Frontier Tech Across Borders: Closed-Door London Final Pitch
Frontier Tech Across Borders
London Final
Format: In person, closed-door pitching contest
Investors x Founders only
Apply to Pitch in the London Final APPLY
Previous London editions:
Welcomed Finalists from across the Globe selected from over 170 applications.
18 institutional funds on judging panels with many more in attendance. Check the funds in previous editions
Over $50K worth of additional value from Prize Partners
Ten finalists will be selected to pitch live in front of an international panel of investors and partners.
Frontier Tech Across Borders is a closed-door pitching contest for founders building in frontier AI, deep infrastructure, bioscience, and defence technology. The London final brings together a curated group of founders to pitch live, including the winner of October's Global Heat (online), in front of an international panel of investors and partners.
This is not an open pitch competition and founders are requested to submit their applications to pitch in order to be selected to attend.
All attendees are selected by invitation and curation, and the session is closed to the public.
What happens on the night
A curated group of founders pitch live, including the winner of the Global Online Heat
An international panel of investors and partners, in a closed-door session
Founders join by pitching only — there is no observer seat
Startup Founder - Is this for you?
Seed stage, Series A, B+. Solid traction. Early institutional or VC backing. Building in one of the themes above, with genuine cross-border ambition.
Startup applications: APPLY
Format
Structured pitch 4 mins pitch + 3 mins questions, closed room
A panel of investors and partners
10 finalists selected to advance from the applicants
Applications Deadline - 31st October midnight
Invitation only — request an invite
Partners and investors interested in a judging seat or broader involvement: contact invstors@sclrlabs.com
Meet our Judging Panel (more profiles to be confirmed in the coming days):
Jeff Jiang - Investor Seraphim VC
Jeff is an investor on the investment team at Seraphim Space. Seraphim is the global leader in SpaceTech investment searching to invest in the brightest minds and smartest ideas which will provide trailblazing, high-value solutions that disrupt, transform and improve life as we know it.
Across the Seraphim Space investment funds, Seraphim Space Accelerator and Seraphim Space Investment Trust, they are the first organisation to support space entrepreneurship from inception to exit.
Total Investment Raised by Portfolio $13.5b+ | 6 Portfolio IPOs
Sara Rona - Managing Director, Head of EMEA Silicon Valley Bank
Sara works with technology founders and venture capital firms on international growth and US expansion. She brings 15+ years of experience across international business development, strategic partnerships and cross-border growth, with experience spanning the US, UK/Europe, MENA and Australia/New Zealand. Her work connects founders, investors and institutions to support market entry, strategic growth and international expansion.
Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a division of First Citizens Bank, is a specialist financial institution serving innovative companies and investors across technology, life sciences and healthcare, private equity and venture capital. SVB works closely with founders and investors on their banking, financing and international growth needs, with a strong focus on the innovation ecosystem.
Craig Fagan - Partner Ashurst Perkins Coie
Craig's practice is grounded in his experience working on the client side as General Counsel at global fintech Bud, where he worked closely with founders as part of the executive team to scale the business and learned important insights as the lead on global expansion, fundraising and equity transactions.Craig is now a Corporate partner advising founders and investors on growth capital, M&A, and venture capital transactions.
Fabrice Bienfait - Senior Partner ETF Partners
Fabrice is a Senior Partner at ETF Partners, the Environmental Technologies Fund. Founded in 2005, ETF is Europe's original venture capital firm dedicated to sustainability and impact, backing entrepreneurs building the intelligence layer that makes modern infrastructure cleaner, safer, and more efficient.
Across its funds, ETF Partners invests at the convergence of digital technology, sustainability and impact, with portfolio exits including Enablon (acquired by Wolters Kluwer for €250m) and MWR InfoSecurity (acquired by F-Secure for €120m). Fabrice joined as a Principal in 2008, became a Partner in 2015 and Senior Partner in 2023, and sits on the boards of Riverlane, Normative, AIPERIA and shipzero.
20+ Years Backing Sustainable Innovation | Ranked 19th in Sifted's 2025 Top European VC Firms
Rubina Singh - Investment Director Foresight Group
Rubina is an Investment Director on the Ventures team at Foresight Group, backing early-stage deeptech and climate companies from seed to Series A. She began her career as a solar engineer at Fraunhofer, then spent eight years funding and commercialising startups across Europe, North America and Australia with Centrica Ventures and Fraunhofer TechBridge. Before Foresight she was a Principal at Octopus Ventures, where she co-managed the early-stage deeptech strategy and launched the Octopus Springboard accelerator. Her portfolio includes Spaceflux, Forefront RF, Phlux Technology and Zero Point Motion.
Foresight Group is a FTSE 250-listed investor founded in 1984, backing growing companies through private equity and venture capital alongside a large portfolio of infrastructure and real assets.
40+ Years Investing | 250 Growing Companies Backed Across the UK and Ireland
Dr. Hiroki Takai - Partner Global Brain
Hiroki is a Partner at Global Brain, based at Global Brain Europe in London, investing in deep tech and life science startups globally. He brings a researcher's background to investing: a PhD in brain tumour research, research at Harvard Medical School, and drug development at Eli Lilly, where he worked across the clinical research process. He also holds an MBA from London Business School, and works as a bridge between academia and industry.
Global Brain is a Tokyo-headquartered venture capital firm that backs startups through hands-on support, a global ecosystem, and open innovation between startups and major corporations, investing across AI, space, life sciences, fintech, mobility and enterprise software.
$2.7B+ AUM | 450+ Active Portfolio Companies | 46 IPOs and 95 M&A Exits
Patrycja Maksymowicz - Founder / CEO sclr labs
Patrycja leads sclr labs, London's venture growth infrastructure supporting scale-ready ventures through commercialisation, international expansion, and access to institutional capital. Over three decades she has built and led teams from 5 to 450+, architected growth strategies for VC-backed startups and blue-chip clients including LEGO, BMW, and Scania, and supported over 350 ventures across 15+ countries through sclr labs.
Prize Partners:
Ashurst Perkins Coie works alongside founders, high-growth companies and investors throughout the business life cycle, along for the journey from early-stage fundraising through growth-capital rounds, international expansion, strategic transactions and exit.
With 52 offices across 20 countries and regions, the firm combines global reach with a deep understanding of the commercial challenges facing scaling businesses. Its multidisciplinary team advises on fundraising, corporate governance, M&A, strategic partnerships, product development, regulatory compliance and intellectual property. Drawing on decades of experience within the venture ecosystem and extensive investor relationships, the firm enables founders to refine their fundraising strategies and connect with suitable capital partners.
Accuracast: an international digital marketing agency helping ambitious brands accelerate growth through data and technology. With offices in London, New York, and Madrid, the agency specialises in paid media, SEO, generative AI optimisation, and social media marketing. Clients include PwC, Penguin Random House, WTW, Club Med, Informa, China Mobile, and Hard Rock Hotels.
The winners will get Creator by Accuracast access worth up to $8.5K.
Elementa Workspace: Most offices are designed once and left to stand still. Elementa shapes workplaces that constantly evolve.
Locations across the UK, including 30+ buildings in London.
Event flow:
Frontier Tech Across Borders — London Final
12 November 2026
18:00 — Doors open
Arrivals, informal networking
18:30 — Welcome & introductions
18:40 — Pitches: Round 1
5 startups · 4 mins pitch + 3 mins questions each
19:15 — Comfort break (10 mins)
19:25 — Pitches: Round 2
5 startups · 4 mins pitch + 3 mins questions each
20:00 — Judges’ final scoring & award preparation
20:10 — Awards & announcements
20:25 — Networking drinks
21:30 — Close
Dress code: smart casual
📸 Event photography
By attending, you consent to being photographed and filmed for promotional use. If you'd prefer not to have your photos used or details shared, please let us know, and we’ll respect your preferences.
We look forward to seeing you at the event