Venturefest South at 10
The region is ready, now it needs you.
At Southern Innovation Catalyst on 17 March 2026, leaders from business, education, and investment didn’t just look back at a decade of progress, they leaned in and asked the harder question: What must we do next?
Because this really is a turning point.
A decade in, Venturefest South has:
- Engaged more than 50,000 innovators and businesses
- Sparked hundreds of investor connections
- Backed countless SMEs and scale‑ups
So the real question isn’t what have we achieved?
It’s how do we go further — and do it together?
Ed Gould, Venturefest South Chair said,
“A decade of Venturefest South has only been possible because of the people who show up, and give their time, energy, and belief to this region. To every partner, volunteer, founder, investor, educator, sponsor, and champion who has stood with us, thank you. You are the reason this ecosystem exists, and the reason it continues to grow. But this moment asks something more of all of us. The South is on the edge of a new chapter, and the only thing standing between potential and progress is whether we choose to act. So, let’s collaborate across boundaries. Let’s back our innovators, invest in our ideas, and build the connected region we know is possible. The future isn’t waiting for the South to catch up, it’s ready for us to lead. And it starts with the people willing to step forward now.”
During the Southern Innovation Catalyst event, we heard powerful insights from Jo Stark of the University of Winchester, Naomi Smith of the South Hampshire College Group, Fred Bassett representing the Southern Innovation Catalyst, and Teresa Hogsberg from Hampshire County Council. Each speaker underscored a shared message: partnership‑led innovation is essential to unlocking the South’s full potential and driving meaningful regional growth.
Following their contributions, attendees moved into roundtable discussions where we explored this theme in depth. The outcomes and recommendations captured below reflect the collective experience, ambition, and direction shaped in those conversations.
What’s holding the south back?
One message came through loud and clear: We’re not short on ideas. We’re short on alignment.
Leaders pointed to some consistent barriers:
- Sectors and communities still operate in silos
- A culture of caution is dampening innovation
- The region lacks a single, confident identity
- Corporates and SMEs aren’t fully connecting
- Trust and data sharing are too limited to scale collaboration
In short: It’s not an innovation problem. It’s a coordination problem.
What leaders want next
The ambition is there, and it’s big.
To unlock the region’s potential, leaders called for:
- A shared identity that positions the South as a major innovation region
- Stronger cross‑sector collaboration
- Better access to funding, especially early-stage and IP support
- Local investors backing local businesses
- More inclusive ecosystems with real DEI representation
- Smarter infrastructure: transport, digital, and everything in between
Shared growth needs shared purpose.
A connected innovation engine
One idea stood out above all:
A regional “discovery engine” that:
- Matches businesses to talent, funding, and opportunities
- Connects innovators, investors, and partners
- Surfaces grants, contracts, events, and skills in real time
- Acts as the single front door to the entire ecosystem
A true digital backbone for the South’s innovation economy.
Rethinking growth
Leaders agreed: the South shouldn’t try to do everything.
Instead, the focus needs to be on:
- World‑leading strengths (AI, creative, marine, defence/space, health tech)
- Deep, well‑defined clusters
- Solving real problems, not just promoting sectors
To make collaboration easy and scalable, we need:
- Trusted data-sharing frameworks
- Clear entry points into clusters
- Better SME support for skills and funding
- Corporate challenge and “meet the buyer” programmes
- The public sector acting as a major customer
The ecosystem exists — it just isn’t easily accessible yet.
Venturefest South’s role:
The connector
Across every conversation, one theme kept returning:
Venturefest South is the glue.
It connects people, clusters, ideas, and helps turn talk into action.
It creates visibility.
It champions innovation-led growth for the whole region.
But to take the next leap: It needs more partners, more voices, and more leaders.
What success looks like in the next 10 years
- A globally recognised Southern innovation identity
- A fully connected regional ecosystem
- Strong pipelines from education to startup to scale-up
- More diverse, representative leadership
- A region where innovation is easy to find, fund, and grow
Your role in what happens next
This isn’t a moment to sit back.
It’s a moment to step in.
Venturefest South is inviting:
- Partners to help co‑design the next decade
- Sponsors to amplify and accelerate growth
- Board members to shape the future of the region
If you care about:
- Regional economic growth
- Innovation and talent
- Real impact
Then this is your moment.
Final Thought
The South has the talent.
It has the ideas.
It has the ambition.
What it needs now is alignment — and that only happens when the right people step forward.
Will you be one of them?
Take a look at our Engage Pack to find out how you can get involved.
