Tech Meetup Manchester - Launch Event!
🚀 Tech Meetup Manchester - Launch Event!
We’re excited to launch the Tech Meetup Manchester, bringing together developers, engineers, founders, product builders and the wider tech community for an evening of ideas, demos and conversation.
Whether you’re building startups, scaling products, exploring new technologies, or simply curious about what others in the ecosystem are working on, this meetup is designed to connect the people shaping Manchester’s tech scene.
Expect practical insights, interesting demos, and plenty of time to meet others working across the local tech ecosystem.
What to expect
Two brilliant speakers. One room. Real talk about building and shipping in 2026.
Speaker 1 - Phin Mpofu-Masamba II Venture & Ecosystem Builder | Multi-time Founder
Talk: Market before product - why the best builders start with the problem, not the solution
In a world where building has never been cheaper or faster, the temptation to ship first and validate later has never been stronger. Phin flips the script. Drawing on years of founding, ecosystem building and watching startups succeed and fail across the globe, he'll make the case for starting with deep market and problem understanding before a single line of code is written - or a single product is made. Expect a grounded, honest take on why product-market fit should really be called market-product fit, and what that shift in thinking changes about how you build.
Speaker 2 - Alistair Jepps VP iGaming Technology | Principal Architect, AWS, AI & Data Engineering
Talk: Game Intelligence - AI R&D
iGaming sits on some of the richest behavioural data of any industry. Most of it goes unused. In this talk, Alistair - a senior technologist with 20+ years of experience across AI, cloud architecture and regulated environments - shows what happens when a small R&D team starts wiring that data together and letting AI systems act on it. Expect classical ML, modern AI agents, live demos, and some honest lessons from building in a high-frequency, regulated environment where the stakes are real.
Agenda
17:30 - 18:15
Arrival, networking and pizza 🍕
18:15 - 19:30
Community announcements & lightning talks 🎤
19:30 - 20:30
Networking and drinks 🥤
20:30 onwards
Optional pub drinks nearby 🍻
Why attend?
✨ Meet engineers, builders and founders across Manchester
✨ Discover interesting projects and technologies
✨ Share ideas, challenges and lessons with peers
✨ Be part of a growing local tech community
Special Thanks
A huge thank you to Bally’s Intralot for sponsoring and hosting the launch event.
Bally’s Intralot develops and operates secure gaming and technology solutions across global lottery and betting markets, combining deep operational expertise with advanced digital platforms.
Their support helps bring the local tech community together to share ideas and build meaningful connections.