Purpose and Partners
Global Tech Connect, the alliance of UK-based bilateral startup programmes, works to further shared partner objectives by:
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Promoting international trade and investment between the UK and our Partner nations
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Spreading insights learned from individual programme experience
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Sharing knowledge and networks to strengthen the international tech ecosystem
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Jointly pursuing funding and other support where applicable
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Collaborating on events to advance Partner objectives and those of their affiliated startups
In addition to enhancing connections between bilateral startup programmes, GTC assists startups from its partner countries via sector specific Bootcamps helping them build knowledge and network to support their UK scaleup journey.
With its approximately 100 offices in over 70 countries, ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA provides a broad range of intelligence and business development services for both Austrian companies and their international business partners. Around 800 employees and 35 consultants around the world can assist you in locating Austrian suppliers and business partners. We organize about 1,200 events every year to bring business contacts together. Other services provided range from introductions to Austrian companies looking for importers, distributors or agents to providing in-depth information on Austria as a business location and assistance in entering the Austrian market.
Contact: Peter Pesl, Head of Technology and Innovation
Bulgarian Expansion Bridge is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Bulgarian digital businesses as they expand globally, beginning with London. Our goal is to facilitate the seamless establishment of their international operations, establish connections with strategic international clients and investors, and provide unwavering support. We tailor our approach to each company's unique objectives, ensuring personalised guidance. Furthermore, with the support of the governments of both Bulgaria and the United Kingdom, we encourage collaboration between the two local ecosystems, fostering a vibrant, enduring network and community.
Contact: Georgios Kolovos, Co-founder
The BCCC is a bilateral non-profit membership organisation dedicated to promoting and supporting business relations between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Croatia. We help Croatian entrepreneurs find their foothold in the UK, promote their ideas, and raise capital for their businesses. Croatia is an up-and-coming tech star in its own right, with plentiful opportunities for UK businesses. We exist to bring the two together, with strong links in the private and public sectors of both countries. We promote and host our own tech focused events, and help our members access the wider tech relationships we love to develop.
Contact: Damir Cimer, Director
Business Finland is the Finnish government organisation for trade, foreign direct investment and innovation. Its 600 experts work in 40 offices globally and in 16 regional offices around Finland.
www.businessfinland.fi/en
Contact: Perry Le Dain, Trade Commissioner
perry.ledain@businessfinland.fi
La FrenchTech London was founded in 2015 and is part of La FrenchTech, the French government initiative bringing together startups, investors, policymakers and community builders and aiming at supporting the French Digital Ecosystem around the world. La FrenchTech London is the official organisation supporting the French startup & entrepreneurs ecosystem in the UK.
Contacts: Raphael Crouan, President
Germany’s Digital Hub Initiative was founded in 2017 by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. The Initiative brings together twelve Digital Hubs located throughout Germany and provides a solid network to facilitate the exchange of expertise, programs and ideas. Each Digital Hub allows start-ups, companies and research institutions to come together to find solutions to the challenges and prospects of digitisation. These solutions range from artificial intelligence to mobility and smart infrastructure.
Contact: Robert Scheid, UK Ambassador
robert.scheid@gtai.com
The UK Israel Tech Hub is a not-for-profit venture operating out of the British Embassy Israel since 2011. The Hub was founded by the UK government as a means to drive economic growth by helping British companies partner with cutting-edge technology from Israel. The Hub has earned a strong reputation as the finest team of “resident experts” in Israel, one of the world’s leading clusters of technology and innovation. Our unique position within the UK Government, and based at the British Embassy enables us to open doors in both markets that might otherwise be closed, and we do so quickly and efficiently. We pride ourselves on high quality, well-organised innovation advisory work. As such, the Hub has become an ideal partner for UK corporations in facilitating their innovation/technological needs.
Contact: Avital Levitzky, Fintech and Cybersecurity Sectors Lead
TechItalia is a community encompassing 5,000 professionals working in tech in London which supports Italian companies interested in expanding, launching internationally and raising investment in the UK. Since 2018 we have been organising acceleration programmes and bootcamps for tech startups and scaleups with one Italian cofounder, via our network of 200 professionals.
Contact: Pier Paolo Mucelli, Co-founder
UK/Romania Business, supported by r10ventures, is curating a community of investors, startups, accelerators and mentors to offer market entry and soft landing support for Romanian companies scaling to the UK. And as part of Global Tech Connect, Romanian startups have direct access to their sector specific Bootcamps and multinational network. For UK companies we provide an outbound channel to Romania – outsourcing, public sector digitalisation, startup discovery – and platform to develop innovation partnerships with research universities.
Contact: tech@uk-romania.business
A programme designed to help innovative Swiss start-ups explore the UK market. Selected start-ups are given the opportunity to learn about potential business opportunities in the United Kingdom first-hand and build personal networks through individually tailored contacts, activities and events. The programme is funded by Switzerland’s national innovation agency Innosuisse and run by the Embassy of Switzerland in the United Kingdom. The worldwide network of Innosuisse Internationalisation Camps includes the USA, China, India, Brazil and the UK.
www.eda.admin.ch/countries/united-kingdom/sci-tech-edu
Contacts: Lutz-Peter Berg, Head of Science and Innovation
Charlotte-Mathilde Chenu, Science and Innovation Officer
Hackquarters by Tenity connects the most promising startups with the innovative corporate companies. Developed initially as a programme for Turkish startups, it now supports tech companies from multiple countries helping them scale internationally via corporate innovation programmes.
Hackquarters has more than 400 alumni startups, who raised in total $100M funding among our 80 innovation and accelerator programs. You can always check our corporate innovation services and look into our portfolio.
Contact: Kaan Akin, Founder