Organisations backing the UK’s most ambitious growth-stage companies will convene at SCALE EXPO & SUMMIT next week, at London’s Business Design Centre. Sky Media, City AM, Grant Thornton, Corporate Traveller, DPD, Innovate UK Business Connect, HiBob andMercer are among a powerful group of partners actively accelerating scaleup growth across capital, talent, operations, media and innovation. The free-to-attend SCALE EXPO and focused SCALE SUMMIT will see these organisations, and many more, engage directly with founders and SME leaders at the event on 22-23 April.

Across panels, workshops, and roundtables, they’ll share the tools, insights, connections and support needed to make the scaleup journey more effective. SCALE’s founding team, Sam North (CEO) and William Fowler (Chief Commercial Officer), have developed these partnerships by building on the success of SME XPO, previously owned by the Evening Standard. After successfully completing a management buyout in 2024, the pair rebranded to SCALE and teamed up with Chairman and investor Andrew B Morris to evolve the 2-day event into a powerful platform to drive impact across the scaleup ecosystem.

Monthly SCALE Sessions, entrepreneurs’ investment fund SCALE Ventures, and female founders initiative Women Who Scale have helped level up the event, which offer an impressive lineup of established entrepreneurs and a community feel for visitors. Sam North, Co-founder and CEO of SCALE, said: “We’re enormously proud to be collaborating with Innovate UK Business Connect, Sky Media and Grant Thornton, and all of our 2026 partners and sponsors, as we host the biggest meetup for founders and leaders investing in, backing, and building alongside UK scaleups Scaleups are not just engines of productivity, they’re multipliers for the wider economy.

As a scaleup ourselves, we’re on that journey alongside the founders we support. We understand the pressure, the pace, and the decisions that shape what comes next. The partners we’ve brought on board for SCALE EXPO & SUMMIT 2026 know that when scaleups thrive, the UK benefits.” As the scaleup ecosystem grows, access to capital, markets and talent remain critical, as does alignment between businesses, investors and policymakers on how to deliver meaningful outcomes and lasting impact.

SCALE EXPO & SUMMIT 2026 is where connections translate into real-world results bringing together the people and organisations driving change. SCALE is not a London-only platform. SCALE Manchester is bringing the same model to the North of England with a Summit on 25 November 2026, and uniting first-time founders with experienced entrepreneurs who have built, scaled and exited.

Each of SCALE’s partners plays a distinct role in delivering impact for scaleups, from unlocking capital and strategic guidance, to enabling talent, operational efficiency, and market reach. City AM is the official media partner for the London event. Rupert Hargreaves, COO at City AM, said: “Scaleups create more jobs, innovate faster, and act as multipliers across the economy.

It’s great to see so many influential organisations coming together to help drive regional and national growth, at a time when building and growing a company is becoming more complex, more demanding, and more consequential than ever.” Innovate UK Business Connect will host speed networking sessions hourly across both days of the event. The format pairs founders, SME leaders, operators and ecosystem partners in back-to-back five-minute one-to-one conversations, creating one of the most efficient ways to get in front of a potential customer, investor or strategic partner. Bonnie Smith, Head of Corporate Traveller UK, said: “SMEs are fundamental to the UK’s economic growth.

They create opportunity, drive innovation and bring a level of ambition that moves industries forward. We are so passionate about this community because we’ve built our business around supporting growing companies through every stage of their journey. We’re proud to be part of an event that champions the ambition of UK scaleups at such a pivotal moment.” David Jones, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Mercer, a Marsh Business, said: “Mercer supports employers through every stage of their growth.

Whether workplace essential benefits or solutions that provide a competitive edge, we design evolving packages that align with your journey and propel your business to the next level.” Steve Wild, Head of Sales, Business Development at Sky Media, said: “Sky Media is delighted to be a sponsor of SCALE London 2026. We look forward to adding value to the showcase conference for Scale-Ups – the heartbeat of the UK business community – including hosting workshops on both days of the event to bring to life how scaleups can tap into targeted TV and addressable advertising to drive standout and growth in trusted, brand safe programmes.” SCALE SUMMIT pass holders will also have access to exclusive Meet the Investor sessions with members of the EIS Assoc