About the Top Tech Yorkshire programme
Top Tech Yorkshire is an annual programme. It aims to provide profile-raising and structured networking opportunities for yearly cohorts of senior leadership team members of Yorkshire head-quartered or operated technology businesses (the members), and individuals from the diverse and multi-layered Yorkshire tech sector service provider eco-system, which supports those businesses (the mentors).
Why should I join as a member business?
Top Tech Yorkshire isn’t like other programmes we’ve seen in the Yorkshire tech eco-system before. The programme gives member businesses access to:
A structured networking and mentoring programme which will provide an opportunity for you to network with your peers (ie, other members) in a member-to-member environment.
Tech sector service providers (eg, investors, funders, corporate finance advisers, accountants, lawyers, patent attorneys, recruiters, technology sector networkers/entrepreneurs) who can help you to navigate the next phase(s) of your development/growth.
A profile-raising programme through multiple channels (eg, PR, social media etc), which will allow you to showcase what your business is doing.
What will the programme involve?
To help member businesses to get the most from the programme, we’ve split it down into four phases:
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Applicant businesses join the programme using the form (click the ‘Join in’ button above). The form will give businesses who want to join the programme the chance to showcase their credentials in the following five categories: technological innovation, success/potential, customer service, environmental and sustainability, and their presence in, and/or contribution to, Yorkshire society.
Each submission will be reviewed by no less than four of our mentors, with each category awarded a score out of five in relation to each category.
The highest-scoring applicant businesses will be invited (but not required) to present to/interview with a panel of no less than four of our mentors, of which at least two will be different from the initial scorers. This will provide an opportunity for you to showcase your achievements and ambitions in person and explain what support you’re looking for (and from whom) to assist the next phase of your business’s development.
The highest scoring applicant businesses will be profiled in the Top Tech report as featured “members”. We anticipate profiling as many as 20 applicant businesses, with prominence given to the highest scoring member businesses. goes here
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The Mills & Reeve Top Tech report will be launched across multiple channels, with the support of our marketing partner(s), and the members of our mentor cohort.
We will hold an event to mark the launch of the report, for all our member businesses, mentor businesses, and the wider Yorkshire tech community.
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To ensure ongoing profile for both the Top Tech programme and all of our contributors from both the member and mentor cohorts, we will publish periodic profile pieces throughout the remainder of the Top Tech year across multiple channels, to shine a spotlight on the solutions and services they provide.
Content for our member profiles will be drawn primarily from the submissions made. Content for our mentor profiles will be produced in collaboration with you.
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We will host a series of member-to-member roundtable sessions, in which members can have frank, peer to peer discussions about the issues they want to talk about. We will give members the opportunity to make anonymous suggestions for discussion topics, to be introduced by the session chairs, but also encourage you to be as open as you want to be, with all discussions held under Chatham House Rules.
We'll also be holding a series of member to mentor roundtable sessions, similar in format to the member-to-member sessions, but with members having an opportunity to ask about and hear our mentors’ perspectives on issues of interest to them.
Finally, but importantly, we will encourage and facilitate (but with no obligations) one–to-one meetings between members and mentors, so that you can get the help you need for your business to excel.