This week saw a bonanza of policy announcements during London Tech Week. So many that this morning we put out a Policy Update on the main things you need to know so I wouldn’t have to bombard you with them all now. Alongside the policy, we’ve also seen some major private sector investments announced, showing that our capital city still has the power to attract serious capital.
But are we telling the world the most compelling story we can about London — and the country more broadly? It’s the theme of our latest survey, which closes soon. Your views will be fed directly to those who matter. If you want to help us make the UK the best place to start and grow a business, ten minutes filling in our survey is one of the most efficient ways to do it. (The most efficient way is to share it with a group of like-minded founders so they can amplify your ideas.)
It’s your insights that inspire our reports, events and campaigns. Here’s how it happens.
First, conversations with entrepreneurs have driven our case across numerous reports for cutting the cost of visas. As detailed in our write-up, the Government has now launched a Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for Scale-Ups. Qualifying firms in clean energy, life sciences, and digital and technology can claim back up to £5,000 per employee — dependants included — and £25,000 a year per business in visa application fees for specialist hires recruited through the Skilled Worker, Global Talent or Scale-up routes. While these reforms are too restrictive, the message has clearly landed.
Second, as reported in our Policy Update:
“The AI Minister announced a new partnership between the Regulatory Innovation Office and the Health and Safety Executive to produce the first guidance on advanced robotics in the workplace. They will work with industry to deliver regulatory clarity for collaborative robots. This follows our roundtable with the Regulatory Innovation Office in May, in which founders said that pre-market guidance from the Health and Safety Executive would be valuable.”
Relatedly, the Regulatory Innovation Office, working with the Office for Product Safety and Standards, is convening a small, invite-only roundtable later this summer for companies working on consumer robotics — domestic appliances through to humanoids. The session will bring together innovators and senior UK regulators to discuss real-world regulatory and standards challenges, and how regulation can better support innovation. Drop Mann an email if you’re keen.
And third, a few weeks ago, after we reported that G-Cloud’s financial tests are blocking innovative scaleups, a number of politicians who read Perennial Gale got in touch to be connected to the founders affected. This week, we heard that officials are softening their position and the founders’ G-Cloud rejections have been overturned. Credit where it’s due. To its credit, the government has acted swiftly.
It’s not just robots, and it’s not just tech. We exist to be the bridge between all entrepreneurs and policymakers. Help us help you by telling us what you need.
Education policy is largely impenetrable. Even when the government announces the right ideas, nothing much changes in practice for many schools, colleges and universities.
But just because the state lacks capacity, it doesn’t mean we need to fail the next generation. There is a lot of great work being done by self-driven educators as well as charities and private companies with limited input from Whitehall. We’ve worked with many of them.
To that end, we’re building a small group made up of people already helping the next generation become more innovative, entrepreneurial and enterprising. There will, of course, be a policy angle to the discussions, but as much as anything it will be about connecting those who are already building the future. Email me if you want to get involved.
I’m delighted to share that Ian Ng has joined us as a Researcher. He comes from Parliament, where he focused on innovation and technology policy. His work so far has covered AI regulation, emerging technology, the energy use of AI, and innovation funding. Connect with and follow him here.
Our friends at Startup Coalition are currently researching a report into the barriers startups and scaleups face selling to government and are looking for case studies of different challenges startups have encountered. If you’re keen to be involved, drop Edd Elliott an email.
Our WhatsApp community has grown organically to over 750 people — yet only 5% of you are in it. So what are you missing? Perhaps the most useful thing is our occasional media opportunities. Just yesterday we posted this from a journalist writing for a national newspaper and we got some great replies from a few incredible founders:
“A journalist is looking for entrepreneurs whose disability has become a genuine edge in their business — something specific to the work itself. The story that sparked it is of a blind yoga teacher who finds she can describe poses, and how they should feel, far better than any sighted teacher could. (NB. They’ve covered ADHD and dyslexia separately, so they’re after something different this time.) If someone springs to mind — or it’s you — drop a line to press@tenentrepreneurs.org and we’ll forward it on.”
Join the group here. Any journalists reading this are welcome to send me their requests.
No Agenda Breakfast: Forsters
🗓 Wednesday, 24 June 2026
🕐 08:45 to 10:00
📍 Baker Street, London
ℹ️ Join us for coffee, pastries, and honest conversation with a dozen entrepreneurs — no agenda, no pitches and no panels
⏩ Request a place
Ecosystem Builders Meetup: LSE Generate
🗓 Thursday, 2 July 2026
🕐 09:30 to 11:00
📍 LSE, London
ℹ️ Join The Entrepreneurs Network for an informal morning meetup for Ecosystem Builders at LSE Generate
⏩ Request a place
No Agenda Breakfast: Evelyn Partners
🗓 Thursday, 23 July 2026
🕐 10:00 to 11:30
📍 The City, London
ℹ️ Join us for coffee, pastries, and honest conversation with a dozen entrepreneurs — no agenda, no pitches and no panels
⏩ Request a place
Business Secretary Peter Kyle vowed to take “aggressive” equity stakes in fast-growing British businesses
Alex Chalmers criticised Kyle’s approach, saying it repeats decades of failed interventionism and offers no credible mechanism for driving broader economic growth
Ben Johnson and Laura Ryan launched Science Works — a new research and policy studio focused on accelerating progress in British science and technology.
Cursor has chosen London as its new European HQ
EDF and Centrica are on the verge of agreeing a draft deal that would extend the life of Sizewell B by 20 years
Luis Garicano, Jin Li and Yanhui Wu are publishing a new book on a new framework to look into AI and the job market
Santander criticised the UK’s bank taxes for singling out the banking sector
A sobering read on the implications of failure in getting AI right in Europe
James Howat at Think Labour sets out a model of political economy ready for AI
David Lawrence argues for the Government to take on the slop economy
Prince William calls on businesses to help tackle homelessness
Our Supporters, Advisers and Strategic Partners are essential to helping us understand what entrepreneurs need to flourish, and are closely connected with our work. If you already support us — thank you. If you don’t, please consider helping us make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business.
From Product to Proof: Making Your Tech Investor Ready
🗓 Tuesday, 16 June 2026
🕐 13:00 to 14:00
📍 Online
ℹ️ Learn the hidden technical risks investors look for and how to stay in control
⏩ Find out more
C4C Global Awards
⏰️ Deadline: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
🏆 Finalists will be invited to pitch their solutions live at Convene 4 Climate Lisbon and the winners will be flown to Miami to present their solution at Convening Leaders in January 2027
ℹ️ The C4C Global Awards recognise scalable solutions and industry leaders driving sustainable transformation across business and the business events sector through innovation, technology and measurable impact
⏩ Find out more
We’re often asked where founders should turn for practical support beyond policy. So we’ve curated a list of government sites and trusted organisations we regularly recommend. Each week, we share a section from our Support for UK Entrepreneurs page. Are we missing something? Let us know.
Intellectual Property Office (IPO) provides official guidance and support on patents, trade marks, designs and copyright.
Business & IP Centre (British Library) provides free access to IP advice, market research tools and business information through a national library network.
CIPA IP Clinics provide free short consultations with qualified patent and trademark attorneys through periodic advice sessions.
Patents, trade marks, copyright and designs (GOV.UK) provides practical tools and guidance on managing, valuing and exploiting intellectual property.
Protecting Your Intellectual Property (Business.gov.uk) provides guidance to help UK businesses understand how to protect their intellectual property when exporting or operating overseas, including links to official government support and country-specific advice.
Best wishes,
Philip
Philip Salter
Founder
The Entrepreneurs Network
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