Grow London Local

👀 Did you spot our billboards around London?

We spotlighted some of London’s incredible independent businesses with a city-wide campaign showcasing the entrepreneurs behind the brands.

Featuring:
🌸
🎁
🎸
☕
🏺

These founders represent the creativity, resilience and passion that keep London’s local business community thriving.

📸 Did you spot one of our billboards? Share the photo and tag . We’d love to see them!

🌈 Pride Month is more than a celebration - it’s a reminder that authenticity, community and visibility have the power to transform lives and businesses.

This June, our Pride blog is shining a spotlight on three incredible LGBTQIA+ founders who are building businesses that create impact, connection and belonging across London.

✨ Han Newman - sports psychologist and personal trainer
✨Jonathan Antonacci - LGBTQ+ life coach
✨Daisy Richards - hypnotherapist and community builder

As London celebrates Pride under the theme “Embracing everyone: a home for all of London’s LGBTQIA+ communities”, these founders show that being authentic isn’t just good for wellbeing, it’s also a business superpower.

🔗 Read our blog to discover the inspiring stories of these incredible founders. See our link in bio!

If you’ve been meaning to get your finances more organised, this is your sign to start!

There’s a better way to stay on top of your business finances, and we’re breaking it all down at our upcoming free Grow London Local event during London Tech Week.

Join us for a practical session exploring:
→ Cloud accounting tools
→ Cashflow tracking
→ Digital payments
→ Making Tax Digital updates
→ Smarter bookkeeping systems

You’ll hear from Galileo Accounting and ANNA Money, alongside other founders sharing honest insights on what actually works for small businesses.

📅 Wednesday 10 June 2026
⏰ 10am–12pm
📍 London South Bank University
☕ Refreshments + networking included

Secure your free place now via the link in bio.

Wow - What an evening! ✨

Thank you to everyone who came along to Grow London Local Lates at , Clapham. It was amazing to see so many founders, entrepreneurs, and small business owners connecting, sharing ideas, and building new relationships.

We’re so grateful to everyone who joined us and made the evening such a success. A big thank you to for hosting us and to for the amazing performance of “Dance Forever”.

Missed this one?

Don’t worry, more Grow London Local events are coming soon 👀

Running a small business shouldn’t mean spending hours stressed about finances.

As part of London Tech Week, Grow London Local is hosting a free event designed to help small business owners understand how digital finance tools can simplify everyday admin from bookkeeping and cashflow tracking to VAT and Making Tax Digital.

Hear from experts including Galileo Accounting and ANNA Money, plus connect with other founders navigating the same challenges.

📍 London South Bank University
📅 Wednesday 10 June 2026
⏰ 10am–12pm
🎟️ Free to attend

Spaces are limited, reserve your spot today via the link in bio!

This week, the Made Smarter London team joined industry leaders, founders, engineers and innovators at the Scaling Hardware Innovation event hosted at to explore exactly that 🚀

In partnership with Manufacturing Technology Centre, High Value Manufacturing Catapult and Innovate UK, the event brought together London’s hardware innovation ecosystem for honest conversations around the barriers preventing hardware startups and manufacturing businesses from scaling effectively.

The day included:
→ A panel discussion exploring scaling challenges, manufacturing support and innovation opportunities
→ Presentations from hardware businesses supported by Blue Garage and Made Smarter London
→ Live demos from Made Smarter companies including Embedism, Interactual and Baddeley Brothers
→ Networking and collaboration across London’s manufacturing and deep tech ecosystem

With around 100 attendees, the event highlighted the growing demand for support, collaboration and innovation across London’s hardware and manufacturing sector.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined  and contributed to such valuable conversations around the future of hardware innovation in the UK. 👏

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing hardware startups right now? 👇