UK Startup & Scaleup Week

12/06/2026

We're delighted to share that PLATFORM has been named as a finalist in the ClimbAwards 2026 taking place at the Climb UK festival in Leeds next month, in the ‘Ecosystem Growth & Opportunity’ category! 🙏🤩

Thank you to everyone who voted for us! We're very much looking forward to joining the wider community for the Awards Prize Giving on the evening of 1 July & also attending both days of the festival 1-2 July!

Find out more & book your ticket to join us at the ClimbUK festival via the link below ⬇️⭐️

08/06/2026

08/06/2026

Still not been to one of our PLATFORM events? Check out this handy 3D tour of our Newcastle venue by our friend Tamilselvan Velusamy (Founder, Beyex Ltd) so you can see what to expect when you arrive... (link in comments below) ⬇️⭐️

08/06/2026

Will you be at ATOMICON (one of Europe’s largest business growth conferences) in Newcastle / Gateshead on 16 June?

ATOMICON is one of Europe’s largest business growth conferences for small business owners, with over 1,500 attendees from around the world flying in.

And what’s amazing is that it takes place in our home region of the North East of England with the main event happening at The Glasshouse (formally The Sage Gateshead) on Tuesday 16th June 2026 & fringe events taking place in multiple locations around Newcastle upon Tyne the day before!

If you’re based in Gateshead, Newcastle, the wider North East of England or anywhere close enough to get there easily, we think this is an absolute must-attend event. (Having attended & run many events of our own over the years, we know huge business conferences with this kind of line-up do not usually happen on our doorstep)!

The 2026 speaker line-up includes the incredible: Jamie Laing, Lara Acosta, Shawn Kanungo, Ann Handley, Timothy Armoo, Saf Mohammed, Amelia Sordell, Dani Wallace, Alice Benham, Richard Moore, Natasha Hamilton (yes from Atomic Kitten!) & many more.

That is a proper international conference line-up & this will be the 7th time Andrew and Pete have run ATOMICON, attracting delegates & speakers from all over the world.

Every year, they seem to raise the bar so if you are a small business owner, a freelancer, coach, sell services, create content, want to grow your audience, improve your sales, meet better people, or simply get yourself into a room that makes you think bigger, this is well worth looking at!

Tickets are currently £415 but will increase to £699 at the end of this week / beginning of next week!

Save £284 today (over 40% off) by clicking / tapping on the link in the comments below ⬇️⭐️

Atomic HQ

08/06/2026

Business Profile: Poundswise (Interactive UK Grid Map for Marketing, Business Support & Funding)

Poundswise is a digital map of the United Kingdom, divided into thousands of individual grid spaces. Any business - from a Sunderland bakery to a Leeds engineering firm - can purchase one or more grids, place their logo on the exact location of their business & create an immersive 3D virtual tour of their premises as an added feature.

Visitors can then click on any grid, explore the space & be directed straight to the website for that business.

It’s visibility, permanence & pride of place - all in one.

Learn more & claim your postcode so you can find funding & local support for your business via the link in the comments below ⬇️⭐️

08/06/2026

Have you heard of Climb UK in Leeds on 1-2 July, one of the must-attend business growth festivals in 2026..?

As businesses continue to navigate an increasingly competitive & fast-changing landscape, events that bring together ambitious founders, investors, innovators & business leaders are more valuable than ever. That’s where the ClimbUK festival in Leeds comes in. Taking place at the Royal Armouries Museum on Leeds Docks on 1-2 July 2026, ‘Climb26’ is designed to connect the people & organisations driving innovation & economic growth across the country.

Unlike a traditional conference, ClimbUK combines keynote talks, practical workshops, networking opportunities, investor engagement & sector-specific communities within a festival-style environment. The event attracts startup founders, scaleup leaders, SMEs, investors, advisers, policymakers & innovation partners who are looking to learn, collaborate & grow.

One of ClimbUK’s distinguishing features is its focus on showcasing opportunities outside London. (Leeds is one of the UK’s fastest-growing business hubs & the festival attracts founders & investors from across the North of England & the rest of the UK).

Find out more & book your ticket via the link in the comments below ⬇️⭐️

03/06/2026

1yr ago this week we ran our 1st, 5-day, multi-venue UK Startup & Scaleup Week festival in Sunderland for 420 delegates... ⬇️⭐️

The aim of this event was to inspire & educate on how to start & grow a successful business in the city & wider North East of England. (We previously ran 3 x 5-day Newcastle Startup Week festivals in 2017, 2018 & 2019 & then 2 online versions in 2020).

Watch this video to see & hear what happened (& maybe spot yourself in the audience too...

In June 2025, we held our first 5-day, multi-venue UK Startup & Sca...

03/06/2026

Tomorrow (4th June), 'YO! Man' - the brilliant new autiobiography by Simon Woodroffe (Founder, YO! Sushi, YOTEL & all things YO!) goes on sale ✨🚀 It's a fantastic read full of inspiring stories & advice for creatives, budding business owners & entrepreneurs of all ages. Find out more & watch or listen to our recent interview with the great man via the link in the comments below ⬇️⭐️

03/06/2026

Business Profile: The Orbitor

The Orbitor is the first multi-sports ball launcher giving young football, goalkeeping, basketball & netball athletes perfect, repeatable practice at home.

It’s designed to deliver consistent ball delivery, helping users practise with purpose - anytime, anywhere.

The idea for The Orbitor began after the Founder & CEO, Claire Budge’s goalkeeper daughter Amelie was invited to attend an England Schoolgirls trial. Like many parents, Claire wanted to do everything she could to help her practise at home and prepare.

Find out more & register your interest for when The Orbitor goes on sale via the link in the comments below ⬇️⭐️

The Orbitor Alt Labs (Made In North East)

02/06/2026

Why over-delivering beats minimum effort