Western Australian scaleups descend on London for London Tech Week 2024

Bringing together some of the worlds leading tech minds, innovators and entrepreneurs, the Western Australian delegation engaged in a program of information gathering, networking and immersion into the tech and innovation ecosystem in London.

The London Tech Week conference itself was delivered in a new and enhanced venue at Olympia, where delegates heard from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on London’s role as a global tech powerhouse underpinned by three core elements; connectivity, certainty and collaboration. The United Kingdom is a thriving hotbed for tech companies, with the tech sector valued at $1 trillion and is now home to 171 unicorns.

Outside of the conference itself, the delegation had the opportunity to engage in a tailor-made program including but not limited to; market entry in the UK, venture capital insights, workshops with Department for Business and Trade Dealmakers, and networking events, including a celebration of the first year anniversary of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement.

For Western Australia’s startups and scaleups, the United Kingdom is a natural next step for growth, and with the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement in force, the pathways to enable this growth have never been stronger. The Innovation Chapter of the Free Trade Agreement provides for unchartered provisions, being the first innovation chapter to be contained within a Free Trade Agreement. The Chapter is an enabler for encouraging the development and adoption of emerging technologies and increasing engagement in science, innovation and technology, and the UK Office looks forward to supporting businesses leveraging provisions under the Free Trade Agreement.