A morning for South West Tech Founders from the University of Exeter, Tech South West and Sapphire & Steel.
In partnership with Tech South West, the University of Exeter and EarthScale are pleased to announce Scale South West: Building Value from Pre-Seed to Series A.
The South West is producing ambitious tech companies. One of the major challenges is accessing the right investment and growing without giving away more than you need to. This half-day session looks at the path from pre-seed to Series A and beyond, with one question in focus: how do you build and protect value at every stage?
We start with a keynote from Bristol-based Sapphire & Steel (https://www.sapphiresteel.co/). They’ll walk through the funding journey from initial investment to growth rounds, looking at what drives valuation at each stage, what investors are really assessing, and the decisions made early on that shape your outcomes later.
After the keynote, we’ll split into two small breakout groups:
Pre-Seed & Seed: for founders raising their first rounds. We’ll look at getting investor-ready, setting a sensible valuation, and laying foundations that won’t hold you back later. Facilitated by Colin Dart from the University of Exeter
Series A & Beyond: for founders preparing for or past Series A. We’ll cover proving traction, handling due diligence, and strengthening your position going into bigger rounds. Facilitated by Sapphire & Steel
The groups are kept small on purpose. They’re facilitated working sessions, so you can bring your specific challenges and work through them with founders at the same stage as you.
There’s also the opportunity to hear about the upcoming Climate Tech Founders Forum from Tech South West.