On Reflection
A pause in politics, but no slowdown for Britain’s entrepreneurs
On 18 April 1930, BBC Radio’s 6.30pm news bulletin announced: “Good evening. Today is Good Friday. There is no news,” which was then followed by piano music to fill the remaining time.
As the News and Views section below shows, while the headlines never truly stop, they do have a tendency to slow down over the summer months. In this rare respite from the torrent of politics and policy, I hope you’ll forgive me for turning inwards – not least because we’ve picked up hundreds of new subscribers in recent weeks who might value a bit of a pointer to what we’re all about.
In short, we are the voice of Britain’s most ambitious entrepreneurs. A decade ago, I would never have been so presumptuous to describe ourselves as the voice of anyone but myself; however, over that time we’ve built a network of thousands of entrepreneurs and we’re now pretty confident that we know what keeps entrepreneurs up at night, and what they need from government to succeed.
Just to be one hundred percent sure, we’ve recently teamed up with Public First to conduct quarterly surveys of our network, the latest of which is currently open for responses. If you haven’t done so already, please complete it and consider sharing the opportunity with your networks and on social media.
Demanding supply
One of the challenges that has come with having built such a large and open network is that demand for our events is now outstripping supply. There are three ways that we’re solving this without closing the network or charging for events.
First, we’re being more selective about inviting the right people to the right events. Just this week we hosted a dinner with Ian Sollom MP, the Liberal Democrats’ Spokesperson for Universities and Skills, which had the perfect mix of entrepreneurs, investors, and Tech Transfer Office leaders. Compiling the guest list was made all the easier thanks to attendees having proactively told us which issues they’re interested in. If you haven’t let us know what topics you’re curious about, you can do so by filling out our recently updated and extended Join Us form.
Second, we’re planning more meetups. These are much more open than our more policy-focused events. Watch this space for an ambitious plan to undertake regular events outside of London, as we’re keen to travel the length and breadth of the country. We’re looking for more hosts and partners for our events, so if you’re keen to host us, get in touch.
Finally, for those who are able, becoming a Supporter, Adviser, Patron or Corporate Partner both opens up more events for you, but also supports us to do more for the wider ecosystem. It’s a win-win for everyone. Join us here.
Supplying more
Before signing up, you may want to know a bit more about the scope of what we do. If that’s the case, we have a deck which distils it into a few slides.
While this should give you an overview of what we currently do, I want to also take this opportunity to find out what you think we should be doing more of. We may be more than ten years old, but we’re just as nimble today as on day one. Everything we’ve done, and everything we’re doing now, all started with a simple conversation. As such, the time to share any ideas you have for partnering with us is now. Get in touch.
Here to Help
What is holding back your business from growing? If it’s a policy issue, we will let policymakers know. If it’s not, we may be able to put you in touch with someone from our network who can help.
Our Next Events
Dinner with Callum Anderson MP: Reforming Capital Markets to Support an Entrepreneurial Society
🗓 Tuesday, 16 September 2025
🕐 7pm to 9.30pm
📍 Central London
ℹ️ A private dinner to explore how to better unlock capital markets to meet the needs of founders and power an entrepreneurial economy
⏩ Request a place
Unlocking Innovation: Making R&D Tax Credits Work
🗓 Thursday, 25 September 2025
🕐 8.30am to 10am
📍 City of London
ℹ️ A breakfast roundtable exploring how the R&D tax credits regime is currently supporting innovation, where improvements are needed, and how policymakers can help ensure the UK remains a world-class destination for R&D investment
⏩ Request a place
TEN x Connected.Ventures: Ecosystem Builders Meetup
🗓 Wednesday, 1 October 2025
🕐 8.30am to 10am
📍 Canary Wharf
ℹ️ An informal morning meetup for entrepreneurship ecosystem builders with KPMG
⏩ Request a place
Young Entrepreneurs Forum: Report Launch
🗓 Wednesday, 29 October 2025
🕐 3.30pm to 5pm
📍 House of Lords
ℹ️ An afternoon tea reception in the House of Lords to celebrate the launch of the Young Entrepreneurs Forum’s flagship report
⏩ Request a place
News and Views
We published another instalment in our Three Big Ideas series
Latest figures show a huge rise in public spending on AI (Paywall – Financial Times)
Investor sentiment towards defence tech is rapidly shifting
Austrian crypto exchange Bitpanda has rejected the idea of a British IPO due to liquidity concerns
What the ending of de minimis duty-free rule for shipping goods under $800 to the US means for UK small businesses
Delays, revisions and errors in core datasets raise questions about the credibility of key economic statistics, says the Royal Economic Society.
Our Adviser Sam Bowman forensically sets out why Europe and America are diverging in wealth
Further evidence of the impact AI is having on labour markets was published
Timothy Barnes worries that the supply of entrepreneurs may be beginning to dry up
Matt Sinclair discusses how Britain and the US can foster a stronger digital trading relationship
How the market for startup shares is getting even weirder (Paywall – The Economist)
Alexander Fitzgerald explains why he thinks manufacturing can have a home in London
Friends of the Network
International Trade Awards
⏰️ Deadline: Sunday, 7 September 2025
🏆 MSME-Business of the Year Award, Rising Talent in Trade Award, Social Impact in Trade Award, Innovation in Trade Award, Investment in Trade Award, 90-Year Honour: Legacy in International Trade Award
ℹ️ The Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade invites you to nominate yourself, or a fellow business, for an International Trade Award, with winners announced at the Import Export Show on 19 November 2025
⏩ Find out more
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses UK
⏰️ Deadline: Friday, 12 September 2025
ℹ️ Fully funded and delivered online and in person over 3 months by leading academics and industry experts, the Goldman Sach 10,000 Small Businesses UK programme aims to support high growth small business owners in creating sustainable growth whilst unlocking their economic and job creation potential
⏩ Find out more
Neurotech Night @ IDEALondon
🗓 Tuesday, 16 September 2025
🕐 6pm to 8.30pm
📍 IDEALondon
ℹ️ IDEALondon, in collaboration with the Crick Science Entrepreneur Network, is hosting an evening of flash talks and discussions on breakthroughs in neurotechnology
⏩ Request a place
Scaling Smarter: Accelerating Growth Through Digital Transformation
🗓 Thursday, 18 September 2025
🕐 12pm to 1pm
📍 Online
ℹ️ VenturePath and Sage explore the digital transformation blind spots that limit growth and fundraising potential for scaling tech companies.
⏩ Find out more
Inspiring Entrepreneurs: Beauty and The Business
🗓 Thursday, 18 September 2025
🕐 6.30pm to 8.30pm
📍 The British Library
ℹ️ A panel discussion with beauty entrepreneurs, audience Q&A, and a networking reception where you can meet others in the industry and gain insights to support your business
⏩ Find out more
The Art of Turning a Pitch into a Sale
🗓 Wednesday, 8 October 2025
📍 12pm to 1pm
ℹ️ Learn how to convert prospects into paying clients.
⏩ Find out more
Best wishes
Philip
Philip Salter
Founder
The Entrepreneurs Network