DINNER
Tuesday 25th November 2025
The Stock Exchange Grill
18.45
Drinks reception
19.40
Opening Remarks
Uday Singh
Founder & CEO, Fast Growth Icons
19.45
Welcome Address from our Dinner Sponsor
Helena Sans
Head of Technology, Media and Telecoms, Barclays
19.50
Seated Dinner
Enjoy three courses from The Stock Exchange’s exclusive menu
22.30
Carriages
MAIN DAY
Wednesday 26th November 2025
The Edwardian Manchester
08.00
Breakfast & Networking
09.00
Host
Uday Singh
Founder, Fast Growth Icons
09.10
Opening Remarks
Ben Fletcher
Co-founder and Chair, The Mothership
09.25
Beyond Hype: The Discipline That Builds Lasting Businesses
Bill Holmes
Executive Chairman & Founder, Radius
In a world obsessed with fast growth, Bill offers a counter-narrative: resilience beats speed. With insights from his forthcoming book, he’ll explore why the winners are those who focus relentlessly on what matters, persist through challenges with discipline, and foster a growth mindset that drives continual improvement across the business.
09.50
A framework for balancing growth and profit: a risk-adjusted view of growth
Ben Fletcher
CEO & Founder, the Mothership
We all know there’s a trade off between growth and profit (or burn rate), so how do you choose the right level, and how do you choose the big projects you take on to deliver it? This session will walk through The Mothership’s approach and set out the questions you need to answer to develop your own strategy.
10.10
Roundtable networking and discussion session
11.00
Morning Break
11.30
AI in Practice: Scaling, Struggles, and Surprises from the Frontline
Ed Thompson
Co-Founder & CTO, Matillion
AI hype is everywhere, but few established businesses have successfully embedded it into daily operations. In this session, Ed Thompson discusses Matillion’s journey: what worked, what didn’t, and how they changed everything from engineering workflows to customer support. Expect honest insights into AI adoption, lessons learned about data quality and feedback loops, and what it really takes to build products and teams that thrive in the age of AI.
12.00
Roundtable networking and discussion session
13.00
Seated founder’s lunch by the chef at the Edwardian
14.30
Welcome Address
Ann-Marie Atkins
Managing Partner, Evelyn Partners
14.35
From solo hacker to global brand: contrarian growth, culture, and capital
Dafydd Stuttard
Founder & CEO, PortSwigger
PortSwigger didn’t follow the playbook, bootstrapped for 20 years, with no sales team for a decade, and a fiercely protective culture. They scaled to tens of millions in revenue to a global cybersecurity brand before raising $105M in 2024 to bring in the right expertise. Dafydd reflects on growing intentionally: preserving culture across 170+ people and three offices, and holding one’s nerve with investors to find the right one, and how that unlocks growth.
15.00
Building for the Endgame: How to plan, position, and execute an Exit
Estelle Lloyd
Co‑Founder & Former Co‑CEO, Macademia
Fresh from her second Exit in 2025 former investment banker‑turned‑entrepreneur Estelle shares her experience of scaling an award‑winning edtech brand internationally, her learnings from acquisitions and navigating complex multi‑shareholder negotiations. Expect practical tips on: how to build optionality into your growth strategy, what buyers are looking for in the current environment, how to identify the right buyer and stop chasing the wrong one. A talk on what it truly takes to prepare for the endgame and how she thinks about work and life post-exit.
15.25
Roundtable networking and discussion session
Coffee served to the tables
16.25
Closing Address
Uday Singh
Founder & CEO, Fast Growth Icons
16.30
Champagne Reception
17.30
End
Round Table Discussion Sessions
We are hosting facilitated roundtable discussions based on the key challenges founders face while scaling. The topics are all quite popular, so we host the sessions twice, once at 12:00 and again at 15.25. Pick your top two choices and join your peers in meaningful conversations. To make the most of these sessions, share your challenges (chances are you won’t be alone) and help others. The more you put into it, the more you’ll get from the collective wisdom of the group.
Maximising your returns on exit – Evelyn Partners
Whether you’re focussed on the growth of your business, or planning to sell in the near future, it can be difficult to think about what’s next. This session will provide insights into how you can turn your business success into personal wealth, including how to ensure you take advantage of tax, business structure and planning opportunities.
Other options to venture capital: debt, venture debt & private equity – Barclays
Covering equity and non-dilutive options for growth companies like venture debt & private equity and how to identify the right fit for your company at different stages.
Growth through acquisitions; do’s and don’ts. Brabners
Do you grow organically or through acquisition? When are acquisitions better? What are the reasons acquisitions fail?
Exits: A Step-by-Step Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls and Deal Breakers – Rothschild
From diligence to deal completion, what buyers really look for, negotiating the Letter of LOI and SPA, different deal structures and earn-outs, and discuss practical ways to mitigate risks and prevent last-minute deal breakers.
The 2025 Autumn Statement – TBC S&W & EP
Impact of the Autumn Statement on businesses and their founders. What are the changes, who do they impact and when do they come into force?
Joint discussion
We will host one session on balancing vs profit at 10.10 for everyone in the room as it’s ranked highest when we polled the top challenges founders face. Don’t include this in your selection from the topics above, the whole room will talk about it in small groups.
A framework for balancing growth and profit: a risk-adjusted view of growth
We all know there’s a trade off between growth and profit (or burn rate), so how do you choose the right level, and how do you choose the big projects you take on to deliver it? This session will walk through The Mothership’s approach and set out the questions you need to answer to develop your own strategy.