The issue of Brexit looms large not just over the UK, but Europe and the US as well, as startups and investors juggle the daily changing headlines with their overall strategy. That’s why we’re making it one of the major themes of TechCrunch Disrupt London (Dec 5-6) (grab your tickets here).
As part of this, not only are we running two major panels on the issue, but we’re also speaking to thought leaders and the wider tech community to understand exactly where Brexit leaves investors and founders in the form of a survey.
Firstly, our exclusive policy panel, ‘Stopping the Brexit Brain Drain’, comprises thought leaders on entrepreneurship and policy: Martha Lane Fox, founder and executive chair of Doteveryone.org.uk; Matt Hancock, U.K. Minister of State of Digital and Culture; and James Wise, partner at Balderton Capital.
Secondly, our ongoing survey is tracking sentiment amongst key entrepreneurs and investors on a set of questions and adds a new one or two each week as developments require. Our aim is to gauge Brexit sentiment in the startup community as it wrestles with an uncertain future in the UK. We’re inviting you to take the same survey.
Thirdly we’re discuss the results of that and also chew over over the subject with three key players from the world of tech and politics.
Eileen Burbidge (@eileentso) is a Partner at Passion Capital, the pre-eminent early-stage VC fund based in London. She brings extensive operational experience to her investment activities gleaned from business and product roles at Yahoo!, Skype, Apple and elsewhere. She advocated for Remain in the UK EU referendum and has been speaking to investors and entrepreneurs on the subject since.
In addition to Passion Capital, Eileen is also Chair of Tech City UK, the government-backed organisation supporting digital business across the UK. She also serves on the Prime Minister David Cameron’s Business Advisory Group; as HM Treasury’s Special Envoy for FinTech, appointed by the Chancellor George Osborne; and Tech Ambassador for the Mayor of London Boris Johnson. She was made an MBE for services to UK Business in June 2015 and holds a BSc Engineering degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Steve Hilton PR photos 2015
Steve Hilton is co-founder and CEO of Silicon Valley political crowdfunding and data start-up Crowdpac. He also teaches at Stanford University’s Institute of Design (d.school), and is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller More Human – Designing a World Where People Come First. He was a key commentator on, and an advocate for, Brexit.
Steve was previously Senior Advisor to UK Prime Minister David Cameron, where he helped lead the implementation of the British government’s domestic reform program. Prior to the 2010 General Election, as David Cameron’s head of strategy, Steve is credited with helping to develop the ideas associated with the modernization of the British Conservative Party.
Before working in politics, Steve was co-founder of Good Business, a corporate responsibility consulting firm, and The Good Cook, an award-winning London restaurant. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and young family. And 12 chickens.
Daniel Korski is the Former Deputy Head of Policy at No 10. He was Special Adviser to David Cameron 2013 – 2016. He’s now a contributor to Politico.com and City AM. Previously he worked in Brussels as an Adviser to the EU Commission, for the European Council on Foreign Relations and as an adviser in the US State Department. He was a key member of the official Remain campaign.
As you can see, we’re in for some amazing content at Disrupt London.
The two-day Disrupt conference runs December 5 to 6 in the Olympic Village’s Copper Box Arena and features Startup Alley and Startup Battlefield where one startup will take home £30,000. You can buy early-bird tickets for Disrupt London here.
You want to display your company? Then go for a booth in the Startup Alley. For startups there is also the brand new CrunchMatch program where we match startups to investors. Check it all out here.
Early bird tickets are now available to purchase for the discounted price of just £950 a piece. You can get your tickets at this price until 4 December.
For all you students out there, the deal is about to get even sweeter. We have a limited selection of student tickets to Disrupt London 2016 for just £100 plus VAT, provided you have both a valid university ID and current transcripts.
To reserve your £100 student tickets to Disrupt, simply send a copy of your transcripts showing your current enrolment status, as well as a copy of your university identification card to students@beta.techcrunch.com. Once you’re approved, we’ll send you instructions for how to complete your registration.
Our sponsors help make Disrupt happen. If you are interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact our sponsorship team at sponsors@beta.techcrunch.com.
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