael Laycock

Director, Funds, British Patient Capital

Marcus Börner

Founding Partner, AQVC

Chloe Dagnell

Principal, Isomer Capital

Sion Evans

Investment Manager, VenCap

16:15

Is Crypto going mainstream? Fireside
Synopsis: Is the crypto winter coming to an end and the outlook for the sector with less hype, but more practical possibilities.
Read more

Interviewer: Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

Jay Gujral

Global Commercial Director, Block Dojo

Kitty Horlick

Director, Rarilabs

16:35

Transatlantic perspectives – are European startups undervalued? Fireside

Interviewer: Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

Sonal Pai

Investor, First Spark Ventures

Tom Wilson

Partner, Seedcamp

16:55

Closing remarks

Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

17:00

Close of Day 1

Day 2: Late-Stage Venture to Growth Equity22 May, 08:30 - 16:50

Morning Sessions

09:00 - 11:00

08:30

Registration

09:00

Welcome

Amy Abbott

Director, Industry Development, BVCA

09:05

Making the UK a global destination for venture Fireside
Synopsis: What will make entrepreneurs "start here and stay here" and how the UK venture landscape measures up against other global locations.
Read more

Interviewer: Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

Catherine Lewis La Torre

Former Chief Executive of British Business Bank, British Patient Capital and British Business Investments

09:15

The outlook for growth - challenges and opportunities Panel, sponsored by Stephenson Harwood
Synopsis: How resilient managers are overcoming today’s challenges and where do the biggest opportunities lie?
Read more

Moderator: Malcolm MacDougall

Partner, Stephenson Harwood

Karim Abdel-Ghaffar Plaza

Founding Partner, Westerly Winds

Chris Kay

Partner, FPE Capital

Tiffany Young

Origination Director, YFM Equity Partners

09:45

Global fundraising & investing trends  Presentation

Nalin Patel

Lead Analyst, EMEA Private Capital, Pitchbook

10:00

Is a European Silicon Valley a pipe dream?   Panel
Synopsis: This panel will discuss the scale up gap in UK & Europe and what can be done to catch up with the US in private and public markets. 
Read more

Moderator: Catherine Lewis La Torre

Former Chief Executive of British Business Bank, British Patient Capital and British Business Investments

James Clark

Marketing Director, Molten Ventures

Fidel Manolopoulos

Partner - Co Head of EMEA Investment Private Equity, Federated Hermes

Chris Wade

Partner, Isomer Capital

10:30

Keynote

Gareth Davies MP

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury

10:40

Morning Break

Mid-Morning Sessions

11:00 - 13:30

Innovation Zone

11:00

Welcome back

Amy Abbott

Director, Industry Development, BVCA

Leon de Bono

Managing Director, Industry Development, BVCA

11:05

AI-VC - is AI coming for you? Presentation

Karen McCormick

Chief Investment Officer, Beringea

11:15

AI-VC - is AI coming for you? Panel
Synopsis: As firms expand their deployment of artificial intelligence, the stage will be set for large-scale transformation. Are you ready?
Read more

Moderator: Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

Karen McCormick

Chief Investment Officer, Beringea

Adam Shuaib

Partner, Episode 1

Jay Wilson

Partner, Albion Capital

11:45

Un-Blockchain - the next steps for crypto compliance Founder Fireside
Synopsis: Crypto compliance solutions to inspire confidence, detect and prevent financial crime.
Read more

Interviewer: Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

Simone Maini

Chief Executive Officer, Elliptic

12:00

Beyond IPO – listed funds, CVCs, & portfolio transactions Panel

Moderator: Harriet Assem

Head of Sustainability, BVCA

Tim Levene

CEO, Augmentum

Olav Ostin

Founder and Managing Partner, TempoCap

Matt Ridley

Head of Venture Capital, Hangar 51, International Airlines Group (IAG)

12:30

Turbocharging the innovation economy Fireside

Interviewer: Chris Elphick

Head of Venture Capital, BVCA

Andrew Williamson

Managing Partner, CIC

12:45

Networking Lunch

Early Afternoon Sessions

13:45 - 15:40

13:45

Welcome back

Amy Abbott

Director, Industry Development, BVCA

Leon de Bono

Managing Director, Industry Development, BVCA

13:50

Keynote

Yoram Wijngaarde

Founder & CEO, Dealroom

14:00

Bridging the pensions gap - lessons from the Investment Compact Fireside

Moderator: Sarah Adams

Director of Policy, BVCA

Dr Allan Marchington

Managing Director, and Head of Life Sciences, ICG

Harry Raikes

Investment Director, Schroders Capital

14:15

Investing in disruption Founder Fireside
Synopsis: Challenging the status quo in a regulated industry in a positive way.
Read more

Interviewer: Stuart Chapman

Co-Founder, Molten Ventures

Michael Mueller

Founder and Executive Chair, Form 3

14:30

Buy & Build – what does growth by acquisition look like in 2024? Fireside
Synopsis: Is a new phase of dealmaking on the horizon?
Read more

Interviewer: Isobel Clarke

Director of Policy, BVCA

David Burns

Managing Partner, Phoenix Equity Partners

14:45

CMR Surgical, the UK med-tech transforming surgery for millions Founder Fireside

Interviewer: Umur Hursever

Partner, Lightrock

Mark Slack

Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer, CMR Surgical

15:00

Afternoon Break

Late Afternoon Sessions

15:40 - 16:50

Tech Zone

15:40

Venture and Growth Debt: Strategies for success Panel
Synopsis: Venturing into venture debt - strategies for success.
Read more

Moderator: Leon de Bono

Managing Director, Industry Development, BVCA

Stephen Fahy

Partner, Venture Debt, Hambro Perks

Stephanie Heller

Managing Partner, Bootstrap

Hayden Smith

Partner, Fuse Capital

16:10

Going global - expanding into new markets Panel
Synopsis: International growth opportunities - how to navigate the challenges and create significant scale and value.
Read more

Moderator: Leon de Bono

Managing Director, Industry Development, BVCA

Ben Leslie

Investment Director, Puma Private Equity

Richard Shaw

Partner, Growth Capital Partners

Nicholas Stocks

General Partner, White Star Capital

16:40

Closing remarks Keynote

Michael Moore

Chief Executive, BVCA

16:50

Close of Day 2 Conference

Day 2: Drinks Reception22 May, 17:30 - 20:00

Reception

17:30 - 20:00

17:30

Venue: The Rooftop, The Trafalgar St. James, 2 Spring Gardens, London SW1A 2TS

Places are limited and subject to approval by the BVCA, please register interest when booking your Accelerate tickets.

20:00

Close of Accelerate
Book now