The North of England is home to some of the UK's most ambitious entrepreneurs, fastest-growing businesses and most exciting innovation hubs. From Manchester and Leeds to Newcastle and Liverpool, businesses across the region are creating jobs, attracting investment and driving economic growth.

Having built, scaled and exited a business in Leeds myself, I know first-hand that, while there is no shortage of entrepreneurial talent across the North, many founders still face barriers when it comes to growth. Access to experienced mentors, investors, practical advice and the right networks when you need them can often be the difference between success and failure. It's a challenge I certainly experienced on my own entrepreneurial journey – it took me 18 months of hard work to secure sufficient stakeholder support to make UKREiiF viable.

That experience is one of the reasons I founded The Entrepreneur Festival. I believe there is a major opportunity to strengthen entrepreneurship across the North of England and beyond by improving access to the support founders need to grow and evolve.

Taking place at the Royal Armouries in Leeds from 15-17 June 2027, The Entrepreneur Festival has been created to bring together founders, investors, advisers, service providers and policymakers in one place with a shared focus: helping businesses succeed at every stage of their lifecycle. We expect more than 4,000 decision-makers, 300 speakers with first-hand business experience and over 100 exhibitors, making it one of the UK's largest gatherings dedicated to entrepreneurship.

The idea behind the Festival is simple. Entrepreneurs should not be left to navigate growth alone. While generic advice is widely available, access to the right people, opportunities and insights at the right time can be incredibly difficult. The Festival is designed to reduce that friction by creating an environment focused on practical support, meaningful connections and commercial outcomes.

I firmly believe there is a major opportunity to boost the UK economy by giving entrepreneurs from all walks of life the support they need to grow. Throughout my career, I have seen countless founders with the ambition and talent to succeed but without access to the knowledge, mentorship and networks that can help them scale their businesses effectively. I know Sara Davies, a successful northern entrepreneur herself, feels exactly the same and that's why she has come on board as a shareholder and member of our Advisory Group.

The numbers underline the opportunity. More than 317,000 businesses were established and trading across the UK in 2024, yet many founders still admit lacking confidence in key business skills. Closing that gap could have a significant impact on regions like the North where entrepreneurship is already a major driver of prosperity.

The North generates around £344 billion in economic output each year and supports jobs for 8 million people. Small and medium-sized businesses account for the vast majority of all businesses across the region and remain central to local economies.

There is also clear momentum. The North East recorded more than 10,000 new start-ups in the first half of 2025, while the North West saw start-up activity increase by more than 16% over the same period. This demonstrates that ambition is not the issue - the challenge is helping more businesses transition from start-up to scale-up and eventual exit.

This is where The Entrepreneur Festival can make a real difference. Rather than focusing on stories of celebrity entrepreneurs, we are building the event around the practical realities of running and growing a business. Across more than 35 stages, the programme will cover every part of the entrepreneurial journey, from starting a business to building and scaling, leadership, innovation and exit.

Attendees will hear directly from entrepreneurs, operators and investors who have built and scaled businesses themselves. There will also be dedicated spaces for networking, deal-making, roundtables and one-to-one meetings, helping founders connect with the people who can genuinely support their growth.

Importantly, The Entrepreneur Festival is designed to be much more than a three-day event. Alongside the annual Festival, we are building a year-round support ecosystem that will provide access to an online platform, business resources, an AI-powered toolkit and tailored support for entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds.

This longer-term approach will be particularly valuable for the North, where supporting business growth is central to creating jobs, attracting investment and strengthening local economies.

The decision to host the festival in Leeds reflects the growing importance of the North as a centre for business, innovation and investment, while demonstrating that nationally significant events do not need to be based in London. By improving accessibility and visibility for entrepreneurs across the UK, the Festival reinforces the message that entrepreneurial success is not confined to the capital. However, it is important to note that this is more than a three-day event in Leeds; it is a national, year-round initiative designed to support and inspire entrepreneurs across the country, wherever they operate and whatever their background.

At a time when the UK is searching for new sources of economic prosperity, entrepreneurship has an increasingly important role to play. By bringing together the people, knowledge and opportunities that founders need to succeed, I believe The Entrepreneur Festival can be a catalyst for growth locally, in the North, and across the country.

For the North of England and the UK more broadly, the opportunity is simple: to turn entrepreneurial ambition into long-term economic success.