📍 Venue: SISTER – Renold Building, 32a Altrincham Street, Manchester, M1 7JR

This Thursday, find out how you can connect your business with high-impact social organisations at the tech sector engagement event in partnership with the Manchester Tech for Good Catalyst Programme at Venture Café Manchester.

Funded by Manchester City Council and delivered by the Tech for Good Alliance in partnership with Manchester Digital and techUK, this pioneering three-year initiative pairs skilled tech professionals – from developers and engineering teams to founders, CTOs, and CSR leads – with local charities, CICs, and VCFSE community groups in need of digital support. 

Attend this targeted briefing to discover how your company can lend its technical expertise to amplify local community impact, champion innovation for social good, fulfill meaningful social value goals, and develop new skills in the process. You will hear real-world case studies from participating businesses, and learn how volunteer projects are scoped and managed, as well as how they benefit your business. You’ll also have the direct opportunity to sign up your business on the night.

Partners: Tech for Good Alliance, Manchester City Council, Manchester Community Central and techUK

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📍 Venue: SISTER – Renold Building, 32a Altrincham Street, Manchester, M1 7JR

One year on from our launch, we're bringing together the founders, researchers, investors, corporates, public sector leaders and ecosystem partners who have helped shape Venture Café Manchester into one of the city's most connected innovation communities.

Over the past year, our weekly Thursday Gatherings have welcomed thousands of attendees, showcased leading innovators and thought leaders, and created countless new connections across Greater Manchester's innovation ecosystem - all powered by our belief that isolation is the enemy of innovation.

We're delighted to be joined by the CEO of ARIA, Kathleen Fisher, for this special evening as we reflect on the impact of our first year, celebrate the partnerships that have made it possible, and look ahead to the opportunities for innovation in the years to come.

Expect an evening of insight, conversation and connection. Further programme details will be announced soon.

Register now to be part of this milestone celebration.

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📍 Venue: SISTER – Renold Building, 32a Altrincham Street, Manchester, M1 7JR

Grow AI is a landmark £12.8M partnership project between Manchester Met and the University of Manchester, funded by the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF), to supercharge the AI cluster in Greater Manchester. 

The Challenge AI Labs will bring together corporates, SMEs, communities, academics and students to solve Greater Manchester’s challenges in their 4 frontier sectors. 

The first of these unique Labs focuses on health, in partnership with Health Innovation Manchester and organisations across Greater Manchester. Challenges are shaped openly by the people who understand them best — including those who own the problem and those most affected by it.

Selected companies will work alongside NHS partners, academics and other businesses to develop practical, scalable solutions to some of the sector’s most pressing challenges. We will then move on to tackle challenges with AI in the Creative and Digital, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing and Net Zero sectors.

This special Venture Cafe session is an opportunity to start this conversation about where GM needs innovation in each of these sectors, and how entrepreneurs and SMEs can be part of the solution.

In partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University

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📍 Venue: SISTER – Renold Building, 32a Altrincham Street, Manchester, M1 7JR

What does it take to fund and build ambitious science that doesn’t fit neatly into existing models?

Join our fellow ARIA activation partner Convergent Research at Venture Café Manchester for an evening exploring new ways to fund and organise ambitious science and technology – and where Focused Research Organisations (FROs) could fit within the UK’s evolving innovation landscape.

Whether you already work at the edge of science and innovation or are simply curious about how we might fund and organise ambitious research differently, come along, meet others working across the ecosystem and join the conversation.

No prior knowledge of FROs is needed – everyone interested in the future of science and innovation is welcome!

In partnership with Convergent Research | Community partner: Silicon Mingle

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📍 Venue: SISTER – Renold Building, 32a Altrincham Street, Manchester, M1 7JR

Discover the next wave of innovation at Venture Café Manchester for the regional round of the Tech Osaka Award 2027, hosted in collaboration with Venture Café Tokyo and building on the Sister City partnership between the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the City of Osaka.

Watch ambitious UK and international innovators in Bio/Life Sciences and Healthcare, Green Tech, or Digital. live as they compete for a spot on the global stage. Three winning startups will be selected to travel to Japan (with travel and hotel covered) to represent the region at the Tech Osaka Summit 2027 and pitch for up to ¥2 million in grand prize funding.

Whether you are an entrepreneur looking to expand into the Japanese market or an ecosystem supporter eager to back local innovation, this is your chance to connect with companies, investors, and international partners bridging Manchester and Osaka. Applications to pitch are open from October 1st–22nd for founders who can present in person on November 12th, 2026. 

Explore the full guidelines: https://venturecafetokyo.org/about/from-manchester-to-osaka/ 

Operated by Venture Café Tokyo | Tech Osaka Award 2027

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