What We Learnt at London Tech Week 2025

Across five inspiring days, we immersed ourselves in conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, and leaders shaping both the UK and global tech landscape. It was a week of bold ideas, fresh perspectives, and conversations that stretched far beyond the main stage.

As a comms team, we weren’t there to broadcast - we came to listen. From headline keynotes to late-night events, we connected with the people driving real change. Here’s what we saw, heard, and took away from a week that sparked ideas, challenged assumptions, and reminded us where the future is heading:

Storytelling Is Becoming a Superpower

A clear theme at London Tech Week was this: great storytelling is a competitive edge. With short attention spans and crowded inboxes, companies that clearly explain why they matter rise above the noise.

A Balderton Capital investor said it best: “The founders we fund tell us, in 60 seconds, why their company matters - not just what they do.”

Founders from Huckletree, Yonder, and Lottie shared how refining their story helped unlock funding and attract talent. The co-founder of Lottie explained how shifting their messaging to “changing how we age” deepened customer trust. 

That’s where we come in. As a PR agency, we partner with founders and brands to sharpen their narrative - ensuring their story is not only heard but remembered. Because in today’s market, strategic storytelling isn’t just PR - it’s a growth superpower.

Founders Are Focused on Longevity, Not Just Scale

There’s been a clear shift in founder mindset - from “build fast, exit fast” to building businesses that last. Across panels and side-stage chats, conversations around team culture, founder mental health, sustainable hiring, and revenue-first growth were front and centre.

A standout event on second-time founders offered raw, practical insights. Founders from companies like Wise (formerly TransferWise) and Octopus Energy spoke openly about what they got wrong the first time around - burning out, raising too early, or hiring for speed over alignment.

One founder from Healios shared how they built in better mental health frameworks for both their team and themselves the second time around. Another from ZOE talked about resisting the pressure to scale before their product and data were truly ready.

Their advice was clear: “Focus on building something meaningful, not just something big.”

In 2025, resilience is the new ambition - and founders who lead with values, not just valuation, are the ones to watch.

AI Has Moved from Hype to Humanity

Yes, AI was everywhere - but the conversation has shifted. This wasn’t about speculation or fearmongering. It was about human-led, problem-solving AI that’s already changing lives in practical ways.

Some of the most compelling sessions came from startups and scaleups using AI not for headlines, but for impact. We heard from UK-based Synthesia on how they’re using generative AI to power accessible video content for training and onboarding. DeepMind’s team shared insight into their work on healthcare diagnostics, while Tractable showcased how they’re transforming car insurance claims using computer vision.

Case studies highlighted AI improving elder care, optimising supply chains, and transforming fraud detection. These weren’t futuristic demos - they were live implementations delivering real-world results. Founders who stood out weren’t chasing AI for the buzz; they were embedding it meaningfully and ethically into systems that matter.

One speaker put it perfectly:

 “We don’t need more AI gimmicks. We need more AI that no one notices - because it just works.”

The takeaway? The real winners in the AI race will be those focused on quiet, invisible efficiency over loud, shiny disruption.

Real Connections Are Happening in Small Rooms

One of the things we love about London Tech Week is what happens off-stage. 

We joined a breakfast meetup for women in tech where conversations ranged from fundraising bias to the micro-decisions that shape leadership. At a fringe drinks event, we spoke with a climate-tech founder using satellite data to track deforestation. Later, we listened to a pop-up roundtable focused on mental health in the founder journey - a session that felt raw, honest, and deeply essential.

There’s something uniquely powerful about gathering people face-to-face in an industry often shaped remotely. The generosity we saw of ideas, time, and advice - was genuinely energising.

DE&I Conversations Feel More Honest

It’s impossible to talk about progress in tech without acknowledging the ongoing challenges around diversity, equity and inclusion. The good news? These conversations felt less performative and more real this year.

Instead of glossy stats or tick-box panels, we heard people naming what’s not working. Female founders talked openly about being underestimated. Black tech professionals shared stories of systemic hurdles. And critically, there was less defensiveness, and more listening from those in positions of influence.

It made us think: this work won’t always be headline-grabbing. But if the tone of this week is anything to go by, the appetite for deeper, ongoing change is growing.

For us at Banjo Communications, London Tech Week wasn’t about collecting contacts or chasing leads. It was about being part of the conversation - one that’s shifting, maturing, and opening up in all the right ways.

We left feeling energised, not just by the pace of innovation, but by the people building it: thoughtful, mission-led founders who care just as much about how they grow as how fast they grow.

If we met you during the week - thank you for sharing your story. And if you weren’t there this time, we’d say: mark your calendar for 2026.