OCTOBER 7th 08.00 TO 18.00
CONVENE, LONDON COUNTY HALL
HARD TECH x AI BUILDING NATIONAL RESILIENCE
Join the UK’s leading hard tech and AI innovators for a day of strategy, collaboration, and investment. Explore how AI can strengthen national resilience across energy, manufacturing, and security.
Partnered with:
Partnered with:
OCTOBER 7th 08.00 TO 18.00
CONVENE, LONDON COUNTY HALL
HARD TECH
x AI BUILDING NATIONAL RESILIENCE
Join the UK’s leading hard tech and AI innovators for a day of strategy, collaboration, and investment. Explore how AI can strengthen national resilience across energy, manufacturing, and security.
Partnered with:
Supported by
Supported by
01 / SPEAKERS
Speakers
Speakers
Innovate UK
Dr Kath MacKay
Interim Managing Director
Innovate UK
Sara El-Hanfy
Director of AI and Digital
Innovate UK
Rob Shaw
Director of Defence
DBT & HVM Catapult
Chris Dungey
AI Champion for Advanced Manufacturing & Chief Technology Officer
Floral Energy Ltd
Paul Stein CBE
Founder and CEO
Equinor
Matei Negrescu
VP Power Strategy
Siemens plc
Brian Holliday
CEO
Pure Data Group
Chris Talago
Head of Corporate Affairs
Rolls-Royce plc
Mike Crawford
Lead Strategy
Razor Ltd
Jamie Hinton
Founder and CEO
Churchill House
Mick Cataldo
Founder
Nissan UK
David Forrest
Manager, Digital Manufacturing
Windracers Ltd
Simon Muderack
CEO
British Business Bank
George Mills
Director
Nyobolt Ltd
Sai Shivareddy
Co-Founder, CEO
Expeditions
Samuel Burrell
Partner
MTC Catapult
Sir Rick Thompson
Managing Director for Defence, former Director General at MOD
Royal Navy
Chester Butterworth
Head of Strategy, Disruptive Capabilities
DESNZ
Kirsten Horton
Former Senior Strategy Adviser, Energy & AI
Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd
Mike Crawford
Lead Strategy & Business Development Manager
Siemens UK plc
Adam Cartwright
Head of Technology Adoption
Technicut Ltd
Warwick Spearing
Manufacturing Director
Barclays
Helena Sans
Head of Innovation Banking
Future Planet Capital
Shruti Iyengar
Investor Director
Innovate UK
Dr Kath MacKay
Interim Managing Director
Innovate UK
Sara El-Hanfy
Director of AI and Digital
Innovate UK
Rob Shaw
Director of Defence
DBT & HVM Catapult
Chris Dungey
AI Champion for Advanced Manufacturing & Chief Technology Officer
Floral Energy Ltd
Paul Stein CBE
Founder and CEO
Equinor
Matei Negrescu
VP Power Strategy
Siemens plc
Brian Holliday
CEO
Pure Data Group
Chris Talago
Head of Corporate Affairs
Rolls-Royce plc
Mike Crawford
Lead Strategy
Razor Ltd
Jamie Hinton
Founder and CEO
Churchill House
Mick Cataldo
Founder
Nissan UK
David Forrest
Manager, Digital Manufacturing
Windracers Ltd
Simon Muderack
CEO
British Business Bank
George Mills
Director
Nyobolt Ltd
Sai Shivareddy
Co-Founder, CEO
Expeditions
Samuel Burrell
Partner
MTC Catapult
Sir Rick Thompson
Managing Director for Defence, former Director General at MOD
Royal Navy
Chester Butterworth
Head of Strategy, Disruptive Capabilities
DESNZ
Kirsten Horton
Former Senior Strategy Adviser, Energy & AI
Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd
Mike Crawford
Lead Strategy & Business Development Manager
Siemens UK plc
Adam Cartwright
Head of Technology Adoption
Technicut Ltd
Warwick Spearing
Manufacturing Director
Barclays
Helena Sans
Head of Innovation Banking
Future Planet Capital
Shruti Iyengar
Investor Director
Innovate UK
Dr Kath MacKay
Interim Managing Director
Innovate UK
Sara El-Hanfy
Director of AI and Digital
Innovate UK
Rob Shaw
Director of Defence
DBT & HVM Catapult
Chris Dungey
AI Champion for Advanced Manufacturing & Chief Technology Officer
Floral Energy Ltd
Paul Stein CBE
Founder and CEO
Equinor
Matei Negrescu
VP Power Strategy
Siemens plc
Brian Holliday
CEO
Pure Data Group
Chris Talago
Head of Corporate Affairs
Rolls-Royce plc
Mike Crawford
Lead Strategy
Razor Ltd
Jamie Hinton
Founder and CEO
Churchill House
Mick Cataldo
Founder
Nissan UK
David Forrest
Manager, Digital Manufacturing
Windracers Ltd
Simon Muderack
CEO
British Business Bank
George Mills
Director
Nyobolt Ltd
Sai Shivareddy
Co-Founder, CEO
Expeditions
Samuel Burrell
Partner
MTC Catapult
Sir Rick Thompson
Managing Director for Defence, former Director General at MOD
Royal Navy
Chester Butterworth
Head of Strategy, Disruptive Capabilities
DESNZ
Kirsten Horton
Former Senior Strategy Adviser, Energy & AI
Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd
Mike Crawford
Lead Strategy & Business Development Manager
Siemens UK plc
Adam Cartwright
Head of Technology Adoption
Technicut Ltd
Warwick Spearing
Manufacturing Director
Barclays
Helena Sans
Head of Innovation Banking
Future Planet Capital
Shruti Iyengar
Investor Director
02 / the summit
Where DeepTech Meets National Security
The next generation of UK industry will be built around technologies that have the potential to make the economy more productive, more resilient and less dependent on vulnerable global supply chains.
The next generation of UK industry will be built around technologies that have the potential to make the economy more productive, more resilient and less dependent on vulnerable global supply chains.
AI in particular offers the opportunity - not simply to make existing businesses more efficient, but to reshape the industrial capabilities on which Britain’s future prosperity and security depend.
From protecting critical infrastructure and strengthening strategic supply chains, to reducing dependence on imported energy and transforming industrial productivity, new technologies can create strategic niches where Britain can lead rather than follow.
The afternoon Showcase offers a glimpse of this emerging future. It brings together companies developing technologies with the potential to transform the way economic resilience, industrial competitiveness and national renewal are achieved—provided they are given the opportunity to grow.
These are the potential industries of tomorrow: companies at the beginning of their journey alongside those already moving towards scale. Together, they offer a window into the technologies and industrial champions that could shape Britain’s next generation of economic growth and resilience.
AI in particular offers the opportunity - not simply to make existing businesses more efficient, but to reshape the industrial capabilities on which Britain’s future prosperity and security depend.
From protecting critical infrastructure and strengthening strategic supply chains, to reducing dependence on imported energy and transforming industrial productivity, new technologies can create strategic niches where Britain can lead rather than follow.
The afternoon Showcase offers a glimpse of this emerging future. It brings together companies developing technologies with the potential to transform the way economic resilience, industrial competitiveness and national renewal are achieved—provided they are given the opportunity to grow.
These are the potential industries of tomorrow: companies at the beginning of their journey alongside those already moving towards scale. Together, they offer a window into the technologies and industrial champions that could shape Britain’s next generation of economic growth and resilience.
The Bessemer Society
The Bessemer Society brings together the leaders of hard and deep tech companies in a spirit of mutual support and self-help. It reflects the ethos of its namesake, Sir Henry Bessemer, whose innovations helped accelerate the Industrial Revolution and transform the global economy.
Throughout the year, the Society convenes intimate, high-level VIP dinners bringing together technology leaders, investors, policymakers and other influential figures to explore how the UK can radically improve the way its innovation system works.
The annual one-day Summit is a focal point and force multiplier, bringing together the influential leaders who contribute to Bessemer dinners with a wider group of invited decision-makers, experts and entrepreneurs.
03 / on the day
Agenda
Check in
08.00 - 08.55 AM
Registration
Main Hall
08.00 - 08.55 AM
Registration
Main Hall
08.00 - 08.55 AM
Registration
Main Hall
08.55 - 09.00 AM
Welcome and Introduction
Main Hall
08.55 - 09.00 AM
Welcome and Introduction
Main Hall
08.55 - 09.00 AM
Welcome and Introduction
Main Hall
Headline Plenary Talk
09.00 - 09.35 AM
Headline Plenary Talk
Dr Kath MacKay, Interim Managing Director, Innovate UK
Main Hall
09.00 - 09.35 AM
Headline Plenary Talk
Dr Kath MacKay, Interim Managing Director, Innovate UK
Main Hall
09.00 - 09.35 AM
Headline Plenary Talk
Dr Kath MacKay, Interim Managing Director, Innovate UK
Main Hall
09.00 - 09.35 AM
Headline Plenary Talk
Mick Cataldo, Founder, Churchill House
Main Hall
09.00 - 09.35 AM
Headline Plenary Talk
Mick Cataldo, Founder, Churchill House
Main Hall
09.00 - 09.35 AM
Headline Plenary Talk
Mick Cataldo, Founder, Churchill House
Main Hall
09.35 - 10.35 AM
Plenary Panel: National Resilience on AI & Hard Tech Foundations
Chair: Sara El-Hanfy, Director of AI and Digital, Innovate UK
Main Hall
09.35 - 10.35 AM
Plenary Panel: National Resilience on AI & Hard Tech Foundations
Chair: Sara El-Hanfy, Director of AI and Digital, Innovate UK
Main Hall
09.35 - 10.35 AM
Plenary Panel: National Resilience on AI & Hard Tech Foundations
Chair: Sara El-Hanfy, Director of AI and Digital, Innovate UK
Main Hall
10.35 - 11.20 AM
Coffee Break
Canteen
10.35 - 11.20 AM
Coffee Break
Canteen
10.35 - 11.20 AM
Coffee Break
Canteen
Break out Rooms – Themed Sessions
11.20 AM - 12.30 PM
Dual-use Technologies
Combining dual-use technologies and AI to meet national security challenges
Chair: Rob Shaw, Executive Director Strategy & Performance, Director of Defence, Innovate UK
Main Hall
11.20 AM - 12.30 PM
Dual-use Technologies
Combining dual-use technologies and AI to meet national security challenges
Chair: Rob Shaw, Executive Director Strategy & Performance, Director of Defence, Innovate UK
Main Hall
11.20 AM - 12.30 PM
Dual-use Technologies
Combining dual-use technologies and AI to meet national security challenges
Chair: Rob Shaw, Executive Director Strategy & Performance, Director of Defence, Innovate UK
Main Hall
11.20 AM - 12.30 PM
AI Energy Demands
Powering the AI boom – Opportunities for the UK
Chair: Paul Stein CBE, Founder and CEO of Floral Energy Ltd, former CTO of Rolls-Royce plc and Non-Executive Chair of Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd
Main Hall
11.20 AM - 12.30 PM
AI Energy Demands
Powering the AI boom – Opportunities for the UK
Chair: Paul Stein CBE, Founder and CEO of Floral Energy Ltd, former CTO of Rolls-Royce plc and Non-Executive Chair of Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd
Main Hall
11.20 AM - 12.30 PM
AI Energy Demands
Powering the AI boom – Opportunities for the UK
Chair: Paul Stein CBE, Founder and CEO of Floral Energy Ltd, former CTO of Rolls-Royce plc and Non-Executive Chair of Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd
Main Hall
11.20 AM - 12.30 PM
Industrial AI
AI for industrial competitiveness
Chair: Chris Dungey, AI Champion for Advanced Manufacturing at Department of Business and Trade & Chief Technology Officer at HVM Catapult
Main Hall
11.20 AM - 12.30 PM
Industrial AI
AI for industrial competitiveness
Chair: Chris Dungey, AI Champion for Advanced Manufacturing at Department of Business and Trade & Chief Technology Officer at HVM Catapult
Main Hall
11.20 AM - 12.30 PM
Industrial AI
AI for industrial competitiveness
Chair: Chris Dungey, AI Champion for Advanced Manufacturing at Department of Business and Trade & Chief Technology Officer at HVM Catapult
Main Hall
Lunch Break & Exhibition Time
12.30 - 13.45 PM
Lunch Break
Canteen
12.30 - 13.45 PM
Lunch Break
Canteen
12.30 - 13.45 PM
Lunch Break
Canteen
13.45 - 15.00 PM
Investor Showcase
A total of 24 early to late stage deep & hard tech companies are invited to showcase their potential to investors, corporates and leaders in the innovation & investment eco system. Each session is accompanied by a Q&A Panel.
Main Hall
13.45 - 15.00 PM
Investor Showcase
A total of 24 early to late stage deep & hard tech companies are invited to showcase their potential to investors, corporates and leaders in the innovation & investment eco system. Each session is accompanied by a Q&A Panel.
Main Hall
13.45 - 15.00 PM
Investor Showcase
A total of 24 early to late stage deep & hard tech companies are invited to showcase their potential to investors, corporates and leaders in the innovation & investment eco system. Each session is accompanied by a Q&A Panel.
Main Hall
13.45 - 15.00 PM
Expo Stands
There are up to 20 table stands available for companies to exhibit their product or technology in the exhibition space.
Main Hall
13.45 - 15.00 PM
Expo Stands
There are up to 20 table stands available for companies to exhibit their product or technology in the exhibition space.
Main Hall
13.45 - 15.00 PM
Expo Stands
There are up to 20 table stands available for companies to exhibit their product or technology in the exhibition space.
Main Hall
15.15 - 15.45 PM
Coffee Break
Main Hall
15.15 - 15.45 PM
Coffee Break
Main Hall
15.15 - 15.45 PM
Coffee Break
Main Hall
Investor Panel
15.45 - 16.45 PM
Creating an Environment for Unicorns to Thrive
Chair: Abdul Quereshi, Head of Business Banking, Barclays
Main Hall
15.45 - 16.45 PM
Creating an Environment for Unicorns to Thrive
Chair: Abdul Quereshi, Head of Business Banking, Barclays
Main Hall
15.45 - 16.45 PM
Creating an Environment for Unicorns to Thrive
Chair: Abdul Quereshi, Head of Business Banking, Barclays
Main Hall
16.45 - 17.00 PM
Closing Remarks
Main Hall
16.45 - 17.00 PM
Closing Remarks
Main Hall
16.45 - 17.00 PM
Closing Remarks
Main Hall
17.00 – 18.00 PM
Networking and Drinks
Main Hall
17.00 – 18.00 PM
Networking and Drinks
Main Hall
17.00 – 18.00 PM
Networking and Drinks
Main Hall
04/ showcase
The Showcase
Companies at the forefront of developing new technologies and building new industries are given the opportunity to showcase their growth potential in front of investors, corporates, customers and other stakeholders. This is taken from the play book of Silicon Valley, where vision, leadership and belief are as important as business plans and technologies.
A total of 24 companies have been selected as examples of the best and most interesting, divided into groups of eight in three break out rooms. Each break out session is moderated and includes two specialists who can ask questions.
Exhibition Stand
Exhibition stands are available for companies and organisations to showcase themselves. Each stand has its own electric power, space for two chairs a board and pop-up banners.
04/ showcase
The Showcase
Companies at the forefront of developing new technologies and building new industries are given the opportunity to showcase their growth potential in front of investors, corporates, customers and other stakeholders. This is taken from the play book of Silicon Valley, where vision, leadership and belief are as important as business plans and technologies.
A total of 24 companies have been selected as examples of the best and most interesting, divided into groups of eight in three break out rooms. Each break out session is moderated and includes two specialists who can ask questions.
Exhibition Stand
Exhibition stands are available for companies and organisations to showcase themselves. Each stand has its own electric power, space for two chairs a board and pop-up banners.
05 / Location
Venue Convene,
London County Hall
The Summit is taking place at Venue Convene, London County Hall.
County Hall, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 7PB
+44 (0)20 3735 4200
Secure Your Place at The Showcase
Secure Your Place
at The Showcase
Secure Your Place at The Showcase
Join the UK's leading Hard Tech and AI innovators. October 7th, London County Hall.
Join the UK’s leading Hard Tech and AI innovators.
October 7th, London County Hall.
Join the UK's leading Hard Tech and AI innovators.
October 7th, London County Hall.