The session will give an opportunity to hear from innovative companies who have relocated their HQ to the UK with the support of DIT’s Global Entrepreneurs Programme (GEP); and to participate in workshops focussed on Raising Finance and Sales/marketing strategies. The session will open with Derek Goodwin, head of GEP, and panels will be moderated by the dealmakers.

About the GEP: As a part of the Department for International Trade’s services provided, the GEP is a programme that helps high potential entrepreneurs and early stage technology businesses or start-ups looking to relocate and scale their business in the UK. The GEP is supported by Dealmakers, who are well-known entrepreneurs in the UK appointed by the government to support and help mentor these start-ups through their investment journey into the UK and thereafter global exports through dealmaking, business development, capital introductions.

Derek Goodwin

Head of Entrepreneurship and Tech FDI - Technology and Entrepreneurship Cluster,
Department of International Trade

Derek is responsible for DIT’s entrepreneurship programmes to attract high potential, tech-based entrepreneurs into the UK. Architect and champion of DIT’s Global Entrepreneur Programme, (the first of its kind in the world) he has been responsible for attracting some of the world’s most innovative entrepreneurs in the UK and his experience of working with high growth companies has helped the programme land over 1000 technology scale-ups in the UK. These “born global” companies have relocated to the UK to scale and internationalise and have raised over £1bn in equity funding and created over 5000 high value jobs over the last ten years. Derek also leads DIT's Tech and Smart Cities's FDI team, with responsibility for the strategic and operational delivery focussed on attracting exceptional tech companies from sectors such as IoT, smart cities, fintech, edtech, robotics, autonomous vehicles etc.