Great Tech Expedition: UK startups showcase achievements in the US

The Great Tech Expedition has taken some of the UK’s best new tech businesses to showcase their achievements in the US.

The UK has been building a reputation as a leading technology hub in the past few years. Recently new figures were published indicating that London tech firms has attracted record levels of venture capital investment, as testament to the high potential of some of the nation’s most promising young firms. An ambitious trade mission has taken a few of Britain’s most promising firms to the US to show off what makes them so special.

Some 20 of the UK’s fastest-growing cloud software startups have been taken to some of the US’s most popular tech and innovation hubs this week (5 to 10 October) as part of The Great Tech Exhibition.

New York, Chicago and Boston are hosting events that will look into new business opportunities in key US sectors, such as financial and business services, media, education and retail among others. Networking receptions, venture capital pitching sessions, company visits and business development masterclasses are all on the agenda.

Supported by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s Growing Places Fund and European Regional Development Fund, the trip is organised by the Mayor’s Export Programme.

It’s intended showcase the capital in particular as a vital tech hub in some of the sectors where the UK already leads the world, such as financial services.

“We are a city packed with entrepreneurs who are experts in their field and my commitment to them is to provide whatever assistance I can to set them on the path towards international success,” says Mayor of London Boris Johnson.

“The opportunities that this whirlwind tour presents will convert into dollars for the companies and regeneration, jobs and growth back home in London.”

Finding new business backers in the US market – still the biggest tech market on the planet – will also broaden UK tech clusters around the country. But it’s also about demonstrating that the UK is the perfect entry route into Europe, both for talent and for companies. Either way, bringing attention to the UK’s huge promise in the tech sector can only be a positive for businesses.