Ben Shorrock

One of the strongest themes of the evening was that fundraising is rarely about one pitch or one meeting. It is about sustained relationship-building over time. Paul Wilkes shared research showing that across entrepreneurship programmes, the single strongest correlation with founder success was simply attending networking events. Not pitching. Not workshops. Not even fundraising sessions. Just consistently showing up, meeting people and building connections.

The 2025 Budget will not transform the landscape overnight, but for the founders, creatives and technologists across the techSPARK community it does mark a more confident statement of support for innovation. Paired with the government’s new Entrepreneurship in the UK Prospectus, this feels like a clearer recognition that startups and scaleups are central to the country’s ambition to design, invent, build and lead.

From nuclear fusion and AI growth funding to telecoms acquisitions and advanced cyber-hardware, this week’s Bristol & Bath tech news round-up highlights innovation and business momentum across the region. Nuclear fusion hub planned for Berkeley Two pioneering nuclear energy firms – Quantum Leap Energy and Astral Systems (Recently Startup of the Year winner at the SPARKies!) – are set to establish technology centres at the former Berkeley nuclear power station in Gloucestershire.