Worcestershire entrepreneurs are being encouraged to swap the boardroom for the rugby stadium next month, as they pitch their business ventures to a room full of investors, funders and business support specialists.
The county’s first ever Business Funding Summit, hosted by Oxford Innovation Advice in partnership with Worcestershire Growth Hub, takes place at Sixways on Wednesday November 18th and will bring ambitious SMEs face-to-face with angel investors, lenders and growth partners.
Designed to go further than a typical ‘meet the funder’ event, the half-day programme will lift the lid on what backers are actually looking for when making their financing decisions.
There will also be an exhibition hall for SME leaders to engage directly with specialists and a full agenda of great speakers, including Worcestershire County Council who will detail local business support programmes and available grant funding opportunities.
“We’ve held Business Funding Summits in Birmingham and the Black Country, but this is the first time we’ve brought one to Worcestershire,” explained Catherine Bray, Director of Delivery at Oxford Innovation Advice.
“The county has some fantastic entrepreneurial talent, but too many good businesses stall because they don’t know which type of finance is right for them, or what a funder needs to see before saying yes.
“This is a chance to put those questions directly to the people who make the decisions and, for a few brave founders, to put their pitch to the test on the day.”
Two panel discussions, ‘Unlocking Investment for Growth’ and ‘Behind the Investment Decision: What Investors and Funders Really Want to See’, will be held during the region’s first Business Funding Summit.
In between, founders will take to the floor for a round of ‘Pitch Perfect’, presenting their business in front of an audience of funders, while a fireside chat will follow local founders’ journey from funding application to growth success.
The event has also been able to pull in some of the region’s biggest funding specialists, including Chris Orr (Catalyse Angel Network), Richard Cooper (Oxford Innovation Finance), Angie Preece (BCRS Business Loans) and Jordan Dargue (Lifted Ventures).
Darren Schrouder, Worcester Growth Hub Manager, added his support: “The Summit is the starting point, not the finish line. Every business that joins us at Sixways can carry on working with the business support opportunities afterwards, so the conversations they start on the day have the best chance of turning into funding.
“With more than 20 finance providers and support organisations exhibiting, and a networking lunch to round things off, there will be plenty of time to have those conversations face-to-face.”
The Business Funding Summit runs from 9am to 2pm and is open to entrepreneurs and SMEs from across Worcestershire seeking finance for growth, innovation, exports, productivity improvements, acquisitions or scale-up.
More than 30 delegates have already signed-up, with local firms being urged to book now to secure the remaining places.
To book your place at the Business Funding Summit, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/business-funding-summit-2026-worcestershire-tickets-2001373200117
