📍 Venue: SISTER – Renold Building, 32a Altrincham Street, Manchester, M1 7JR
GrowAI 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 ChallengeAI 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
Powered by Advanced Research + Invention Agency
Step into a space where every conversation could spark something new. Enjoy music, refreshments, and a lively atmosphere designed to bring people together, whether you’re exchanging ideas, discovering collaborators, or simply sharing a laugh. This is the perfect moment to unwind, connect, and let serendipity guide your evening.
Venture Café is a global movement built on a simple but powerful belief: isolation is the enemy of innovation.
Through our weekly Thursday Gatherings, founders, researchers, investors and innovators come together to share ideas, explore new technologies and build meaningful connections. As ecosystem activators, Venture Café Manchester is creating a central hub for the city’s innovation ecosystem, driving visibility, collaboration and community.
And if you’d like to get more involved with Venture Café, there are plenty of ways to join our network:
🤝 Become a partner
🎤 Speak at an upcoming Thursday Gathering
🙌 Join our ambassador team
💬 Connect with us on LinkedIn
📩 Sign up for our weekly newsletter
GROW:AI is a landmark £12.8 million partnership between Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester, funded through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, designed to accelerate AI innovation and adoption across Greater Manchester. At its heart are Challenge AI Labs, bringing together businesses, researchers and communities to develop practical solutions to real-world challenges across health, creative and digital, advanced materials and manufacturing, and net zero.
Following our four interactive roundtables exploring the opportunities and challenges for AI across Advanced Manufacturing, Creative & Digital, Health & Life Sciences and Net Zero, we bring the facilitators together to share the key insights, ideas and priorities emerging from each discussion.
This interactive panel will connect the conversations, explore what they mean for AI adoption across Greater Manchester, and open the floor for audience questions and reflections on what happens next.
📍 Venue: SISTER – Renold Building, 32a Altrincham Street, Manchester, M1 7JR
GrowAI 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 ChallengeAI 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
Powered by Advanced Research + Invention Agency
Step into a space where every conversation could spark something new. Enjoy music, refreshments, and a lively atmosphere designed to bring people together, whether you’re exchanging ideas, discovering collaborators, or simply sharing a laugh. This is the perfect moment to unwind, connect, and let serendipity guide your evening.
Venture Café is a global movement built on a simple but powerful belief: isolation is the enemy of innovation.
Through our weekly Thursday Gatherings, founders, researchers, investors and innovators come together to share ideas, explore new technologies and build meaningful connections. As ecosystem activators, Venture Café Manchester is creating a central hub for the city’s innovation ecosystem, driving visibility, collaboration and community.
And if you’d like to get more involved with Venture Café, there are plenty of ways to join our network:
🤝 Become a partner
🎤 Speak at an upcoming Thursday Gathering
🙌 Join our ambassador team
💬 Connect with us on LinkedIn
📩 Sign up for our weekly newsletter
GROW:AI is a landmark £12.8 million partnership between Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester, funded through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, designed to accelerate AI innovation and adoption across Greater Manchester. At its heart are Challenge AI Labs, bringing together businesses, researchers and communities to develop practical solutions to real-world challenges across health, creative and digital, advanced materials and manufacturing, and net zero.
Following our four interactive roundtables exploring the opportunities and challenges for AI across Advanced Manufacturing, Creative & Digital, Health & Life Sciences and Net Zero, we bring the facilitators together to share the key insights, ideas and priorities emerging from each discussion.
This interactive panel will connect the conversations, explore what they mean for AI adoption across Greater Manchester, and open the floor for audience questions and reflections on what happens next.