Tech Climbers returns for fifth year celebrating Liverpool's rising tech stars

Tech Climbers is back in the Liverpool City Region for a fifth year, celebrating half a decade of profiling the region’s brightest product-led tech businesses.

Tech Climbers is an annual list which showcases the top performing product-led technology businesses in growth regions across the UK and aims to gather data to put Liverpool City Region on the map as an investable, global tech destination.  First launched in 2019, the project has welcomed a range of partners including tech investors, local government, inward investment, trade bodies and academic institutions. The initiative aims to spotlight Liverpool’s digital, creative and tech sector, increasing investment in the area, with 80% of last year’s entrants actively seeking funding. 

Liverpool’s emerging tech sector has long held ambitions to become one of the UK’s leading hubs for tech, with innovation high on the mayor’s priorities. There are currently 21 projects being developed in the first phase of the 10-year Life Sciences Investment Zone programme, which is set to create £800m of public and private investment, in addition to a £450m investment in Speke by AstraZeneca.

Liverpool Tech Climbers 2025 is set to be the biggest yet, with national partners techUK, HubSpot, InnovateHer and The Data City joining headline partners Baltic Ventures, Brabners, Marks & Clerk and Rathbones.

Ecosystem partners are Gather, Growth Platform, Praetura Ventures, Startup Grind Liverpool, Tech North Advocates, Global Tech Advocates and UK Tech Week.

The launch breakfast event will be held at Liverpool Life Sciences UTC in the heart of the Baltic Triangle on the 11^th February, featuring panel talks from a range of founders and investors.

A judging panel of partners and experts will create the final list of successful businesses who have demonstrated significant operations in the Liverpool City Region and evidence their impact, innovation, and investment potential. 2024 businesses who made the list included HaulageHub, who have just landed a major new contract with WS Transportation, Mycardium AI, who spoke at the recent Liverpool AI Summit, and MGISS, who secured a £600k investment from Mercia Equity Finance.

There is also a ones-to-watch list of up-and-coming businesses that are active in the region and look set for a bright future.   

Anna Heyes, CEO at Active Profile and Tech Climbers founder said: 

“We’re officially back in our home region for our fifth year, bigger and better than ever and ready to spotlight the brilliantly innovative businesses in the Liverpool City Region. Liverpool’s ready to compete on a national stage; as evidenced by the brilliant projects happening within the Investment Zone and the fantastic events calendar including Slush’d and the Baltic Ventures demo day. We’re proud to play a part in it, and our mission is to put these incredible businesses in front of the right investors and advisors, to drive growth.”

Matt Robinson, Head of Nations and Regions at techUK added:

“techUK knows that we can grow the economy, revolutionise public services and create new opportunities by growing the UK tech sectors. And that means growing companies and the local economy in Liverpool.”

“Tech Climbers adds a vital route to profile the regional growth of the UK’s tech firms year-on-year. It’s fantastic to be able to hear first-hand from founders what their experience is like – from hunting for growth capital to accessing support. Through Tech Climbers, we can profile the impact, innovation and investment happening in regional tech hubs, and that’s invaluable when it comes to putting the UK on the map as the leading destination for tech.”

Kathryn Bell, CEO of 2024 Tech Climber, The Webinar Vet commented:

“There’s just so much going on in Liverpool that coming to Tech Climbers and being part of the community has opened doors for us and helped us navigate the opportunities in the region. It gives us the chance to feel like we’re a part of something bigger.”

It’s also really nice to have the winner’s assets on the website and in our email signatures – it all adds credibility when speaking to companies and clients.”