Speakers revealed for LIFT festival

LIFT, Lancashire’s annual innovation and technology festival, will take place on June 11 at Burnley Football Club’s Turf Moor stadium.

With speakers coming from London, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Cumbria, Cheshire and Sunderland, LIFT 26 will feature a range of different voices, and fresh business perspectives, from outside the county.

Just as diverse will be the industry expertise in the room, with software, entertainment, AI, healthcare, electech, manufacturing, edtech and retail just some of the sectors set to be represented by founders taking part. 

Major investors - including several VCs and angels – will also be speaking at LIFT.

Among these will be Alex Heerema, an investment manager at Ascension, one of the UK’s most dynamic VC firms, and Sarah Barber, managing partner at leading London-based capital investment firm, Jenson Funding Partners.

Joining them will be serial entrepreneur James Butcher, a founding member of Lancashire’s Fhunded Angel network, Jane Theaker, a life sciences investment consultant from SpinXperts, and Toby Biollo, a tech investment specialist from HSBC Innovation Banking.

Another speaker will be rock guitarist turned music tech founder, Hazel Savage.

Hazel, who sold her Musiio AI business to SoundCloud in 2022, currently heads up the Leeds Angels syndicate in West Yorkshire. 

She said: “As someone who went from playing in punk bands and working for disruptive tech firms like Shazam, to building and selling my own company to SoundCloud, I fully understand the mindset of entrepreneurs who are passionate about their business. 

“Now, as an angel investor, I can also see things from a funder’s perspective, and I’ll be sharing insights from both sides of the table when I come to Burnley in June.” 

As well as Hazel sharing her experiences, LIFT will see several other northern founders talking about the lessons they’ve learned through starting and growing innovative companies.

These will include Mary Speakman, co-founder of Blackpool-based software company Code Galaxy, Ben Stuart, founder of the Cumbrian soft-drink brand Lakes Soda, Mark Kelly, MD of Chorley adhesives and sealants firm Kelmore, and Graham Chadwick, founder of the Burnley-based edtech business Gener8 Spaces.

Hosting this year’s LIFT will be Jonny Clark.

Chief executive of Capital Enterprise, a national not-for-profit organisation which supports innovative startups, Jonny is a very vocal advocate for the North’s tech and digital economy. An active angel investor himself, he is also well known in the North West for running the acclaimed Liverpool Slush'D events in 2023 and 2024.

He said: “Having ran events like Liverpool Slush'D, I know just how much untapped business growth potential there is in the region. But what LIFT demonstrates is that it’s not just about cities like Liverpool and Manchester, and that Lancashire has a dynamic founder community driving its own thriving innovation-led economy.  

“The fact LIFT will see angels and VCs from across the UK coming to Burnley is also testament to just how far Lancashire has come as an investor destination, and I’m really looking forward to hosting it.”

LIFT 26, which is funded by Lancashire County Council and delivered as part of LCC’s Innovate Lancashire programme, is sponsored by Forbes Solicitors.

Daniel Fletcher, senior associate from Forbes, which is headquartered in Lancashire and has offices across the North, said: “LIFT helps to strengthen the region’s economy by encouraging innovation.

"It provides valuable support for entrepreneurs and scale-ups, and connect ambitious companies with professionals who can share experience and high-quality advice that drives growth. It’s a privilege to be involved with LIFT and to have the opportunity to support Lancashire’s early-stage ecosystem.” 

With more speakers still to be announced for the full-day festival, LIFT tickets are already selling quickly, and can be booked here.