‘Tis the season to collaborate,
fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.
Innovation, growth and progress,
fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.
In case you couldn’t tell, we’re in a great mood over here at Plexal HQ and the Plexmas spirit has taken hold!
2025 has been a fulfilling year for us, during which we’ve grown our team by 35 people who’ve joined our shared mission of generating economic growth and making the UK safer with innovation.
We’re doing this by uniting startups, government, industry and academia to generate sovereign solutions to national problems, strengthening the UK’s technology base and empowering leaders to scale.
Before we come into 2026 to take our efforts to the next level, we’d love you to observe our milestone moments of 2025 with us. So, grab a mince pie and beverage of the mulled variety to refresh yourself on the work we’re doing, which you could be a part of, before we charge into the New Year with intent.
JANUARY
Plexal’s LASR Hub opens to convene AI security ecosystem
We introduced a dedicated space in London for AI security innovation in line with our role in the Laboratory for AI Security Research (LASR). The LASR Hub is a shared office space designed to foster alliance and innovation in the rapid-growth field of AI security.
Don’t forget human connection in the pursuit of funding and ROI
We detailed the key lessons linked to funding and beyond as we convened Barclays Eagle Labs, 25 scaleups and ten VCs for a networking dinner that wasn’t designed to be pitch practice in between courses, but a reminder to understand each other on a human level.
FEBRUARY
Exploring the future of AI security as LASR Lates launches in London
We hosted our first LASR Lates event at Plexal Stratford, observing the security risks posed to AI and the opportunity for innovation with an esteemed panel of experts from the AI security sector, who represented organisations including Dell Technologies, University of Oxford, Mindgard and The Alan Turing Institute.
Plexal appointed to techUK Defence Board and in election for National Security Committee
Our Defence Lead, Hamza Huda, was selected as Forum Chair and member of the techUK Defence Board for the next two years. Since this time, we’ve had three more appointments:
- Ruby Motabhoy, Senior Lead for National Security at Plexal has been named Vice Chair of the National Security Committee
- Diane Gilbert, Senior Lead for Programmes at Plexal has been named Cyber SME Forum Chair
- Dr. Melina Beykou, Technology and Product Consultant at Plexal has been named on the Emerging Tech Leadership Committee
MARCH
Powering progress: How innovation clusters supercharge regional growth
We orchestrated an assembly at our Hub8 by Plexal MX Innovation Centre in Cheltenham, building on the town’s position as a thriving UK cluster. We explored how alignment between initiatives in Cheltenham, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Milton Keynes can add significant momentum and benefit on a national scale.
Global startup cohort lands in Singapore to fast track international growth with CyberBoost Catalyse
Our international group of ten startups was selected from Europe, the US, South Korea, Singapore and Israel. They range from being bootstrapped to public companies, with seven out of ten members seeking investment, and they’re tackling important challenges from addressing fraud and detecting deepfakes to securing supply chains.
APRIL
Plexal develops always-on SME support system, Growth Partnership
The UK Government outlined its number one mission is economic growth. Understanding that the journey of a growing business is incredibly complex, Plexal is focused on getting these companies to their peak potential with Growth Partnership.
Innovators rally in Manchester for Cyber Runway Live as North West achieves sector first
Our second Cyber Runway Live event, which we held in Manchester at The Lowry, Salford Quays, was held to celebrate our Cyber Runway community. The day included networking, pitch battles, panel discussions, workshops and the graduation of the latest programme participants from our Launch, Grow, Scale and Ignite streams.
MAY
Director GCHQ joins LASR roundtable on resilience and commercial potential of AI security at RSA Conference
At RSA Conference, LASR hosted a roundtable discussion convening international partners and thought leaders to explore shared challenges and opportunities in securing AI on a global scale. During this event, we were delighted to be joined by Anne Keast-Butler, Director of GCHQ, a key strategic partner of LASR.
Growing your business: Establishing the mission
Drawing on his personal experience, Plexal CEO Andrew Roughan detailed how a mission should keep your company focused and stretching forward to achieve goals, reaching for something that inspires you as part of our ongoing Growth Partnership service.
JUNE
SXSW London 2025: The role of innovation in national security
Shaping part of the innovative dialogue taking place across SXSW London, we led an exclusive national security conversation with peers from the national security community who sit on the frontline of protecting the UK.
Unlocking UK innovation: A conversation with Plexal’s CEO
Anna Wood, Editor at Startups Magazine, spoke to our CEO Andrew Roughan about the importance of collaboration in the industry, Plexal’s four pillars of innovation support and why the UK needs to find its subsector niches to excel in.
JULY
TfL and Plexal tap into emerging technologies and startup solutions with innovation operation
Transport for London (TfL) appointed Plexal as an Innovation Operation Supplier for a multi-year partnership. Plexal is leaning into our focus on achieving the potential of emerging technology through strategic collaboration and supporting the TfL innovation team with insights and resources to drive product development and transformation across the transport network.
Cyber Security and Intelligence: The changing shape of the threat landscape
We’ve had the privilege of furthering our relationship with Cityforum, hosting the recent Cyber Security and Intelligence: The Changing Shape of the Threat Landscape discussion. Plexal CCO Saj Huq shared his takeaways from the latest in a line of forums from the event and research organisation.
AUGUST
Plexal provides dedicated support for security-focused startups with Google Cloud
Plexal began collaborating with Google Cloud to provide security-focused startups developing breakthrough technologies with access to a breadth of resources unlocking the potential of Google Cloud. This includes support around AI innovations, which can support founders with product development, go-to-market strategies and operating model design.
SEPTEMBER
DSEI 2025: Innovative partnerships crucial for growth as Defence Industrial Strategy rolls out
Commenting on our attendance at Defence and Systems Equipment International, Plexal CCO Saj Huq explained: “Our presence at DSEI 2025 ties in with the work we’re doing across the defence sector. This includes supporting access to novel technologies, acceleration of sovereign capabilities and SME engagement, which is crucial for the UK’s growth and overall national security.”
Cyber Runway returns to drive business growth, CNI resilience and North West collaboration
Cyber Runway, the largest cyber accelerator in the UK, came back and bigger than ever. Our entrepreneurship support programme returned for its fifth edition as part of the Cyber Growth Action Plan – a component of the wider Plan for Change.
OCTOBER
Innovation clusters: The global growth opportunity
Plexal joined the HM Treasury business delegation to the Gulf alongside Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Our CEO Andrew Roughan flew to Riyadh alongside other UK senior leaders, with the trip forming part of a government ambition to deepen economic and commercial relations at the Future Investment Initiative, and we outlined the mutually beneficial opportunities for the UK and the Gulf in a white paper.
NOVEMBER
Elevate: From operators to visionaries in technologies and sectors spanning AI to healthcare
Barclays Eagle Labs and Plexal launched Elevate – a new initiative for exceptional founders developed from our third Scaleup Programme that prepares high-growth UK tech companies for tackling the challenges of scaling. Elevate comprises a cohort of eight founders and is centred on personal and professional evolution.
Grown in Hackney: Second cohort comes to the end of the programme
Plexal’s free, six-month Grown in Hackney initiative offered tailored business support to help fast-track local businesses, supported by Hackney Council. Get to know the second cohort as the founders reflect on their experiences following programme completion.
DECEMBER
Plexal and Cisco call on UK SMEs to secure AI supply chain with LASR
Plexal and Cisco announced a second innovation opportunity for UK SMEs through our collaboration with LASR, looking for those addressing challenges associated with the security of AI supply chains, such as secure deployment for critical national infrastructure.
CNI sector supported by SMEs to protect UK services, public and economy from significant attacks
Funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and delivered by Plexal, our Cyber Runway CNI programme welcomed six SMEs to contribute capabilities towards strengthening the UK’s critical national infrastructure against evolving cyber threats. This gained a lot of interest, being picked up by the likes of UKTN, UKAuthority, Industrial Cyber, New Civil Engineer, IT Brief and more. It’s an area that we’ve only scratched the surface on, so more updates to follow.
Stay tuned for more news, events and opportunities from us in 2026!
