GreenTech Gathering: Green Innovation Ecosystem Catalyst

If you’ve been to a GreenTech Gathering before, you’ll know the format: relaxed conversations, great people and practical ideas around building a greener future.

For April in Leeds, we’re turning the dial up.

On 2nd April at Nexus, GreenTech Gathering are hosting our biggest event yet: a full-day catalyst focused on the Ecosystem for Climate and Opportunity (ECO). It’s designed to connect founders, investors, policy makers and academics who are actively building, funding and scaling Climate Tech across the region.

Across panels, workshops, an innovator showcase and live pitch feedback, we’ll explore how ideas move from prototype → funding → real-world impact, and what founders actually need to survive that journey.

Same community. Bigger room. A lot more to dig into.

What you'll get from the day

Connect 🫱🏾‍🫲🏽
Meet ClimateTech founders, investors, academics and operators from across West Yorkshire and beyond.

Learn 🧠
Hear directly from people funding and scaling GreenTech businesses, from grants and angels to VC and commercial growth.

Build 🔧
Get practical insight into pitch decks, due diligence, investment readiness and scaling from R&D to market.

Discover 🚀
Explore the Innovator Showcase featuring local ClimateTech and GreenTech startups exhibiting throughout the day.

Who It’s For

This event is designed for people actively working in - or supporting - the green economy:

• Startup and Scale-up Founders

• Entrepreneurs and Operators

• Investors, Angels and VCs

• Academics and Researchers

• Policy and Public Sector Leaders

• Sustainability and ClimateTech Professionals

If you’re building, funding or enabling climate solutions, you’ll feel at home here.

What to Expect

We’ve put together a day that mixes insight, conversation and conversation (without the usual conference formality):

• Morning coffee catch ups and informal networking

• Innovator Showcase (open all day)

• Expert-led panels & workshop sessions

• Networking lunch

• Real conversations, not corporate fluff
  

Speakers

We’re curating a line up of ClimateTech founders, investors and ecosystem leaders who are actively funding and scaling sustainable innovation.

Across the day you’ll hear from:

• Angel investors & VC fund managers

• Grant & public-sector funding experts

• ClimateTech founders and operators

• Academic and ecosystem leaders

Full speaker announcements coming soon, but expect practical insight, real experience and honest conversations about what it takes to move ClimateTech from idea to impact.

Innovator Showcase

Throughout the day, explore our Innovator Showcase featuring local GreenTech and ClimateTech startups exhibiting inside NEXUS.

Meet the teams, see demos, ask questions and discover what’s being built across the region, all in one place.

It’s your chance to connect directly with founders shaping the future of the green economy.

What’s included

• Welcome coffee, tea & pastries

• Networking lunch and drinks reception

• Full access to all talks, panels & workshops

• Innovator showcase

Our partners

A big thank you to our amazing partners who help make GreenTech Gathering possible: AD:VENTURE, Pocketworks and our strategic partner West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Together, we’re supporting the region’s growing GreenTech community and creating space for meaningful connections, learning and opportunity.

Why it's a ticketed event

This is our most ambitious GreenTech Gathering yet.

Your ticket helps cover venue, catering, showcase production, speakers, and event delivery, allowing us to create a genuinely valuable day for founders, investors and the wider ClimateTech ecosystem.

In short: better conversations, better connections, better outcomes

What our guests have to say...

“GreenTech Gathering is always my go-to event, and for good reason. The calibre of entrepreneurs who take the stage is outstanding. These are true innovators driving meaningful change in the green technology space. The community delivers fresh insight, inspiring stories, and a vibrant mix of perspectives, it’s genuinely energising.”

Dean Hartley - Advisor & Angel Investor at Chevet Technology

“GreenTech Gathering brings together a highly engaged community of innovators, investors and changemakers who are genuinely driving the sustainability agenda forward. I’ve met some incredibly useful and inspiring people through the event, the kind of connections that lead to real collaboration rather than just another business card exchange. The energy and openness of the community make it a real stand out for me.”

Duncan Reid - CEO & Co-Founder at Reset Connect

“Speaking at the Greentech Gathering event proved to be a great opportunity for me. Given GreenTech Gathering’s excellent reputation, my presentation there opened doors to additional engagements. Beyond the speaking opportunities, I've found myself welcomed into a supportive network of peers who actively share new business opportunities and connections.”

Dr Zoe Detko - Director at Ardea Eco-Innovation

Agenda:

09:00 to 10:00
Registration, Networking and Innovator Showcase

• Refreshments available.
• The Innovator Showcase features 5 to 10 local GreenTech and ClimateTech startups exhibiting in the atrium.
  Open networking and informal conversations.

10:00 to 10:10
Welcome and Opening Remarks

• Introduction to the event and overview of the agenda.
• Acknowledgement of partners and supporters.
• Setting the objectives and tone for the day.

10:10 to 10:20
Introduction to Nexus

• Overview of the host venue.
• Its role in supporting innovation, research and regional growth
  

10:20 to 10:30
Opening Perspective

• A short reflective opening from local poet Clare Townley.
• Focus on climate, systems thinking and lived experience.
• Creates space to pause before moving into funding and strategy discussions.

10:30 to 11:30
Keynote: Technology and Circularity

• Explores the role of technology and circular economy thinking in addressing climate challenges.
• Sets the wider context for innovation, impact and scalable solutions.
• Encourages practical, systems level thinking.

11:30 to 12:00
Networking and Comfort Break

• Teas & Coffees
• Explore Innovator Showcase.
• Opportunity for deeper conversations and new introductions.

12:00 to 13:00
Panel 1: Pre Seed and Seed for ClimateTech

Focus: Early stage capital strategy.

• Structuring the right mix of grants, angels and early equity
• Funding deep tech and hardware businesses from day one
• Using public funding strategically
• Avoiding long term grant dependency
• Building a capital roadmap that strengthens future investment rounds

13:00 to 14:00
Networking Lunch

• A buffet lunch will be provided.
• Explore Innovator Showcase.
• Opportunity for deeper conversations and new introductions.

14:00 to 15:00
Panel 2: Inside the Investor Mindset

Focus: What gets funded in climate tech.

• How investors assess risk, scalability and commercial viability
• Why impact alone is not enough
• Common red flags in early stage businesses
• Due diligence expectations
• What makes a company genuinely investable

15:00 to 16:00
Panel 3: Financing the Transition

Focus: Unlocking larger scale climate investment.

• How corporations, local authorities and major investors make climate investment decisions
• What unlocks large balance sheets
• Translating national strategies into funded local delivery
• Aligning startups with corporate and policy priorities
• Funding models and financial levers that turn policy into scalable projects

16:00 to 16:15
Closing Remarks

16:15 to 17:00
Closing Networking and Innovator Showcase