Open Tech Calendar

Fresh from our Christmas break, we're back in January featuring two talks focusing on the topics of brand, free food and drinks, and plenty of wonderful opportunities to chit chat with other marketing professionals; we hope to see you there.

Sheffield DM is free to attend, casual and most importantly, fun! Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, this is the place to be. Our events are relaxed and friendly, in a cosy environment just across from Sheffield station.

Featuring AMAZING speakers, our talks are to-the-point, with actionable takeaways and appropriate for anyone involved in marketing, regardless of background, skill or experence level. From marketing directors through to media students, Sheffield DM is a diverse and welcoming place for everyone who loves marketing.

Socialise with industry experts and other members of the Sheffield marketing community, gain valuable insights, and stay ahead of the curve in the world of digital marketing.

17:30 - Arrive, g...

Informal get-together upstairs or outside at HowSt on Howard Street next to Sheffield Hallam’s Owen Building, to chat over coffee and breakfast from 9am. Everyone is welcome. No registration is required.

Find your deep innovation, protect it, polish it, and shine it to investors.

For 400 years, Sheffield & South Yorkshire has had some of the best technology on the planet, but it's often behind the scenes. We're helping you focus on protecting it and being able to shine it out there to attract investment by partnering with leading experts in the field.

This multi-part event supported by Venture.Community sponsors Potter Clarkson and Sedulo. Submit your deck by 21st January to get 1-2-1 feedback and input with advisors for free.

Agenda:
Panel: A panel discussion on investment readiness, featuring a VC, an Angel, and experts from IP , Law and Finance

Networking and Mentoring: Network with local angels and other startups, spend some time with our experts (subject to deck submission to NDM@venture.community) for a personal deck review and 1-2-1 tips.

Who Should Attend?
Early-stage entrepreneurs, startup founders, and anyone passionate about raising funding for their innovat...

An Exclusive Event for Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Innovators in Sheffield

Join us on Thursday, January 30th at Heist Brew Co, Sheffield, for the inaugural Bessemer Society Sheffield Branch Event—a gathering dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs and innovators with the tools, connections, and insights needed to successfully raise venture capital in the North of England.

What’s it About?

Raising venture capital can be one of the most challenging steps for any startup. This event is designed to deliver practical advice from seasoned investors and successful founders, equipping entrepreneurs with the knowledge they need to secure funding and scale their businesses.

This is not just another panel discussion—it’s a launchpad for a new chapter of innovation and collaboration in Sheffield, inspired by the city’s legacy of industrial ingenuity.

Agenda Highlights

📢 Startup Pitches (5:00 PM)

Kick off the evening with 3-4 inspiring local startups presenting their ideas in t...

Sheffield Startup Meetup is back with a refreshed format and a new location!

Founders at every stage of the journey join us month in, month out to learn and meet fellow founders. Whether you’re a new founder looking for inspiration and advice or a seasoned veteran looking for community and support, join us for a hot chocolate (with or without Baileys) at Bullion's new Chocolate Bar in Leah's Yard.

Every month we'll bring you a short but sweet, punchy mix of panel discussions, founder interviews, and group thought experiments.

Details

We're back at SHU in Room 12.4.12 at the Charles Street Building, Sheffield Hallam University, 120 Charles St, Sheffield, S1 2NE

Look for the FES signs up into the lift and the 4th floor, and please sign-in when you arrive.

This month: Stam Bourgkis

Our event is free and inclusive; we welcome people of all backgrounds and experience levels to join. We will be checking in people at the door so be sure to sign up online.

Before you attend, please read our code of conduct: bit.ly

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This month we'll be welcoming:

Stam Bourgkis - Front-end frameworks in Python

Python front-end frameworks like Streamlit offer front-end engineers the ability to build a fully interactive web app in just 50 lines of Python code. In this talk, Stam will explore how these higher abstraction layers enable rapid prototyping, highlight popular components, and weigh the pros and cons of such frameworks. Whether you’re a seasoned dev or just starting out, discover ho...

Informal get-together upstairs or outside at HowSt on Howard Street next to Sheffield Hallam’s Owen Building, to chat over coffee and breakfast from 9am. Everyone is welcome. No registration is required.

Sponsored by Sheffield City Council, we are delighted to hold our first interactive session of local females supporting local females, to empower and create a safe space to share experiences!

Join us for an inspiring event where industry leaders share their personal journeys into technology, discussing the challenges they faced and how they overcame them. Network with peers, gain insights and discuss how we can empower the next gen of Women in Tech!

Join us for the Sheffield Digital Annual General Meetup (AGM) on 5th February 2025!

Our AGM is an opportunity for our members and the wider digital community to get together, to reflect on and celebrate your successes, to share information and say thank you. We're extremely excited to share some of our achievements, including our mentoring scheme, which simply would not be possible without your support.

All of this plus great food, a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and good company.

T he schedule for the night

5 .30pm - Arrival at Workstation

5:45pm Hot food served with tea, coffee and water. Cash bar available to purchase drinks.

6.45pm - Presentations, celebrations and more. Including...

Sheffield Innovation Spine Keynote - Charlotte Thompson, Project Director

Heard about the Sheffield Spine but want to know more, Project Director Charlotte Thompson will be explaining what's to come in 2025 and answering your questions.

Sheffield Digital Skills Audit - Mel...

Welcome back to NUX Sheffield for 2025! This event will be hosted by Sheffield Hallam University and food will be sponsored by NUX on Thursday 6th February. Once you enter the Charles Street building head for the lifts and floor #4 and look for NUX volunteers.

We're thrilled to welcome two excellent speakers: Mike Weir, Head of Behavioural Science at Impression and Dr Liliana Rodriguez, Senior Service Designer at Netcompany.

This event is a great opportunity to meet like-minded professionals and share ideas. Whether you're just beginning your journey into UX or have spent several years in the field, everyone is welcome to join and share their experiences.

Informal get-together upstairs or outside at HowSt on Howard Street next to Sheffield Hallam’s Owen Building, to chat over coffee and breakfast from 9am. Everyone is welcome. No registration is required.

Informal get-together upstairs or outside at HowSt on Howard Street next to Sheffield Hallam’s Owen Building, to chat over coffee and breakfast from 9am. Everyone is welcome. No registration is required.

AWS Sheffield is back with a bang in 2025! You can expect food, drinks, great conversation and the chance to catch up on what's new in AWS! Matheus Guimaraes will recap the best content and announcements from re:Invent in Las Vegas. Look out for swag (if I can get hold of some) and prizes (all on Matheus).

Our event is free and inclusive; we welcome people of all backgrounds and experience levels to join. If you require any accommodations please reach out and we will do what we can.

Rough Schedule
6.00pm - Doors, food, drinks
6.30pm Onwards - re:Invent re:Cap with Matheus Guimaraes Senior Developer Advocate @ AWS
After we'll continue the conversation at the Sheffield Tap (sheffieldtap.com).

How can you expect to raise capital without knowing what investors truly want? Perhaps you’re a prospective angel investor eager to learn from seasoned professionals, or a Founder ready to fundraise?

Meet the Investors' is a unique reverse pitching session where the tables are turned, and investors pitch to you.

This event is designed to give Founders and aspiring investors insider knowledge on how to stand out in the competitive world of fundraising or take your first steps as an investor. Featuring a panel of leading venture capitalists, angel investors, and investment professionals, this is your chance to learn what drives their decision-making and what they look for in an investment opportunity.

What to Expect:

Reverse Pitching Panel: Hear directly from investors, venture capitalists, and angels as they share insights into their investment strategies, what excites them about startups, and how they evaluate opportunities.
Interactive Q&A: Get your burning questions answ...

The Third Venture.Community Startup Showcase. An opportunity for Investors and startups to network and to see some of the brightest, fast-moving Startups in the South Yorkshire region showcase their technologies, teams and ambitions.

We are assembling a lineup of fantastic startups ready to showcase their technologies and solutions as we return from the summer!

Join us to see some of what Venture.Community can offer to Founders, meet the Fellows and Members of the Community and engage with the array of Investors who will be attending. Forge relationships with those in Venture.Community and prospect your interest in joining!

This is a great chance to make connections at the start of the Autumn investment season, to help propel your company to the next stage and secure your next fundraise. Don’t waste your opportunity to be in this room full of investors who could take your business to the next level.

Register for a ticket before it's too late!

Informal get-together upstairs or outside at HowSt on Howard Street next to Sheffield Hallam’s Owen Building, to chat over coffee and breakfast from 9am. Everyone is welcome. No registration is required.

The TechForge Accelerator from Business Sheffield comprises of 5 in-person workshop sessions designed to support the needs of technology-centred startups, especially those involving software. The TechForge Accelerator is best suited to founders who are at an early stage – for example you might just have an idea, be working on a prototype (or MVP), or have done some initial trading.

You can book into one or more workshops in the series, depending on your needs. The workshops last just over 2 hours with an opportunity to network at the end.

The first session of our Accelerator gives you an overview of the ‘journey ahead’. As well as the providing you with a tried and tested routemap, the session is full of practical advice and tips on some of the steps you will need to take, and pitfalls to avoid, in order to create a strong foundation for your software-based startup.

The session will be led by Morgan Killick and Robin Gibbons- our highly experienced Tech Scale-Up Advisors – bot...

Sheffield Startup Meetup is back with a refreshed format and a new location!

Founders at every stage of the journey join us month in, month out to learn and meet fellow founders. Whether you’re a new founder looking for inspiration and advice or a seasoned veteran looking for community and support, join us for a hot chocolate (with or without Baileys) at Bullion's new Chocolate Bar in Leah's Yard.

Every month we'll bring you a short but sweet, punchy mix of panel discussions, founder interviews, and group thought experiments.

Informal get-together upstairs or outside at HowSt on Howard Street next to Sheffield Hallam’s Owen Building, to chat over coffee and breakfast from 9am. Everyone is welcome. No registration is required.

The TechForge Accelerator from Business Sheffield comprises of 5 in-person workshop sessions designed to support the needs of technology-centred startups, especially those involving software. The TechForge Accelerator is best suited to founders who are at an early stage – for example you might just have an idea, be working on a prototype (or MVP), or have done some initial trading.

You can book into one or more workshops in the series, depending on your needs. The workshops last just over 2 hours with an opportunity to network at the end.

The second session of our Accelerator for tech startups is an introduction to the many forms of support, both financial and non-financial, that can help enormously as you grow your business. We explain the benefits of Accelerators and Incubators, Mentoring and Networking and how to make the most of these, as well as offering a quick tour of various Grants that you might be eligible for.

The session will be led by one of our highly experienced...

Informal get-together upstairs or outside at HowSt on Howard Street next to Sheffield Hallam’s Owen Building, to chat over coffee and breakfast from 9am. Everyone is welcome. No registration is required.

The TechForge Accelerator from Business Sheffield comprises of 5 in-person workshop sessions designed to support the needs of technology-centred startups, especially those involving software. The TechForge Accelerator is best suited to founders who are at an early stage – for example you might just have an idea, be working on a prototype (or MVP), or have done some initial trading.

You can book into one or more workshops in the series, depending on your needs. The workshops last just over 2 hours with an opportunity to network at the end.

The third session in our Accelerator for tech startups looks at a variety of methods for generating income (so-called Monetisation). One of the most exciting aspects of software-based businesses is the innovative approaches they use to bring money in. Whether you are planning to charge fees or subscriptions or are exploring some of the more unusual routes such as ad revenue or digital currencies, there may be options you haven’t spotted before....

Scaling from Zero to One : The Journey from Launch to £1M ARR

For early-stage founders, the journey from an initial idea to generating £1M in annual recurring revenue is one of the most challenging yet rewarding phases of building a venture. This event is designed to demystify the scaling process, breaking down the key milestones, strategies, and frameworks required to help entrepreneurs achieve their first major growth milestone.

This event is tailored for entrepreneurs looking to accelerate their learning curve, avoid common pitfalls, and gain actionable insights on scaling effectively. Whether you're in the ideation stage or have just launched your product, this is the perfect opportunity to connect with experienced founders, investors, and mentors who have successfully navigated this journey.

Takeaways:
Attendees will leave with insights and practical tools to move from an early-stage company to hitting their first £1M in annual revenue.

Who Should Attend?
Early-stage...

Taking on your first employee is a significant milestone for any small business. It marks the point where you need to start considering various HR aspects to ensure a smooth and compliant working environment. Here are some key points to consider when it comes to HR for small businesses:

Employment Contracts: It's essential to have a written employment contract that outlines the terms and conditions of employment.

HR Policies and Procedures: Developing clear HR policies and procedures can help set expectations and standards for your employees.

Compliance: Small businesses need to comply with employment laws and regulations to avoid legal issues.

Training and Development: Investing in training and development opportunities for your employees can boost morale, productivity, and retention rates. It also helps your business stay competitive by enhancing the skills of your workforce.

Employee Relations: Building positive relationships with your employees is crucial for a harmo...

The TechForge Accelerator from Business Sheffield comprises of 5 in-person workshop sessions designed to support the needs of technology-centred startups, especially those involving software. The TechForge Accelerator is best suited to founders who are at an early stage – for example you might just have an idea, be working on a prototype (or MVP), or have done some initial trading.

You can book into one or more workshops in the series, depending on your needs. The workshops last just over 2 hours with an opportunity to network at the end.

The penultimate session of our Accelerator for tech startups covers the all-important step of building your first (software) prototype, sometimes known as an Minimum Viable Product or MVP. In this session, we cover why an MVP is such a critical stage and how you can get it right. We go on to help you work out what should be in an MVP and what should not, appraise several different routes for achieving an MVP and give tips on how to manage the pr...

The TechForge Accelerator from Business Sheffield comprises of 5 in-person workshop sessions designed to support the needs of technology-centred startups, especially those involving software. The TechForge Accelerator is best suited to founders who are at an early stage – for example you might just have an idea, be working on a prototype (or MVP), or have done some initial trading.

You can book into one or more workshops in the series, depending on your needs. The workshops last just over 2 hours with an opportunity to network at the end.

In this final session of the TechForge Accelerator for tech startups, we discuss a range of options for raising investment into your business. Whether you need £5,000 or £500,000, many founders find that they just cannot move forward without some external investment. Thankfully, there are several options out there including Debt (borrowing), Equity (sale of shares in the business) and Crowdfunding (from the general public). This session gives yo...

Sheffield Startup Meetup is back with a refreshed format and a new location!

Founders at every stage of the journey join us month in, month out to learn and meet fellow founders. Whether you’re a new founder looking for inspiration and advice or a seasoned veteran looking for community and support, join us for a hot chocolate (with or without Baileys) at Bullion's new Chocolate Bar in Leah's Yard.

Every month we'll bring you a short but sweet, punchy mix of panel discussions, founder interviews, and group thought experiments.