A new event for growth-stage businesses is heading to Manchester this November, bringing founders, investors and business leaders together – with a live pitch competition putting the region’s female founders in front of potential backers.
SCALE Manchester will take over Freight Island on November 25 for a day of panels, roundtables, networking and introductions designed to help ambitious businesses across the North West scale. Prolific North has joined the event as its official media partner. To make it even better, you can register for SCALE Manchester using the code PRONORTH20 to get 20% off your tickets!
It marks the latest expansion of SCALE, the platform for growth-stage businesses, following its SCALE Expo & Summit in London in April, which brought together thousands of founders, investors and ecosystem partners.
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Access to growth capital will be a major theme of the Manchester event, which aims to connect founders with investors, operators and growth partners.
The programme will include fireside chats with entrepreneurs, founder-led panels covering issues including accessing capital, entering new markets and building teams, investor roundtables, speed networking and a live pitch event.
Sam North, co-founder and CEO of SCALE, said: “We know the North of England has never lacked ambition. Founders here build from scratch, back themselves, and refuse to wait for permission. SCALE Manchester exists to match that energy with the right support: connecting founders of high-potential businesses with new customers plus the capital, community, talent and tech they need to achieve sustainable growth.
“We’re very much on a scaleup journey ourselves, and SCALE Manchester marks an exciting next step in bringing that same energy from SCALE London to ambitious businesses across the North West.”
Confirmed speakers include Coffee Nation founder and former CEO Martyn Dawes; Bod Buckby, Head of UK Primary Markets, North, at the London Stock Exchange; Emma Thackray, co-founder of Hip Pop; James Crawford, managing director of PR Agency One; Sam Cooper-Gray, chair of The Gender Index and co-founder of XX Invest; and Yvonne Sampson, director of enterprise at GM Business Growth Hub.
A major part of the event will be the Women Who Scale Female Founders Pitch Competition, which is coming to Manchester following its first pitch event in London in April.
Female and non-binary founders are being invited to apply, with applications open to women-led businesses headquartered in the North West.
Shortlisted entrants will be asked to submit a pitch deck before a select group are invited to pitch to investors and a live audience of 300 entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem allies.
Angel Investment Network will play a role in shortlisting applications and judging the competition on November 25, as well as connecting the winner and runner-up with potential backers.
Xavier Ballester, Director AIN Brokerage Division, said: “After seeing the incredible standard at SCALE London, expanding our partnership to Manchester is a smart step for AIN. The UK’s venture ecosystem has been concentrated in the South for too long, yet world-class innovation is happening everywhere. We are coming to Manchester specifically to back the exceptional female founders in the North West who are building high-growth, high-traction businesses. If you have clear momentum and a compelling vision, we want to give you the platform and investor network to scale it globally.”
Women Who Scale will also host a funding masterclass for women-led businesses raising investment and a main-stage panel examining psychological, structural and financial barriers facing underrepresented founders outside the capital.
The initiative comes against a backdrop of significant disparities in access to equity investment. The SCALE announcement cites a recent parliamentary report which found that for every £1 invested in UK businesses through equity funding, only around 2p goes to all-female founder teams.
Amy Knight, co-founder of Women Who Scale, said: “The UK economy needs more women investing and raising capital, and scaling companies. Our pitch competition gives female founders and women-led businesses amplified visibility, investor access, and vital connections to support personal, professional and business growth.
“Having seen the impact these opportunities can create for women-led companies since our London event, we’re excited to offer the same level of support to founders building in the North West.”
The judging panel will also include Andy Gray, founder of KnownOrigin.io, which was acquired by eBay, and an angel investor and adviser active in the North West.
SCALE Manchester has confirmed a wide range of partners and sponsors including Corporate Traveller, Grant Thornton, Innovate UK Business Connect, techUK, GM Business Growth Hub, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, PR Agency One, BusinessCloud and Prolific North.
Andrew B Morris, chairman of SCALE, said: “This isn’t another conference to sit through. If you’re building something with the potential for national and international scale, this is the room to be in. I’m proud of what the SCALE has brought to life in London. Now it’s about committing to unlocking growth opportunities outside of the capital, starting with the North West.”
SCALE Manchester takes place at Freight Island on November 25, 2026 – Register for SCALE Manchester – Use code PRONORTH20 to get 20% off your tickets
