TechNExt launches Startup Hub

A new North East technology event is aiming to strengthen the region’s start-up ecosystem by bringing founders together to discuss the realities of building scalable businesses.

The Startup Hub, part of this year’s TechNExt Festival, will take place at Durham Business School on June 17 and focus on the challenges of launching and growing technology companies.

Curated by Jamie Hardesty, director of ecosystem development at Sunderland Software City, the event will feature entrepreneurs and operators at different stages of the startup journey.

The programme will conclude with a session featuring Dr Arnab Basu, chief executive of Durham-based technology company Kromek, which recently reported record revenues of £26.5 million.

Jamie, who will also host on the day, says the event has been designed to move beyond polished start-up success stories and instead explore the practical realities of scaling businesses in the North East.

He said: “One of the challenges we have in the North East is that startup success can often feel distant or abstract. 

“People see headlines about funding rounds or fast-growth companies but not necessarily the reality underneath it all.

“This event is about showing what building a company actually takes. 

“The uncertainty at the beginning. 

“The pressure of finding customers. 

“The messy middle where growth gets hard.

“The lessons people carry into second and third ventures. 

“And ultimately what scaling from this region can genuinely look like.”

The Startup Hub comes amid growing debate around the region’s start-up pipeline and investment levels, with the North East accounting for less than two per cent of UK venture deals in 2024.

Jamie added: “If we want more scalable tech companies in the North East, we need more people who can realistically see themselves in that journey. 

“That means being honest about the challenges, not just celebrating the highlights.

“There’s huge talent in this region. 

“But ecosystems strengthen when knowledge, experience and ambition become visible and shared.”

To find out more and to register your place, click here.

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