New Business Thinking.

Created locally, successful nationally Loungers started with just £10k and a small place in Bris. Now has 300+ sites. How so? Driving force founder Alex Reilley reveals the secret of this hospitality success.

They promised us jetpacks Sci-fi becomes reality: jaw-drop, fast-growth, well-funded Gravity Industries is pioneering jetpack travel. Please don’t miss founder Richard Browning’s EntreConf Keynote… Richard Browning is Founder, CEO and Chief Test Pilot of Gravity Industries, the pioneering company behind the world’s first human Jet Suit, launched in 2017. He has built the business into a $80m+ global venture, transforming mobility for military and emergency services. A former BP commodity trader, he previously led major innovations including a $500m cargo tracking platform. Richard is a serial entrepreneur, STEM advocate and TED speaker, advising corporates and governments on innovation. A Royal Marine Reservist and ultra-marathon runner, he is also the author of Taking On Gravity, sharing insights on entrepreneurship, resilience and pushing technological boundaries.

Kitchen table to multi-million pound brand Absolute Collagen has become the market leader in a rapidly-growing sector. How? What’s next? Inspirational insights from life-force founder Maxine Laceby… Maxine co-founded Absolute Collagen with her daughter Darcy in 2017, turning a kitchen-table idea into an award-winning supplement within a year. As a pioneer of the liquid collagen category, the brand became one of the UK’s fastest-growing D2C businesses and ranked 4th in The Times Top 100. Maxine has won major awards including the NatWest Everywoman and Great British Entrepreneur awards. Previously a full-time mum with no business experience, she secured £15 million investment within three years, growing the company into a £30 million business. Today, she is an inspiring advocate for female entrepreneurship, blending purpose, resilience and commercial success.

TrueStart? JumpStart! TrueStart Coffee is the UK’s fastest-growing coffee brand. For clear vision, great values and just blow-away inspirational dynamism, come and hear co-founder Helena Hills’ story… Helena Hills is the CEO and co-founder of TrueStart Coffee, a proudly family-run and independent challenger brand. For over a decade, their delicious, healthier coffee has been making a splash across the UK. Now recognised as the UK’s fastest-growing coffee brand, TrueStart proves that business can be used as a force for good whilst building a brand people genuinely love.

Funder’s story: galvanising the tiger Graham MacVoy unravels the complexities of the multi-million-pound funding which is powering the next phase of regional sensation, Wake The Tiger. Graham MacVoy is Founding Managing Director of Wake The Tiger, the world’s first Amazement Park® and the UK’s largest immersive art experience. He transformed a disused Bristol warehouse into a global attraction welcoming over 500,000 visitors from 70+ countries. Previously, he helped scale Boomtown Fair into a leading immersive festival. At Wake The Tiger, he has driven growth, led the OUTERverse expansion and achieved B Corp certification. He is now leading an 80,000 sq ft immersive project at Westfield London. A collaborative, purpose-driven leader, Graham works at the intersection of creativity, sustainability and commercial innovation, shaping experience-led destinations and the future of retail.

The man taking on Rightmove (And he’s backed by Google.) Entrepreneurs are bold, always. But creating a better property search business up against a global behemoth? Jitty founder Graham Paterson explains how…

Provocation: time to think differently We’re all digital creators now: how AI changes the opportunities for entrepreneurs. Ric founded and runs Ghyston, a Bristol-based software development company, with his wife Emily. Ghyston has been going since 2012 and has built software for organisations ranging from start-ups to blue chips like BMW and Société Générale. Ric is a techie by background, and his career has taken him through roles from Developer through Agile Project Manager, Product Owner and Technical Consultant to CTO and CEO. As well as Ghyston, Ric has CTOd for several companies from start-ups to mid-corporates on a fraction and full-time basis. Aside from his family, his biggest passion outside work is triathlon and he races as an age group athlete for Team GB.

Entrepreneurs’ Tales: A rum do… Imagine creating a new rum brand. Why? How? What are the barriers? How do you differentiate, scale? Founders Olly Barkley and Ed Jackson tell the story of Vapoura. Ed Jackson is a former professional rugby player, adaptive adventurer, bestselling author, broadcaster and co-founder of Vapoura Rum. After a decade-long rugby career across Bath, Wasps, London Welsh and Newport Gwent Dragons, Ed’s life changed in 2017 when a diving accident left him paralysed — and within a year, through extraordinary determination, he was not only walking but climbing mountains. That journey inspired him to co-found the Millimetres 2 Mountains Foundation with his wife Lois and Olly Barkley, and in 2025 he became the first climber with a disability to make a first recorded ascent of an unclimbed peak in Kyrgyzstan’s Tien Shan mountains. Ed is also a Sunday Times bestselling author, Channel 4 presenter and keynote speaker, and he brought that same restless energy to co-founding Vapoura in 2024 — overseeing the brand’s sales direction, trade partnerships and advocacy programme, and channelling a belief that resilience, craft and curiosity belong as much in a bottle as they do on a mountain.

Entrepreneurs’ Tales: A rum do… Imagine creating a new rum brand. Why? How? What are the barriers? How do you differentiate, scale? Founders Olly Barkley and Ed Jackson tell the story of Vapoura. Olly Barkley is a former England international rugby player turned entrepreneur and co-founder of Vapoura Rum. Born in Hammersmith and raised in Cornwall, Olly played over 200 first-class games for Bath Rugby and represented England more than thirty times before moving into business, building a portfolio across property development and investment. He co-founded Vapoura in 2024 with close friend Ed Jackson, driven by a shared love of rum, craft and a belief that the super-premium space was missing a modern English voice. At Vapoura, Olly runs the day-to-day operations, steers the brand and creative direction alongside Creative Director Ross Stirling, and brings the same discipline and curiosity to building a spirits brand as he did to professional sport. Outside of Vapoura, he is a co-founder and trustee of the Millimetres 2 Mountains Foundation, a charity using outdoor adventure to support people recovering from trauma and adversity.

How to incentivise your teams? Entrepreneurs need brilliant teams for the duration. How do you motivate, reward? How can you anticipate exit structures? All this and more vital insights with Burges Salmon… Claire Withers is a Senior Associate in the Incentives team at Burges Salmon, advising on the legal and tax aspects of equity and cash-based reward arrangements. She works with businesses at all stages of growth on a wide range of incentive structures, supporting founders, management teams and investors to ensure incentives are commercially aligned, clearly communicated and tax efficient. She also advises on the incentives aspects of corporate transactions, including exits and growth investments. Claire is recognised for providing clear, pragmatic advice and for her engaging, relationship led approach.

How to incentivise your teams? Entrepreneurs need brilliant teams for the duration. How do you motivate, reward? How can you anticipate exit structures? All this and more vital insights with Burges Salmon… Elena Visser Adams is a Senior Associate in Burges Salmon’s Incentives team where she advises companies and management teams on a broad range of incentive matters, with particular expertise in employee share plans, international share plans and on the design and implementation of equity based rewards. Elena works with clients across a range of sectors, including technology and fintech, and regularly advises on the incentives aspects of mergers and acquisitions and growth transactions.

Owner’s legacy: Employee Ownership Trusts Exits don’t have to be trade sales or mean loss of destiny. Selling to your team rewards them, is tax-beneficial and helps secure your creation’s future. Practical session with Doyle Clayton on EOTs Akshay is an EOT Services Director, specialising in guiding business owners through the transition to employee ownership. With extensive experience supporting founders and leadership teams across sectors, he delivers clear, commercially focused advice throughout the EOT journey. Akshay is known for his practical approach and ability to navigate complex structural, financial and strategic decisions. His background in tax advisory and structuring enables efficient, forward-looking solutions that protect continuity and meet shareholder objectives. He advises on EOT transactions, structures sales, and supports management teams and trustees post-transition while designing incentive schemes for long-term stability. He also advises across multiple UK industries.

Owner’s legacy: Employee Ownership Trusts Exits don’t have to be trade sales or mean loss of destiny. Selling to your team rewards them, is tax-beneficial and helps secure your creation’s future. Practical session with Doyle Clayton on EOTs Garry Karch heads the firm’s specialist EOT practice, advising business owners on employee ownership transitions. With over 35 years’ experience, he supports shareholders and management teams considering EOTs as an alternative to third-party sales. Garry has completed more than 175 transactions in the UK and US, with a combined value near £1 billion. His expertise spans valuation, structuring, financing and execution, ensuring fair outcomes and long-term business independence. He joined Doyle Clayton in 2019 and leads end-to-end delivery, working across corporate, employment and tax teams. Garry is a member of the Employee Ownership Association and The ESOP Centre.

Do you know who will buy your business? You probably know of them. But probably also don’t know that they’d be interested. How do you match your exit plans with the best buyer? Special session with S&W on buyers Iain has over 25 years of experience in leading corporate finance transactions for clients. Providing innovative solutions to the business finance sector, Iain has worked within a range of sectors on diverse projects delivering strategic advice on mergers, acquisitions, management buyouts, finance-raising and disposals. In the last 12 months Iain has led the sale of Sunrise Eggs, a family owned eggs producer, the MBO of Panthera Biopartners (a clinical trials business), the sale of Coverworld a building products business, and the sale of Outsource Management Solutions a human capital management software business. Ongoing projects are in software, Tech enabled marketing services, Branded Food and Logistics.

Richard founded Link Stone Advisory to deliver integrated corporate development to support growth and value creation. The practice now has a multidisciplinary team of experts who collaborate to deliver more impactful solutions for clients. Richard previously worked for Future Plc, PlaySports Group and PwC.