Innovation to Investability Workshop

As part of the 2026 LIFT festival - Lancashire Innovation, Finance, and Tech - RedCAT has teamed up with Innovate Lancashire for an exclusive workshop for 20 founders and CEOs who are developing low‑carbon innovations with commercial potential.

WHO IS THIS FOR? This session is designed for founders and CEOs who: Are you developing low-carbon or climate innovation with real commercial potential Have progressed beyond the concept stage and are moving toward market entry or scale Expect to raise grant or equity funding within the next 12–24 months Want to understand what investors and partners need to see before committing capital Recognise that commercial and execution risk, not technology, is often the real barrier to growth

INNOVATION FROM IDEAS TO COMMERCIAL REALITY Test whether your innovation solves a valuable customer problem Identify where you sit between invention and real market demand Avoid the “solution looking for a problem” trap Pinpoint the actions that move your business toward revenue growth Output: Each founder leaves with a clear action plan for commercial readiness.

MAKING YOUR BUSINESS INVESTABLE Common CEO misconceptions How investors actually assess your business The risks that prevent most businesses from raising investment Where your business lacks investable evidence What must change before serious funding becomes possible Output: Find your investability gaps and priority actions to improve funding readiness.

The industry leaders who’ll be joining us to help deliver this session include:
Stuart Thompson Chair | Strategic Advisor | Venture & Scale-Up Specialist Stuart specialises in the areas of innovation, investment and commercial scale, helping founders, boards and investors turn breakthrough technologies into scalable, investable businesses. He specialises in the critical transition between early innovation and commercial growth, supporting companies to align strategy, leadership, governance and capital to build credible businesses capable of attracting customers, partners and investment. Stuart holds multiple chair and board advisory roles and is currently the Chair of the geospatial technology company MGISS, having previously chaired the cleantech venture AssetCool through a key phase of growth, fundraising and commercialisation. He is a former Chair of the Institute of Directors Lancashire and currently serves on Lancashire’s Early Stage Investment Board, supporting the development and funding of high-potential ventures through Fhunded, Lancashire’s dedicated early-stage investment initiative. Over the course of his career, Stuart has supported many businesses in commercialising, scaling, and raising investment, and has helped companies expand into international markets across Europe, the US, Asia, and the Middle East. Today, he advises both investors, boards and leadership teams on strategy, governance and commercial scaling across organisations ranging from pre-revenue startups to established companies with revenues approaching £1 billion.

Jane Dalton MBA FRSA, Groundswell-Innovation Having attained a first-class MBA from Cambridge University, Jane has managed Human-Centred Design and Innovation projects for organisations with global brand reach for the past 26 years. Her experience covers multi-stakeholder collaborative planning, strategic research and sustainable innovation. In 2008, Jane set up Groundswell Innovation as an independent agency specialising in idea commercialisation and embedding of innovation as a mindset. Since 2020, Jane has been an active member of Lancashire Innovation Board. She continues to be an Entrepreneur in Residence at top 10 ranking Lancaster University and a Trustee for two charities - Citizens Advice North Lancashire and global health education charity, Period Reality.

Ben Davies, PXN-Group Ben Davies is Marketing Director at PXN Group, an award-winning, Northern-focused investor with over £700m in assets under management and more than 120 portfolio companies across the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Formed through the merger of Praetura Ventures and Par Equity, PXN backs ambitious early-stage and growth businesses equity investments from eight funds, including their PraeSeed programme, the British Business Bank’s Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II, the GMC Life Sciences Fund, and their first-of-its-kind Northern VCT. Ben oversees all aspects of the Group’s marketing strategy and output, spanning press, social, events and digital, while also working closely with portfolio companies to deliver hands-on marketing expertise as part of PXN’s “more than money” support model. With over 10 years’ industry experience, he previously led marketing for the media division of Social Chain around the time of its IPO, and co-founded Ziferblat UK, an alternative coffee shop, events and co-working concept.

This exclusive workshop takes place on Tuesday 28th April, ahead of the main LIFT event which will take place in Burnley on June 11th. If you have progressed your clean tech beyond the concept stage and are moving toward market entry, or you expect to raise grant or equity funding within the next 12–24 months we encourage you to get in touch.

INNOVATION TO INVESTABILITY 28 APR 2026
9:00–9:30am – Arrival & Networking
1:00pm - Close Attendance for the workshop will be confirmed for those selected.

Free