Founders & Future

Chairpersons welcome and opening remarks.

What does it really take to get a “yes” from the people writing the cheques?

Leading VCs go inside the decision-making process behind the companies they choose to back. From AI infrastructure and cybersecurity to emerging enterprise technologies, the panel explores what separates genuinely investable businesses from the thousands of pitches that fail to make the cut.

• What investors are actively looking to fund now.
• The signals that make a startup stand out – and the red flags that stop a deal.
• How expectations change between pre-seed, Series A and growth-stage investment.
• Where investors believe the next major technology companies will emerge.

Join a major technology founder for an in-depth conversation about the pivotal decisions, risks and turning points behind building a company from an early-stage idea into developing a business on a global scale. From securing belief from investors to competing in increasingly crowded markets, this is a candid look at what it really takes to scale.

Getting a meeting with a major enterprise is one thing. Becoming a trusted technology partner is another. Enterprise technology leaders and successful founders discuss what separates an exciting startup from a supplier that organisations are genuinely prepared to deploy at scale. The conversation explores everything from security and governance to procurement, and proving commercial value.

Founders and investors explore what happens when an ambitious company moves beyond early product validation and into the far more complex challenge of scaling operations, leadership, customers and revenue. The discussion examines the decisions that can accelerate growth, and the ones that can quietly hold a company back. 

While appearing shiny on the surface, startup success stories can leave out the expensive mistakes and cutting decisions that nearly changed everything. In this candid closing conversation, founders look back at the moments that didn’t go to plan and share what they learned from getting it wrong. From hiring and fundraising, to product strategy and international expansion, this a founder’s guide to understanding when to pivot and what comes next.

Closing reflections and final remarks.