Britain's most influential organizations supporting high-growth companies are joining forces at the SCALE EXPO & SUMMIT next week, creating a powerful convergence of resources for the nation's fastest-expanding businesses. The event, scheduled for 22-23 April at London's Business Design Centre, brings together major partners including Sky Media, City AM, Grant Thornton, Corporate Traveller, DPD, Innovate UK Business Connect, HiBob, and Mercer to actively accelerate scaleup development across multiple critical areas.
A Comprehensive Platform for Scaleup Success
The free-to-attend SCALE EXPO and focused SCALE SUMMIT will facilitate direct engagement between these organizations and founders alongside SME leaders. Through diverse formats including panels, workshops, and roundtables, participants will gain access to essential tools, strategic insights, valuable connections, and comprehensive support designed to make the scaleup journey significantly more effective and sustainable.
Strategic Evolution and Expansion
SCALE's founding team, CEO Sam North and Chief Commercial Officer William Fowler, developed these strategic partnerships by building upon the success of SME XPO, previously owned by the Evening Standard. Following a successful management buyout in 2024, the duo rebranded to SCALE and collaborated with Chairman and investor Andrew B Morris to transform the two-day event into a dynamic platform driving substantial impact across the entire scaleup ecosystem.
Monthly SCALE Sessions, the entrepreneurs' investment fund SCALE Ventures, and the female founders initiative Women Who Scale have collectively elevated the event's offerings. This enhanced platform now features an impressive lineup of established entrepreneurs while fostering a genuine community atmosphere that resonates deeply with visitors seeking meaningful connections.
Founder Perspectives on Scaleup Impact
Sam North, Co-founder and CEO of SCALE, emphasized the significance of their partnerships: "We're enormously proud to collaborate with Innovate UK Business Connect, Sky Media, Grant Thornton, and all our 2026 partners and sponsors as we host the largest gathering for founders and leaders investing in, backing, and building alongside UK scaleups. Scaleups function not merely as engines of productivity but as powerful multipliers for the broader economy. As a scaleup ourselves, we're navigating this journey alongside the founders we support, intimately understanding the pressure, pace, and critical decisions that shape future outcomes."
North further explained: "The partners we've brought on board for SCALE EXPO & SUMMIT 2026 recognize that when scaleups thrive, the entire United Kingdom benefits. As the scaleup ecosystem continues to expand, access to capital, markets, and talent remains absolutely critical, as does alignment between businesses, investors, and policymakers regarding how to deliver meaningful outcomes and create lasting impact. SCALE EXPO & SUMMIT 2026 serves as the precise location where connections transform into tangible, real-world results by bringing together the people and organizations actively driving change."
National Expansion and Regional Impact
SCALE represents more than just a London-focused platform. SCALE Manchester is bringing this proven model to Northern England with a Summit scheduled for 25 November 2026, creating vital connections between first-time founders and experienced entrepreneurs who have successfully built, scaled, and exited businesses. Each SCALE partner plays a distinct role in delivering measurable impact for scaleups, ranging from unlocking capital and providing strategic guidance to enabling talent acquisition, improving operational efficiency, and expanding market reach.
Partner Commitments and Strategic Contributions
City AM serves as the official media partner for the London event. Rupert Hargreaves, COO at City AM, commented: "Scaleups create more employment opportunities, innovate at accelerated rates, and function as economic multipliers across various sectors. It's tremendously encouraging to witness so many influential organizations uniting to help drive both regional and national growth during a period when building and expanding a company has become increasingly complex, demanding, and consequential."
Innovate UK Business Connect will host speed networking sessions hourly throughout both event days. This innovative format pairs founders, SME leaders, operators, and ecosystem partners in consecutive five-minute one-to-one conversations, creating one of the most efficient methods for connecting with potential customers, investors, or strategic partners in the business landscape.
Corporate Perspectives on SME Support
Bonnie Smith, Head of Corporate Traveller UK, stated: "SMEs form the fundamental backbone of the UK's economic growth. They generate opportunity, drive innovation, and bring an ambitious mindset that propels entire industries forward. We feel profound passion for this community because we've constructed our business around supporting growing companies through every stage of their development journey. We take pride in participating in an event that champions the ambition of UK scaleups during such a pivotal moment in economic history."
David Jones, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Mercer, a Marsh Business, explained: "Mercer supports employers through every phase of their growth trajectory. Whether providing workplace essential benefits or developing solutions that deliver competitive advantages, we design evolving packages that align precisely with your journey and propel your business toward the next level of success."
Steve Wild, Head of Sales, Business Development at Sky Media, added: "Sky Media is delighted to sponsor SCALE London 2026. We anticipate adding substantial value to this showcase conference for Scale-Ups, which represent the very heartbeat of the UK business community. This includes hosting workshops on both event days to demonstrate practically how scaleups can leverage targeted television and addressable advertising to drive standout performance and sustainable growth within trusted, brand-safe programming environments."
Exclusive Opportunities for Summit Participants
SCALE SUMMIT pass holders will gain access to exclusive Meet the Investor sessions featuring members of the EIS Association and UK private capital networks. These specialized sessions provide unparalleled opportunities for direct engagement with investment professionals actively seeking promising scaleup opportunities.
The SCALE Mission and Vision
SCALE unites Britain's most ambitious founders, investors, and business leaders in a shared growth mission: to power the nation's economic future. By connecting established and emerging entrepreneurs, SCALE transforms innovation and ambition into measurable growth, thereby strengthening the UK's entrepreneurial ecosystem and enhancing its competitiveness on the global stage. Through its comprehensive platform combining access to capital, markets, and talent—including SCALE Sessions, SCALE Ventures, and Women Who Scale—SCALE supports founders in building upon their existing traction while strengthening essential leadership skills to achieve sustainable, long-term growth.
