Women In Digital Innovation Showcase

Overview

Celebrate the diversity of thought in a unique gathering of the minds and elevate voices. Hear first-hand from powerful unstoppable women about how they overcame the most difficult obstacles in their personal and professional lives. We strongly encourage attendees from all fields, stages of business setup or growth, organisations, industries and backgrounds.

About the event

Women in Digital Innovation (WIDI) is on a mission to grow, empower and support women led digital innovation businesses, starting by bringing together and highlighting ecosystems of support working across the Yorkshire & Humber & North East Region. This network will focus on supporting entrepreneurs and digital innovators in the tech sector, across various disciplines and sectors.

This ecosystem of support ranges from business start up to investment readiness, and provides a safe space to speak, nurture, and inspire each other. We will be showcasing entrepreneurs that have been there and done that, who can offer advice and be an inspiration; pulling together knowledge through connectivity across different regions, utilising existing groups and know-how.

Women in Digital Innovation was born out of a passion to give women in digital innovation a place to exchange know how, talk frankly, and get help to find the right knowledge and information to help them take practical steps to building their dream. Support, equal opportunity to start, scale and grow their ideas, with access to the right tools, support, encouragement and visibility they need.

Who is this event for?

Women, those that identify as a women and non binary people who have either started their own digital business, are growing their business or who simply have an idea and want to understand how they can develop it.

Agenda

08:45 – Arrival and Registration – Networking

09:30 – Welcome & Introduction
Louisa Harrison-Walker – Chief Executive of The Sheffield Chamber of Commerce

09:55 – Unstoppable Women
Hear from Christina King, on her journey to building her successful business
Christina King – Chief Commercial Officer Tribosonic

10:15 – Panel Session
Hear from Networks across the North and how to access them and what they can support you on.
Chaired by Ceri Batchelder, Team SY

10:55 – Break, Exhibition and Networking

11:25 – Unstoppable Women
Listen to Melissa’s challenges of setting up a digital business and her road to raising their first £1m
Melissa Chambers – Chief Executive Officer Sitehop

11:40 – Panel Session
Celebrating Failure – learning, understanding and rebuilding. How to be unstoppable.
Chaired by Samantha Deakin

12:20 – The Next Five Steps
Empowering you to think about what your practical next steps should be. We are developing a community of accountability buddies, connecting like-minded individuals across sectors and company stages (start-up to exited). Women who can support and coach each other with practical advice and signposting.
Laura Smith, Innovate UK KTN

12:35 – Accessing funding
Hear from the British Business Bank and ho they are support region funding. Including additional private and public funders on how to access them.

13:10 – Lunch, Exhibition and Networking

14:10 – Afternoon Session – Supporting Women in Business across the North
Featuring a Keynote from Zandra Moore and inspiring talks from key support groups.

14:15 – Building your Ideas discussion – Supporting Women in Business across the North
A discussion with businesses that have bootstrapped, hear about their thoughts and lessons learnt. How they approached the next five steps.
Chaired by Laura Smith

14:45 – Headline Keynote – Supporting Women in Business across the North
Zandra Moore – Chief Executive Officer Panintelligence

15:15 – Pitching Session – Supporting Women in Business across the North

16:00 – Wrap up and Finish.
Leave the event feeling inspired, supported, understood and part of a community of unstoppable women. Taking those new connections, and some practical next steps to take your business forward.

16:20 – Exhibition and Networking
You’ve heard from some unstoppable women as well as learning about the support available to you. It’s time to talk with your fellow entrepreneurs and support providers and make those connections that matter!

16:30 – Event Close

Featured Speakers: View the list of speakers here

This event is in partnership with:

TEAM SY is a project part-financed by the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund and delivered in partnership with Barnsley Council and Capital Enterprise