Manchester didn't become the UK's fastest-growing tech sector by accident. It was built with intention. Over the past decade, Greater Manchester has developed a distinctive model for tech growth, one rooted in place, powered by devolution, and designed to last.

This session brings together founders building transformational companies in Greater Manchester, including Manchester-born global data pioneer Matillion and ARM, which has chosen Manchester as its UK growth location, to explore what 'Manchesterism' really means in practice: a place-first philosophy that puts long-term, sustainable growth ahead of short-term noise.

For founders and leaders at London Tech Week asking where to build something that genuinely changes the world, Manchester has spent a decade constructing an answer. The panel will unpack how devolved government has created the conditions that national policy often can't. From strategic planning and joined-up skills pipelines to genuine dialogue between industry and civic leadership.

It will explore how a deliberate cluster model has produced world-class specialisation across AI and cybersecurity, and why diverse talent chooses to live, work and stay in the city region.

This is a conversation about good growth: what it looks like, what makes it durable, and why the next generation of world-changing tech companies might just be built in Manchester.