Sport x Tech Bridge Manchester
Manchester is a global sporting powerhouse and the UK’s fastest-growing city. It is a place where legacy meets rapid evolution. Sport x Tech Bridge Manchester is an exclusive event series designed to bridge the gap between elite sport and cutting-edge innovation.
We empower the city’s sporting stakeholders to engage with the tech ecosystem, while providing startups with a direct pipeline to collaborate with world-class teams and athletes as partners and investors.
2026 Sport x Tech Bridge Manchester Event Series
Health and Longevity
12 February 2026
Timed with the Winter Olympics, this session explored "The Sport Bridge" from gold medals to longevity. We examined how elite athlete recovery is being adapted to solve critical challenges in the NHS and elderly care.
Speakers:
Giulia Sirigu, Ph.D. (Scale Up Director, Innovate UK & North West Head, Italian Chamber of Commerce)
Anand Patel D.O. (Longevity & Health Optimisation Physician & Founder at LV8 Health)
Warren Gregson (Professor, Applied Physiology, Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Sport)
Sally Barker (Exited Sportstech Founder, Angel Investor, Manchester Angels)
Venue: Venture Café Manchester
International Capital Transfer
11 June 2026
Launching alongside the FIFA World Cup opening day, this event focused on Manchester’s role in the global market. We presented a "Station F" inspired incubator vision involving the city’s major sporting clubs, focusing on exporting local innovation to the world stage.
Speakers:
Andrea Winders (Head of Inward Investment, Life Sciences & Healthcare at Invest Manchester)
Grace Gardner (Senior Manager, Deloitte Sports M&A Advisory)
Ronald Todd (Member, Oldham Athletic FC Academic Board)
Venue: Venture Café Manchester
Advanced Manufacturing 2 July 2026
Timed with the F1 British Grand Prix weekend, this session bridged the gap between high-performance automotive engineering and Manchester’s innovation ecosystem to accelerate local manufacturing and logistics.
Speakers:
Nicola Ronan (Director of Operations, NERIC at University of Salford)
Tom Stanton (CEO, More Than Equal)
Andrew Ruffler (Director, Venture Café Manchester)
Venue: Venture Café Manchester
Diversity & Leadership
3 September 2026
As the Women's Premier League season kicks off, we shift the focus to "Off-Pitch" leadership. This event will highlight the growing interest in and opportunities around women's sport, aiming to inspire diverse talent to enter high-level technical and commercial roles.
Northern Tech Powerhouse
8 October 2026
Coinciding with the Rugby League World Cup and Manchester's inaugural Innovation Festival, we will celebrate the "Code of the North" to focus on the best sports tech startups of the North West.