At Plexal this time last year, when Christmas was in touching distance and we were counting down the hours before indulging in copious amounts of mulled wine and turkey, we shared our highlights from across 2023 and we’re back to do it all over again with a summary of significant moments from 2024.
There have been many but, notably, we’re elated with our inaugural Impact Report to showcase how long-term government investment in innovation can drive the national economy – tying in with our ambition of driving national security progress, economic growth and social prosperity.
As our CEO Andrew Roughan said: “We’re incredibly proud of the positive impact Plexal is having, both on the economy and society. After all, it’s the unique – but too infrequently harnessed – combination of government, industry, academia and novel startup solutions that’s best placed to solve our biggest challenges.
“It’s particularly rewarding to see the tangible effects of our collaborative work increase exponentially. This validates the value of long-term government investment in UK innovation, which is paying off by stimulating growth at a crucial time for the country, amidst peak disruption through ever-evolving emerging technologies, such as AI, which present exciting opportunities ahead.”
As a member of the Plexal community, you know how fast-paced the innovation industry is, so go ahead and put your feet up to join us as we remind ourselves where this whirlwind year has taken us with a rundown below.
JANUARY
Scaleup superpower ambition detailed in Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary’s speech
We welcomed then-Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Michelle Donelan MP, to our Plexal Stratford workspace on the Here East campus on Tuesday 16th January with a focus on the scaleup opportunity in the UK. She delivered her Scaleup Speech – which our workspace member Naomi Bottrill of Love Language interpreted in British Sign Language.
A showcase of technical minds working towards a safer online nation
We proudly hosted the NCSC For Startups Showcase at our Plexal Stratford workspace at the end of 2023 to demonstrate the hard ongoing work of our alumni community over a series of panel discussions and reflected on the lessons in preparation for 2024.
FEBRUARY
UK-Oman Cyber returns with secure connected places focus to support Sultan Haitham City development
UK-Oman Cyber returned, with our focus for this iteration of the programme around secure connected places (also known as smart cities) policies to provide best practices.
Delivering innovation for bright companies and local authorities in the year since DSIT launched
Wednesday 7th February 2024 was a significant date on the government calendar, marking one year since the official launch of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Plexal CEO Andrew Roughan said: “When the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was created 12 months ago to this day, we were so delighted to have a clear science and technology policy agenda focused on engineering biology, the future of telecoms, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum.”
MARCH
IWD 2024: Inspiring inclusion by sharing experiences, championing peers and providing opportunities
We’re always ready to support trailblazers from the Plexal community and spotlighted the latest wins of the female innovators and thought leaders among us for International Women’s Day. Kate Pearman, COO at Plexal, said: “We’ve welcomed some truly phenomenal female leaders into our community and I hope this campaign encourages more innovators to come forward to make their presence known across the science and technology ecosystem at large.”
MC for the day at Cyber Runway Live, Monika Radclyffe, Director of Innovation Programmes at Plexal, said: “Crucially, friendships and bonds have been created and cemented during the programme, which has been a delight to witness. Support each other – your peer group is your strongest asset.”
Veterans within Plexal discuss signing Armed Forces Covenant one year on from pledge
To mark the one-year milestone of Plexal committing to the Armed Forces Covenant, we consulted internally with our members of staff who have previously served in the armed forces to understand what being a signatory means to them.
APRIL
Cultivating an innovation community and inspirational collision moments with the Golden Valley Development
By 2026, Cheltenham Borough Council is looking to deliver a global platform for the UK’s growing cyber and national security tech ecosystem in Golden Valley. We held a working lunch through the NCSC Investors Forum to gather key Golden Valley Development stakeholders and engage them in a dialogue with local, national and global investors.
Tech Manifesto for London launched at Plexal Stratford with recommendations to secure UK capital’s future
A Future Frontiers event held at our Stratford workspace marked the official release of the Tech Manifesto for London. It arrived ahead of the London mayoral election on Thursday 2nd May, to acknowledge London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s pledges with guidance to ensure change for a more impactful collaboration with the private sector, enabling the city’s tech industry to thrive in the years to come.
MAY
Family mental health platform Orli (Lumi) crowned champion at knockout Digital Product Showcase
A doctor for five years, Mark Cox turned to entrepreneurship in attempt to tackle a noticeable family mental health crisis, which resulted in the launch of Orli (formerly Lumi) – a venture that led him to be named the victor at our debut Digital Product Showcase with Barclays Eagle Labs and UK government.
The challenges, opportunities and achievements unlocked at scaleup stage
Six months on from their induction at DiSH in Manchester, our inaugural Scaleup Programme cohort has graduated. The formal send-off took place in the form of an event comprising networking, panel discussions and a fireside chat at the iconic Barclays Bank HQ in Canary Wharf, situated on Level 30, which offered panoramic views of London.
JUNE
Plexal and Airbus collaborate to help non-traditional businesses launch into the space sector
Plexal and Airbus partnered on a new project, the Airbus Space Accelerator, which was designed to help startups, SMEs and academics with a desire to enter the space industry. Our goal with the Airbus Space Accelerator is to help businesses move their technology forward, while simultaneously gaining knowledge of how the commercial space sector operates and building out their network.
Incubator / Accelerator of the Year at Go:Tech Awards 2024
Winning the Incubator / Accelerator of the Year honour at the Go:Tech Awards, Plexal was recognised for our breadth of work delivering innovation programmes that help all organisations – small and large, private and public, local and global – tackle key challenges.
JULY
Plexal opens startup growth gateway with Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and National University of Singapore
As we furthered our international reach, Plexal collaborated with the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and National University of Singapore (NUS) for a new international initiative – CyberBoost.
MX Innovation Centre opens with mission to fuel business growth, nurture the tech ecosystem and connect community
Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC) and Hub8 by Plexal, the workspace dedicated to growth of the local tech community (which Plexal has a majority shareholding in), officially opened the doors to the 20,000 square foot MX Innovation Centre – the heart of their shared urban Minster Exchange (MX) rejuvenation scheme.
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
International cyber security startups hosted in Singapore to accelerate global growth
Ten international startups joined the inaugural CyberBoost Catalyse programme designed and delivered collaboratively by Plexal and NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore (NUS). Our programme began at the CyberSG Talent, Innovation and Growth (TIG) Collaboration Centre – a joint initiative between the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and NUS.
OCTOBER
A global showcase of inclusive and elastic innovation as women inventors gather at Plexal Stratford for the Global WIIN Conference
Our Stratford workspace proudly hosted the two-day Global Women Inventors & Innovators Network (Global WIIN) Conference, bringing together women from around the world to celebrate innovation, inclusivity and sustainability.
NOVEMBER
Plexal delivers £731m to UK economy through commitment to government-led innovation
We announced our inaugural Impact Report to showcase how long-term government investment in innovation can drive the national economy. The report, developed by independent economic analysis firm Perspective Economics, shows Plexal has contributed £731m to UK GDP since our inception in 2017, including over 9,400 jobs.
DECEMBER
Team growth, process evolution and funding – mission accomplished for the Airbus Space Accelerator cohort
Our Airbus Space Accelerator cohort of nine companies – varying from two employees through to 150 – graduated from our inaugural programme. Lou-Davina Stouffs, Innovation Lead at Plexal, said: “In just 14 weeks we’ve seen the cohort refine or refocus their propositions, fundraise, build out their international customer base and prepare for launch. Their successes highlight the unique value of technical, industry-led programmes in driving innovation, collaboration and, ultimately, business outcomes.”
That’s a wrap on 2024. But as ever, stay locked into all the Plexal socials across LinkedIn, Instagram and X for many more opportunities and updates – we’ll see you in 2025!
