Edinburgh is well-versed in building bridges but what does it actually take to go global? From US biotech investors sharing their fundraising advice, researcher-turned-founders sharing their journeys, and a session on export finance, join us for a Thursday Gathering on building bridges and accelerating growth.
Meaningful ideas and changes are sparked when serendipitous connection collides with intention. The Thursday Gathering is our free, weekly meet-up that connects people from across Edinburgh’s innovation community to make things happen. Every Thursday, we bring together innovators of all backgrounds, from founders and investors to students and researchers, to discuss big ideas and connect human to human.
In partnership with Sullivan & Worcester and Venture Builder Incubator :
Powered by Advanced Research + Invention Agency
If you require accessibility assistance or special accommodations, please contact us at hello@venturecafeedinburgh.org ahead of the event.
Grab a drink, and join the conversation! Whether you're looking to meet potential collaborators, exchange ideas, grow your network, or simply continue the conversation, this is a great opportunity to connect with fellow innovators, entrepreneurs, and members of the community. You never know where a conversation might lead!
Scotland is excellent at creating innovative companies, but too many struggle to access the capital they need to scale. As the next generation of science-led and more capital-intensive businesses move into their scale-up phase, traditional equity/debt funding alone may not always provide the right answer.
One powerful source of capital remains significantly underused: export finance.
Backed by Government, export finance can help internationally ambitious businesses access substantial debt financing to support their growth, without giving away further equity. Yet recent analysis found that digital and technology companies received just 0.08% of UKEF support over the past five years. This session will explore how export finance can be used to retain and scale the next generation of high-growth Scottish companies.
Attendees will learn what export finance is, which businesses can benefit, how it works in practice, and why it may deserve a place alongside equity and other debt within the capital stack.
Panellists:
- Carl Williamson, Co-Head of Business Group and Director of SME and Trade Finance, UKEF
- Amy Clark, Head of Short Term Business, UK Export Finance
- Chris Lynch, Head of Trade of SCF Origination, Santander UK
- Daniela Barrdear, Partner, Sullivan & Worcester
- Moderated by: Ben Williams, Partner, Sullivan & Worcester
- Introduction by: James Shaw, Partner, Sullivan & Worcester
About Sullivan & Worcester
Sullivan & Worcester (Sullivan) is a premier, AmLaw 200 international law firm with lawyers in Boston, London, New York, Tel Aviv and Washington, D.C. Sullivan’s clients, including Fortune 500 companies, leading financial services firms and asset managers, boards of directors, real estate companies, and emerging businesses, rely on Sullivan’s ability to navigate complex legal and operational landscapes, the impeccable judgment of its lawyers, and its commitment to best-in-class client service.
AI can now write our pitches, prepare our interview answers and create our presentations. But is it making us better communicators, or simply better at outsourcing the hard work?
In this fun, interactive workshop, we'll put human and AI-generated communication to the test through live challenges, audience voting and a little friendly competition. We'll explore how AI is changing the skills we need at work, what happens when we become too dependent on it, and how we can use AI to develop our abilities rather than replace them.
Take a seat and hear from Venture Café Edinburgh Director, Claudia Cavalluzzo who will go through how to make the most of a Thursday Gathering and give you a quick preview of what's in line for this week's event.
Venture Café is a global movement built on a simple but powerful belief: isolation is the enemy of innovation.
At our weekly Thursday Gatherings, we connect creators, entrepreneurs, investors, coworkers, students and visionaries to build strong, inclusive and equitable innovation ecosystem. As ecosystem activators, Venture Café Edinburgh is creating a central hub for the city's innovation ecosystem, driving visibility, collaboration and community.
And if you’d like to get more involved with Venture Café, there are plenty of ways to join our network:
🤝 Become a partner
🎤 Speak at an upcoming Thursday Gathering
🙌 Join our ambassador team
We usually ask founders to do the pitching, but this time we're handing the mic the other way. As part of the recently launched Scotland-Massachusetts Bio-Bridge programme connecting the Boston and Edinburgh biotech ecosystems, we are welcoming a delegation of US life sciences venture capitalists to Venture Café Edinburgh. Join us for a session where leading investors will take the stage to share advice on fundraising in the US and insights into what they are looking for in their next biotech investment, followed by audience Q&A.
Kvass is a fermented drink with a tradition stretching back over 1,000 years. Quas is a modern kvass, made here in Edinburgh. It is a non-alcoholic sourdough fermented grain drink: rye and barley are fermented with a 180-year-old sourdough starter culture and Scottish water, then left unfiltered. The result is deep, malty and lightly sparkling, with a clean, dry finish that is never cloying.
Quas has won Great Taste awards: Original in 2024 and Ginger in 2026. It has also been featured in The Times and Herald Scotland, covering the drink’s traditional roots and our Edinburgh story.
Come and taste four flavours on the night:
- Original: malty and gently spicy, with notes of dried fruit.
- Ginger: fresh ginger over a malty base, bright and warming.
- Mint & Lime: a spearmint tea base, finished with a dash of lime juice.
- Spiced: our seasonal special, with warm cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise, nutmeg and orange peel.
Drop by, taste something new, and meet the people behind it.
Edinburgh is well-versed in building bridges but what does it actually take to go global? From US biotech investors sharing their fundraising advice, researcher-turned-founders sharing their journeys, and a session on export finance, join us for a Thursday Gathering on building bridges and accelerating growth.
Meaningful ideas and changes are sparked when serendipitous connection collides with intention. The Thursday Gathering is our free, weekly meet-up that connects people from across Edinburgh’s innovation community to make things happen. Every Thursday, we bring together innovators of all backgrounds, from founders and investors to students and researchers, to discuss big ideas and connect human to human.
In partnership with Sullivan & Worcester and Venture Builder Incubator :
Powered by Advanced Research + Invention Agency
If you require accessibility assistance or special accommodations, please contact us at hello@venturecafeedinburgh.org ahead of the event.
Grab a drink, and join the conversation! Whether you're looking to meet potential collaborators, exchange ideas, grow your network, or simply continue the conversation, this is a great opportunity to connect with fellow innovators, entrepreneurs, and members of the community. You never know where a conversation might lead!
Scotland is excellent at creating innovative companies, but too many struggle to access the capital they need to scale. As the next generation of science-led and more capital-intensive businesses move into their scale-up phase, traditional equity/debt funding alone may not always provide the right answer.
One powerful source of capital remains significantly underused: export finance.
Backed by Government, export finance can help internationally ambitious businesses access substantial debt financing to support their growth, without giving away further equity. Yet recent analysis found that digital and technology companies received just 0.08% of UKEF support over the past five years. This session will explore how export finance can be used to retain and scale the next generation of high-growth Scottish companies.
Attendees will learn what export finance is, which businesses can benefit, how it works in practice, and why it may deserve a place alongside equity and other debt within the capital stack.
Panellists:
- Carl Williamson, Co-Head of Business Group and Director of SME and Trade Finance, UKEF
- Amy Clark, Head of Short Term Business, UK Export Finance
- Chris Lynch, Head of Trade of SCF Origination, Santander UK
- Daniela Barrdear, Partner, Sullivan & Worcester
- Moderated by: Ben Williams, Partner, Sullivan & Worcester
- Introduction by: James Shaw, Partner, Sullivan & Worcester
About Sullivan & Worcester
Sullivan & Worcester (Sullivan) is a premier, AmLaw 200 international law firm with lawyers in Boston, London, New York, Tel Aviv and Washington, D.C. Sullivan’s clients, including Fortune 500 companies, leading financial services firms and asset managers, boards of directors, real estate companies, and emerging businesses, rely on Sullivan’s ability to navigate complex legal and operational landscapes, the impeccable judgment of its lawyers, and its commitment to best-in-class client service.
AI can now write our pitches, prepare our interview answers and create our presentations. But is it making us better communicators, or simply better at outsourcing the hard work?
In this fun, interactive workshop, we'll put human and AI-generated communication to the test through live challenges, audience voting and a little friendly competition. We'll explore how AI is changing the skills we need at work, what happens when we become too dependent on it, and how we can use AI to develop our abilities rather than replace them.
Take a seat and hear from Venture Café Edinburgh Director, Claudia Cavalluzzo who will go through how to make the most of a Thursday Gathering and give you a quick preview of what's in line for this week's event.
Venture Café is a global movement built on a simple but powerful belief: isolation is the enemy of innovation.
At our weekly Thursday Gatherings, we connect creators, entrepreneurs, investors, coworkers, students and visionaries to build strong, inclusive and equitable innovation ecosystem. As ecosystem activators, Venture Café Edinburgh is creating a central hub for the city's innovation ecosystem, driving visibility, collaboration and community.
And if you’d like to get more involved with Venture Café, there are plenty of ways to join our network:
🤝 Become a partner
🎤 Speak at an upcoming Thursday Gathering
🙌 Join our ambassador team
We usually ask founders to do the pitching, but this time we're handing the mic the other way. As part of the recently launched Scotland-Massachusetts Bio-Bridge programme connecting the Boston and Edinburgh biotech ecosystems, we are welcoming a delegation of US life sciences venture capitalists to Venture Café Edinburgh. Join us for a session where leading investors will take the stage to share advice on fundraising in the US and insights into what they are looking for in their next biotech investment, followed by audience Q&A.
Kvass is a fermented drink with a tradition stretching back over 1,000 years. Quas is a modern kvass, made here in Edinburgh. It is a non-alcoholic sourdough fermented grain drink: rye and barley are fermented with a 180-year-old sourdough starter culture and Scottish water, then left unfiltered. The result is deep, malty and lightly sparkling, with a clean, dry finish that is never cloying.
Quas has won Great Taste awards: Original in 2024 and Ginger in 2026. It has also been featured in The Times and Herald Scotland, covering the drink’s traditional roots and our Edinburgh story.
Come and taste four flavours on the night:
- Original: malty and gently spicy, with notes of dried fruit.
- Ginger: fresh ginger over a malty base, bright and warming.
- Mint & Lime: a spearmint tea base, finished with a dash of lime juice.
- Spiced: our seasonal special, with warm cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise, nutmeg and orange peel.
Drop by, taste something new, and meet the people behind it.