Brazen Summit 2026, Day 4: Scaling, Impact and the Road to Exit
About this Event
Day 4 of the Brazen Summit is for founders, scale-up leaders and the people who back them. The morning tackles the practical realities of growth: how to scale without diluting a company's values, how to bring genuinely new technology to market, and how to prepare for an exit.
Tilly Lockey opens the day with a keynote, followed by Guy Singh-Watson, founder of Riverford, in conversation with Gaynor Coley on building an impact-led business on your own terms. Simon Davies, Chief Test Pilot at Vertical Aerospace, then shares what it takes to design, test and certify a new aircraft, with lessons on safety, ambition and scaling that apply well beyond aerospace.
The morning closes with first-hand accounts of acquisitions, mergers and IPOs. Nick Sturge MBE, Heather Frankham MBE DL, George Sandilands and Lauren Crawley-Moore of the London Stock Exchange share how they prepared for exit, what they wish they had known and what came next, giving founders a candid view of the options available and how to approach them.
With founders, investors, advisers and public markets specialists in the room, the morning is also an opportunity to build relationships that can support a business through its next stage of growth.
Who should attend: founders, scale-up leaders, investors, advisers and anyone planning growth or an exit.
The Summit runs each weekday morning from Monday 9 to Friday 13 November as part of Brazen, Bristol's festival of technology, creativity and culture. Sessions begin at 09:30.
Agenda
🕑: 09:30 AM - 09:55 AM
Opening keynote: Tilly Lockey
Host: Tilly Lockey
🕑: 10:05 AM - 10:50 AM
Building Impact-Led Businesses on Your Own Terms
Host: Guy Singh-Watson
Info: Riverford founder Guy Singh-Watson and Gaynor Coley discuss how to scale a business without losing its values: the trade-offs involved, the case for building outside London, and lessons from organic farming and ecological tourism.
🕑: 11:00 AM - 11:25 AM
Brazen at 3,000 Feet: A Test Pilot's Guide to Scaling the Impossible
Host: Simon Davies
Info: A fireside chat with Simon Davies, Chief Test Pilot at Vertical Aerospace, on taking a new aircraft from Bristol towards global certification, and balancing safety with ambition when building something that has never been done before.
🕑: 11:35 AM - 12:25 PM
Acquired, Merged or IPO'd: Exit Stories from the South West's Tech Community
Host: Nick Sturge MBE
Info: A panel of founders, investors and advisers from the South West's technology community share first-hand accounts of acquisitions, mergers and IPOs: how they prepared for exit, what they wish they had known, and what came next.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 45.00
