The Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy will visit the North East next week as part of a key industry event.
Paul Scully, who was previously considered a frontrunner for the London mayoral race before missing out on the Conservative shortlist, will attend the TechNExt Festival on Monday to talk about the opportunities facing the regional sector. He will join Dr David Dunn, CEO of Sunderland Software City and Dynamo North East, as part of a session focused on investment and business support for tech and digital start-ups in the region.
The free event hosted by Digital Business Pipeline, the North of Tyne Combined Authority start-up programme for Newcastle, Northumberland and North Tyneside residents, will feature a discussion between the pair before advice on understanding finance from representatives of Vision Accountants, RBC Brewin Dolphin, NEL Fund Managers and Business Enterprise Fund.
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It is one of 40 fringe events taking place across the region for TechNExt, which runs from June 19 to 23 June and is organised by regional tech network Dynamo North East and its partner Sunderland Software City. Among the speakers at the event are North East presenter and influencer Tilly Lockey and Paul Iske, who holds the job title of chief failure officer at the Institute of Brilliant Failures.
Other speakers include computer scientist Ann-Marie Imafidon, founder of social enterprise the Stemettes; ex-Microsoft senior Dave Coplin; human rights and ethics specialist Nell Watson; and GitHub's director of Tech for Social Good, Mala Kumar. The programme for the festival includes an industry dinner at the Radisson Blue Hotel Durham on Tuesday; a conference at Sunderland City Hall on Wednesday and a tech talent fair in Gateshead on Thursday with a festival party hosted at Revolución de Cuba in Newcastle on Thursday.
Dr David Dunn, CEO of Sunderland Software City and Dynamo North East said: "We are delighted that the Minister is coming to the region on the first day of the TechNExt Festival, it's a clear signal that the Government understands the importance of the tech economy right across the UK. TechNExt is a celebration of all things tech in the region and will have fringe events for everyone, from businesses to school kids and the general public."
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