Scale with Santander X: How to win customers, attract investment and grow your start-up

A strong idea is only the beginning. Turning a start-up into a growing business means finding the right customers, building credibility, making confident commercial decisions and knowing where to find the right support and investment at the right time.

Scale with Santander X is a practical 90-minute session designed to help founders move from ambition to action. Bringing together experts in customer acquisition, business growth, funding and innovation support, the session will explore three of the questions founders face as they grow:

• How do you turn visibility into customers and revenue?

• Where can you find the funding, expertise and support to help your business grow?

• How do you prepare your business for investment and the next stage of scale?

Speakers will share practical approaches, first-hand experience and lessons founders can apply immediately - from building a stronger route to market and using platforms such as LinkedIn to generate real commercial opportunities, to accessing the funding, networks and expert support available across the UK innovation ecosystem.

Hear from:

• Chris Taylor, Co-Founder, Silla: Having worked with more than 1,000 businesses, and supported campaigns generating more than £150m in tracked client sales, Chris will share practical ways to use LinkedIn, social selling and live events to turn attention into leads, customers and revenue.

• Karen Souza, Senior Inclusive Innovation Communities Partner, Innovate UK Business Connect: Karen will help founders navigate the funding, grants, specialist advice, networks and programmes available through Innovate UK and the wider innovation ecosystem, with practical guidance on finding the right support to grow and scale.

• Matt Adam, Founder & CEO, Ideas Lab: A serial entrepreneur who has built a business to £7m revenue, raised £10m+ across multiple funding rounds and delivered 10x returns for early angel investors, Matt will share practical lessons on raising investment, understanding the funding journey and what founders need to consider as they become investment-ready.

Through three focused expert sessions, a chaired conversation and an extended audience Q&A, founders will have the opportunity to ask questions, hear different perspectives and leave with clear next steps they can apply to their own business.

What Founders will gain:

• Practical ways to use LinkedIn and social selling to reach potential customers, build credibility and generate leads.

• A clearer understanding of how to turn online visibility and audiences into commercial opportunities.

• Greater awareness of the funding, grants, networks, advice and growth support available through Innovate UK and the wider UK innovation ecosystem.

• Insight into different routes to investment and what founders need to consider as they prepare to raise capital.

• First-hand lessons on the decisions, challenges and opportunities that come with moving from start-up towards scale-up.

• Practical actions they can take immediately to strengthen their route to market, growth strategy and investment readiness.

• A clear next step through the tools, opportunities and community available via Santander X.

Already applied? If you’ve successfully registered for the webinar, you’ll receive a calendar invitation from the team shortly with details on how to join the live event.