Newcastle Startup Week

Newcastle Startup Week (14-18 May 2018) is a 5-day (& night), citywide & multi-venue festival that inspires & helps more people to start or grow their business.

From the world’s first lightbulb to business software & smart data, the ‘test bed city’ of Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England has been inventing the future for centuries!

It’s also a stunningly beautiful city with wonderfully warm & friendly people, a high quality yet low cost of living, five excellent universities nearby, great transport links to the rest of the UK, Europe, North America & Asia plus a thriving tech/digital/creative sector.

If you have a business idea but don’t know how to start, have already launched but need motivation, advice or funding to keep going, or want help taking things to the next level – Newcastle Startup Week is for you!

Download the Festival Guide

For a visual overview of Newcastle Startup Week 2018, click / tap on the image below to download our official ‘Festival Guide’ produced by North East Times Magazine:

Still not sure?

Keep reading below to see our full schedule and speaker lineup…

Brad Burton on Day 1 (Inspiration Day) of Newcastle Startup Week 2017

Brad Burton at BOILER SHOP on Day 1 (aka ‘Inspiration Day’) of Newcastle Startup Week 2017

Schedule (14-18 May 2018)

Our first Newcastle Startup Week festival in 2017 was a huge success with over 50 speakers and 600 delegates attending across the week but we’re expecting 2018 to be even bigger!

Day 1 (‘Inspiration Day’) @ The Boiler Shop (11am-6pm)

Our five-day Newcastle Startup Week festival will officially begin on Monday 14th May 2018 with a celebration of local business success stories of the past, present and future at Robert Stephenson & Co’s beautifully refurbished Boiler Shop, located directly behind Central Station.

As the world’s first purpose-built locomotive factory, which powered the railway industry and industrial revolution in the early 19th century, it’s the perfect venue to showcase the new entrepreneurial revolution taking place right now on Tyneside and the wider North East.

11am-12.30pm: Business Exhibition & Live Startup Pitches (hosted by NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator)

1pm-6pm: The Main Event featuring:

Brad Burton (UK’s No.1 Motivational Business Speaker & Bestselling Author)
Paul Irwin & Nicky Kaur (TryLife)
Kari Owers (Founder & Managing Director, O Communications)
Julian Leighton (Founder & CEO, Orangebus)
Tom Shanks (Business Development Director, Blueline Taxis)
Ajaz Ahmed (Founder, Freeserve & SoSavvy)
Michaela Reaney (Founder & Managing Director, Gradvert)
Alan Mahon (Founder, Brewgooder)
James Moon (Founder & President, Moonjet Group), Holly Thompson (Founder & Director, Future Skills Vision), Dylan McKee & Nic Flynn (Co-Founders, Nebula Labs)
Brian Fanzo (Millennial Keynote Speaker & Founder, iSocialFanz)

7.30pm-Midnight: Afterparty @ Bonbar, Assembly Rooms
(sponsored by Jackson Hogg Recruitment)

Day 2 (‘Getting Started’) @ The Core (1pm-6pm)

Once you’ve been inspired to start your own business or project, this day is full of practical tips and advice that will help you get that idea out of your head and into the real world, how to manage your time effectively and how to look after yourself along the way too.

Jon Dudgeon & Dave Gibson (Co-Founders, Blu Sky Chartered Accountants)
Emma Whitenstall (Head of Business Support, Generator) & Rachel Peacock (Network Manager, Digital Union)
Billy Webber (COO, Sunderland Software City) & Naomi Morrow (Head of Innovation, Digital Catapult Centre NETV)
David Carroll (CEO, XQ Cyber & Leader of #CyberNorth, Dynamo North East) & Phil Jackman (Director, Guerrilla Working & Associate Board Member, Dynamo North East)
Jill Dovey (Tech Specialist Lawyer, Muckle LLP)
Oliver Ranson (Pricing Expert, Ranson Pricing)
Nicola Jayne Little (Chief Sparkler, Digital Sparkles & Savvy Solos)
Debbie Stokoe (Owner, Room To Breathe)
Liam Watson & Simon Bishop (Co-Founders, Canny Drinks)
Natalie Hailey (Content Marketer, Hot Content)
Michael Owen (Founder & Designer, Always Wear Red)
Luke John Harrison (‘Momentum Coach’ & Founder, Total Fitness Tribe)

7.30pm-Midnight: Afterparty @ Kommunity, Market Street featuring:

Tony Robinson OBE (Co-Founder, Enterprise Rockers & #MicroBizMatters Day)
F*ckup Nights Newcastle hosted by Mark Gardner

Day 3 (‘Funding & Finance’) @ Maybrook House (1pm-6pm)

If you’re looking for funding or finance to help start or grow your business, or you’re an investor looking for the next big thing to put your money into – this event is for you.

Starting with an explanation of the full range of funding options available to startups and scaleups in Newcastle and the wider North East, the day will go into more detail about grants, loans, crowdfunding, angel investors and venture capital.

Colin Tan (Programme Director, FORGE & Head of Operations, Tuspark Newcastle)
Sam Wood (Lead Client Account Manager, Blu Sky Chartered Accountants)
Rachel Chambers (SME Business Development Director, Centre for Process Innovation)
Richard Blakesley (Co-Founder & CEO, Capital Pilot) & Karen Winton (Chief Growth Officer, Capital Pilot)
James Bedford (Head of Investment Strategy, Tech North) & Tia Patterson (Angel Investor)
Kate Baucherel (Emerging Tech/Digital Business Strategist & author of ‘Bitcoin Hurricane‘)
Stephen Price & Rick Charnley (Northstar Ventures)
James Foster (Investment & Transaction Lead, Accelerated Digital Ventures), Michaela Reaney (Founder & Managing Director, Gradvert), Paul Slater (Co-Founder, Gym Plan) & Will Orde (Oxford Capital)
Mike Dimelow (Co-Founder & CIO, Accelerated Digital Ventures)

7.30pm-Midnight: Afterparty at Motel One Newcastle, High Bridge Street
(sponsored by Barclays)

Day 4 (‘Growing & Scaling’) @ Newcastle City Library (1pm-6pm)

This day will show you how to take your business to the next level (whatever that level is) with a range of experts in marketing, sales, PR, recruitment, personal development, leadership and mindset.

Nevil Tynemouth (Founding Director, New Results Ltd)
Ben Lax (Search & Content Manager, Rocket 9 Ltd)
Helena Hill (Founder & Managing Director, 49digital)
Andrew Pickering & Pete Gartland (Co-Founders, Andrew & Pete)
Sarah Cox (Founder, Elemental Innovation)
Rob Baker (Founder & Director, Tailored Thinking) & Michelle Minnikin (Business Psychologist & Delivery Director, MP Squared)
John Marrin (Leadership Coach, Marwel & Co)
David Anderson (Business Strategy Coach & OKR Expert, Auxin Services)
Sandra Patterson (Director, Kids Bee Happy)
Sarat Pediredla (CEO, Hedgehog Lab)

7.30pm-Midnight: Afterparty @ Colonel Porter’s, Dean Street

Day 5 (‘Keep Going or Pivot?’) @ Natwest Entrepreneur Accelerator, Trinity Gardens (10.30am-4pm)

How do you keep going, do you keep going, when do you change direction, exit or even stop? And what’s next for the North East business startup community once Newcastle Startup Week is over?

Natwest Entrepreneur Accelerator business showcase (10.30am-12.30pm)
Justin Souter (MD, Souter Consulting) & Claire Robinson
Lizzy Hodcroft (Founder, The Sweet Beet)
Saul Gowens (Founder, Websand)
Lizzie Whithington & Michael Dunn (Co-Founders, RaisedBy)
James Bunting (CEO, Leighton) & Steve Nelson (Software Alchemist, Leighton)

Buy your ticket(s)

When you buy a ticket, you’ll receive a wristband on arrival which gives you access to all our daytime and evening events taking place between 11am on Monday 14 May and 7pm on Friday 18 May, plus special offers before, during and after the event.

Your 5-day wristbands will be available for collection from 11am on Monday 14th May at The Boiler Shop (directly behind Newcastle Central Station) when our Business Expo and live Startup Pitches will take place before the main speakers appear onstage at 1pm and at each subsequent event throughout the week.

Get your 5-day ticket / wristband for just £65 by clicking / tapping the button below: