The UK has the money and the mandate for defence. So why are its scale-ups still waiting for contracts? We'd love to invite you to the launch of Think & Grow's new white paper; a two-part panel and an evening of introductions. There will be refreshments and light bites provided after the panels as part of the networking section of the evening.
Over the past few months we've interviewed defence and dual-use founders, primes, investors, government and trade bodies for our white paper: Voices of Defence Tech: Inside the UK Procurement Gap.
On Wednesday 25th November, we're bringing some of those voices into one room to bring key themes from the paper to life. Hosted by Think & Grow and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
When and where:
17:30 to 21:00, Wednesday 25th November 2026, AWS offices, 60 Holborn Viaduct, London, EC1A 2FD
Who should attend:
Founders, CEOs and boards of UK defence and dual-use scale-ups. Primes and defence buyers. Venture, corporate and institutional investors, banks and City leaders. Trade bodies, government and academia working on defence innovation.
Panel one: from pilot to programme, chaired by: Andrew Turner CE CBE, a former RAF Air Marshal & Chief Executive of Saibre Capital
Why does pre-vetted technology stall between trial and contract? This panel looks at slow buying cycles, what the Procurement Act 2023 changes for SMEs in practice, and why buyers struggle to find suppliers while suppliers can't see demand.
Panel two: capital, partners, and the route to scale, chair to be revealed soon
Early rounds are easier to raise than they were. Programme-scale capital is another matter. This panel covers the funding cliff edge, how scale-ups and primes can work together on growth, and practical steps for how to close the procurement gap for faster progress and deployment.
More speakers to be announced.
Places are limited and we're anticipating a waiting list, so please RSVP as soon as you can.
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