GUEST COLUMN:
Mark John
Co-Founder of Tramshed Tech and
Board Member of the UK Tech Cluster
While the headlines focused on keynote speakers and big-ticket announcements, what struck me most was the strength and depth of conversations happening in the corridors, across Olympia’s expo floors, high up in the Shard, or around government boardrooms in Whitehall. From discussions on scaling AI ventures to unlocking regional investment, this wasn’t just a showcase of innovation, it was a strategic forum for defining what the UK’s digital economy will look like over the next decade.
One thing became abundantly clear, exporting isn’t just a growth lever for tech companies, it’s often where the journey begins. By their very nature, digital businesses are born global.
Whether it’s software, SaaS, gaming, or green tech, many of the Welsh startups we support are already engaging with international markets, well before reaching ten employees.
London Tech Week underscored how this global-first mindset is fast becoming the default, and Wales is firmly in the mix.
But for Wales to fully realise its export potential, the infrastructure around internationalisation must continue to strengthen. Support from programmes like the Welsh Government’s Technology Export Cluster and UK Government trade missions is essential, but so is cultural confidence. Our founders need to feel they belong at these global tables. Weeks like this prove they do.
One of the more strategic developments that emerged during the week was the expansion of the British Business Bank’s mandate and capital deployment. With plans to increase annual investments to £2.5bn and a £350m allocation to the Nations and Regions, this shift has the potential to plug long-standing finance gaps in devolved economies.
But it must be more than just a redistribution, it has to come with a rethinking of how risk is assessed and how VCs engage with regional tech ecosystems.
The focus must now be on outcomes. Are these funds catalysing follow-on investment? Are they helping companies scale beyond seed and Series A? Are they backing the infrastructure, incubators, accelerators and the networks that underpins startup growth in places like Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham?
The Chancellor’s £2bn uplift for artificial intelligence rightly dominated conversation but beyond the funding, the most meaningful insights came from industry-led panels discussing real-world applications. The message was consistent, the AI opportunity is less about algorithms and more about deployment.
In regions like Wales, that means using AI to transform core sectors such as healthtech, cyber, energy, and advanced manufacturing, while making sure that adoption is inclusive and ethically grounded. One of our mantras at Tramshed Tech is that digital transformation is a people-first journey.
The businesses that win in AI will be those that embed it into workflows without forgetting the humans at the centre of the process.
From the techUK Nations & Regions reception in Shoreditch to our own showcase event at The Shard, there was a growing recognition that regional ecosystems are no longer outposts. They are testbeds for new models of collaboration between government, investors, and founders.
Wales is a great example. With a growing base of high-growth tech companies, world-class universities, and a commitment to affordability and quality of life, we’re seeing a new type of founder choose Wales, not just for cost, but for culture and connectivity.
The conversations last week validated this momentum. But they also made clear that continued growth won’t be automatic. It requires sustained investment, patient capital, and joined-up policymaking that genuinely understands the needs of early-stage ventures across all parts of the UK.
In many ways, London Tech Week was a microcosm of the global tech landscape, fast, fragmented, but full of possibility. For Wales, the challenge is to stay visible, stay ambitious, and keep joining the international dots.
Whether it’s helping founders scale, connecting investors to opportunity, or making sure that national policy reflects the strengths of our regions, we’re at a moment where Wales’ tech voice needs to be louder, bolder and more consistent.
The work we do at Tramshed Tech is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. But as we head toward the Wales Investment Summit later this year, the message from London is clear.
The future is global, but it starts with local action. And Wales is ready to lead.
