txp is back! after taking a little break, we’re going back to where it all started:

join us next Wed 26th, back at Vinegar Yard in London, this time teaming up with UK Day One for a summer drinks party. no agenda, no speakers, just a low stakes way to catch up/meet ambitious, friendly folk in tech & policy:

RSVP HERE [limited capacity]

Thanks to everyone that came along to last week's event!

Today we're publishing short write-up of the TxP Progress Prize, documenting our experience getting support from Emergent Ventures, a recap/review of the entries, what worked well/less well, and some parting thoughts on the last couple of years of TxP:

Crowding in UK Progress

Our experience winning an Emergent Ventures grant to run the TxP Progress Prize

All thoughts & feedback v welcome. We'll be taking a break for a little while (and can now stop spamming you about the prize), but do hit reply with ideas/suggestions for the future.

Thank you to everyone who submitted to the TxP Progress Prize! Ahead of tonight's showcase, we're excited we can now announce the winning and highly commended entries, from a field of nearly 100 brilliant submissions.

Reflecting the breadth of the TxP community, these entrants came from a wide range of different career backgrounds at the forefront of science and tech progress, including biotech, data science, VC, public policy, journalism, consulting, and even university:

Winner (£5000)

• Rian Whitton: Firm Power can reduce Britain's electricity prices

Hey everyone, thanks for the massive turnout at our last event with UK Day One.

Next, on 12th March we'll be announcing the winners of the TxP Progress Prize and bringing back the lightning talks that were a hit last year to celebrate some of our favourite entries. Expect the weird and wacky!

Key details:

• Date/time: Tues 12th March, doors open at 18:00, hard start at 18:30

• Venue: Newspeak House, Shoreditch

• Speakers: 👀

Signup via Partiful

See you there,
Tom & Andrew

Hey everyone,

We're excited to announce that we're partnering with the UK Day One Project (@ukdayone), a new initiative to crowdsource implementation-ready policy from the UK science, tech, and innovation community ahead of the next election.

Join us for the launch event on 31st Jan at PUBLIC Hall: Sign up

We're big fans of the original Day One project launched by the Federation of American Scientists -- which works with US scientists to turn their ideas into actionable policy memos -- and excited to see this approach take off in the UK.

Happy 2024 everyone,

At TxP we have a big year planned, with news about events, blog prize winners & more all coming v soon. Art, science, AI & defence are all on the agenda.

So:

1. Tell your pals in tech & policy to sign up for updates: txp.fyi

2. Save the date: 31st Jan [tickets & info coming next week]

3. Shout if you can support with venue/drinks/ideas etc.

Hey everyone,

Last call! The deadline for the TxP Progress Prize is this Sunday, 7th Jan 2024.

As a reminder, there are 5 prizes: £5000, £1000, and 3x £750 for the best responses from early/mid-career folk to the question: “Britain is stuck. How can we get it moving again?"

We've had some excellent submissions so far, but there's still time for a late winner. Full details here: https://txp.fyi/progress-prize

Hey all,

Tech policy has been rather busy these last couple of months. And we have some great things planned for 2024!

Christmas is a time for family and fun, but it’s also a time to write blog posts that pay extremely well.

We are reminding you to submit your response to the TxP Progress Prize (in collaboration with Civic Future and New Statesman Spotlight). With the deadline as January 7th, get thinking so you can knock something together over the coming month!

Hey Everyone,

We are making our debut at Party Conference season! We will be hosting drinks receptions at both Labour and Conservative conferences, in collaboration with our friends at The Startup Coalition and Zoom.

Tuesday October 3rd (6-8pm): Conservative Party Conference Tech Leaders Drinks Reception [Sign up here]

Tuesday October 10th (8-10pm): Labour Party Conference Tech Leaders Drinks Reception [Sign up here]

Each week, concerns about the UK's decline grow stronger. But it's too easy for this to morph into self-fulfilling fatalism. Instead, we need to fill the pipeline of ideas and talent who can wield technology and policy in pursuit of progress.

So today we are launching the TxP Progress Prize, a £5000 blog prize in partnership with Civic Future and New Statesman Spotlight:

The prize has 2 goals:

Hey everyone,

TxP is back! We have big plans to announce and can’t wait to share them at our next event on 12th Sept, in partnership with Civic Future:

Sign up asap! TxP #15: Talent for progress x Civic Future

To achieve science, technology and economic progress, we need radical idealism and reform, not just inertia and incrementalism. At TxP, we believe identifying and elevating emerging talent – those at the technology and policy frontier – is critical to achieve this. So join us on 12th Sept for a big announcement and to hear from a panel focused on this mission:

Tickets are now live for TxP #14. Join us on Wed 7th June at Faculty for a panel on AI nationalism:

>> Sign up here <<

Join us to for a brilliant panel spanning the tech, (geo)politics and policy of AI:

• Shabbir Merali (Director, CogX, and former Special Adviser to the Prime Minister)

• Louise Thomas (FCDO, Deputy Director of International Technology)

• John Spindler (Founder and GP, Twin Path Ventures, an AI VC)

The next TxP is a big one. June 7th. Old Street. Panel on AI nationalism. Hosted at Faculty AI. Sign-up available 12:30pm tomorrow.

Countries are competing to build their own AI champions and sovereign capabilities. Startups and AI companies are battling to build with responsibility. Regulation, R&D and geopolitics are caught in the middle. Join us to hear from:

• Shabbir Merali (Director, CogX, Onward Policy Fellow, and former Special Adviser to the Prime Minister)

• Louise Thomas (FCDO, Deputy Director of International Technology)

• John Spindler (AI investor and Founder/GP, Twin Path Ventures)

As a few folk have missed out on previous events, and there is limited capacity at Faculty, we are giving people the chance to set their alarms for getting tickets:

Thanks to everyone that came down to last night’s TxP!

And thanks to the speakers, TEN, Newspeak House & Taso Advisory who made it all happen.

We've got lots more in the works, so get your pals to sign up here and get in touch if you'd like to partner / offer a venue / pitch an event idea.

Back soon,

Hey everyone,

Our last event was a banger. This time, we are bringing back the lightning talks that were a hit at Seedrs last year.

In collaboration with The Entrepreneur's Network (TEN), we are pitching key tech policy proposals to change the world. This is part of a launch for a new essay collection from TEN.

Key details:

Hi folks,

Thanks to everyone who came last night.

The next TxP (in collaboration with industry accelerator Digital Catapult) will be all about funding & scaling innovation, feat.

• Holly Baines (Programme Director at Wellcome Leap, a non-profit founded by the Wellcome Trust to accelerate breakthroughs for global human health)

• Stian Westlake (Royal Statistical Society, and previously Research & Policy Lead at Nesta and policy advisor to the UK government), and

• Thane Campbell (Associate at DeepSciVentures, a venture creator that combines available scientific knowledge and founder-type scientists into high-impact ventures).

Apologies to everyone who just got some premature legalese about our event in Feb! The anticipation must now be incredible...but we'll share full details tomorrow.

For now, to those of you coming along to this evening's meetup, see you later.

Andrew & Tom

@txp_io

TxP and Catapult (each a “Host”) are co-hosting this event, and each Host is individually (not jointly) a Controller. Each Host is individually responsible to you for how that Host respectively stores, uses and processes your personal data in accordance with that Host’s privacy policy. One Host is not responsible to you for the other Host’s storage, use or processing of your data. Actions taken by one Host (e.g. deleting personal data) will be independent of the other Host. If you need to make a data request, please make such request directly to the relevant Host(s). Catapult’s privacy policy can be found at Catapult https://www.digicatapult.org.uk/legal/privacy-policy/.

Please contact TxP if you have any questions regarding how Tech x Policy handles your personal data.

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Hey everyone,

Welcome to 2023. AI is in, crypto is out. Tech markets are still choppy. TikTok might get banned (again). And TxP is back.

First up: Drinks meet-up on 25th Jan. Limited spots for this one, so sign up here:

TxP #11: Tech & Policy Meet-up Tickets, Wed 25 Jan 2023 at 18:00 | Eventbrite

Join us for a TxP: Tech & Policy meet-up on Wednesday 25th September, kicking off from 6pm at Mercato Metropolitano (Elephant & Castle).

Quick correction: this event will be on Thurs 8th Dec, not Wed. See you there.

Hey everyone,

Since our last event on What a new government means for tech, we now have another new government and Labour are 20+ points ahead in the polls. So this time, we turn our attention to 'What a Labour government would mean for tech' on 8th Dec with a panel featuring some of the rare folk who are actually in the know.

Hey everyone,

Since our last event on What a new government means for tech, we now have another new government and Labour are 20+ points ahead in the polls. So this time, we turn our attention to 'What a Labour government would mean for tech' on 8th Dec with a panel featuring some of the rare folk who are actually in the know.

Key details:

• Date/Time: Wed 8th December, doors open at 18:00, kick off by 18:30

• Venue: Newspeak House, Bethnal Green

TxP exists to provide a bridge between the worlds of tech and policy, especially (but not exclusively) for those earlier in their careers.

That's why our event next Wed -- feat. perspectives from industry, political advisers and officials -- will do 2 things:

1. Demystify how government works in general

2. Make sense of what this new government means for the tech agenda

So if you've got a question that fits either category, submit it here. And if you haven't grabbed a ticket yet, last few available here.

Hold up. What does a new government — with new incentives, constraints, and objectives — mean for tech?

Join us in 2 weeks’ time on 12th Oct to make sense of all this, feat. an excellent panel of those experienced in advising, engaging with, and delivering on policy:

• Joel Gladwin, Director at Taso Advisory and former adviser at DCMS

• Sarah Gates, Head of Public Policy at Wayve AI

• Jonno Evans, Advisor at Epsilon Advisory Partners on web3 and former No 10 & Cabinet Office official

>> Sign up via Eventbrite <<

A new government means one thing only: a new TxP meetup.

When: Wed, September 21st, from 6.30pm

Where: Mercato Metropolitano (Elephant and Castle), which has lots of drinks & food.

>> SIGN UP <<

Thanks to everyone that made it to last night's TxP event!

We're now taking a break over the summer, so please complete this 2 min survey on TxP so far to help us come back with a bang.

Andrew & Tom

Hey everyone,

This week saw some major tech events and a new Digital Strategy launched by the UK government (hi DCMS folk!).

If all that's got you thinking, or you're in the mood for an mental palette cleanser, come join our discussion next Wednesday, 22nd June on UK dynamism, covering everything from R&D policy, start-up growth, VC, IPOs & public markets, and the role of tech companies in solving critically important social/national issues.

>> Last few spots available via Eventbrite <<

Hey everyone,

How well equipped are the twin engines of progress ⁠— technology and policy ⁠— to solving the UK's many challenges, be they economic, environmental, strategic, or social?

Join us for a panel on UK dynamism on 22nd June, covering everything from R&D policy, start-up growth, VC, IPOs & public markets, and the role of tech companies in solving critically important social/national issues.

>> Sign up via Eventbrite <<

Hey everyone,

Thanks to all those that joined our event with Tortoise this week on Elon Musk.

Next up, before some big plans in June, we're doing a drinks meet-up from 6pm, Wednesday, 18th May at Vinegar Yard.

Having started TxP in the depths of Autumn, some drinks in the sun are long overdue, so do share widely! >> SIGN UP

Hi everyone,

You won't have missed that Elon Musk is buying Twitter. As Charlie Warzel put it: "The single steadfast rule for being alive right now is: Do not bet against the dumbest possible outcome."

So next Tuesday, 3rd May we're organising a conversation in collab with Tortoise Media: "Is Elon Musk a good billionaire?"

TICKETS:

Hey everyone,

Thanks to everyone that submitted pitches on radical tech/policy ideas for next week's TxP 'Demo Day'. You can grab one of the last tickets here: TxP #5 - Eventbrite

Selected Pitches:

• Aria Babu: Artificial Wombs

Hi everyone,

Excited to share details of our next event: TxP Demo Day on Wednesday 23rd March, from 6:30pm at Seedrs' London HQ on Old Street. Please share widely!

>>> SIGN UP: TxP #5: Tech & Policy Meet-Up [Eventbrite] <<<

Reminders:

• New Format: This will be a "Demo Day"-style format of quickfire pitches of the most important ideas in tech & policy. We've already got some great pitches lined up, but we'll keep the submissions window open until Monday 14th March and confirm the line-up on Wed 16th: >> Pitch submissions here <<

• We’re particularly keen to hear pitches from those who may be under-represented in other forums. If you're unsure about submitting, get in touch with @andrewjb_ or @tom_westgarth15 and we can support.

See you on the 23rd,

Hey everyone,

A reminder that we're looking for quick-fire pitches on the 1 tech or policy issue you think people should work to improve the future.

We've had a few great submissions already, so do join in or share with someone you think would be great.

>> SUBMIT HERE <<

Hey everyone,

2 big call-outs today:

1. Join our new Twitter Community! (We'll be making this invite-only soon, so join quickly & share with friends & colleagues you trust.)

2. Speak at a future TxP event! TxP Demo Day: quick-fire pitches on the 1 tech or policy issue you think people should work to improve the future. Make it ambitious & fun, think: AGI or carbon capture, or even 1 timezone for the whole planet...🙃 Examples and submission form here. Deadline is next Friday, 25th Feb.

Thanks,

Hey everyone,

TxP is back for 2022! Join us on Wed 9th Feb for a panel on Progress, Innovation & Institution-Building at PUBLIC Hall, in Westminster. Doors open at 18:30.

>>> SIGN UP: TxP #4: Tech & Policy Meet-Up [Eventbrite] <<<

Panellists:

Hi everyone,

Thanks for helping us launch TxP this year — we're excited this network has struck a chord!

We're now working on plans for next year and we'd like your help to get it right:

> Complete this 1 min survey to help us test ideas, locations, & submit your feedback <

Hi everyone,

Excited to share details of our next event, which will be a drinks meet-up on Wednesday 1st December, from 6:30pm at Vinegar Yard, near London Bridge. Please share widely!

>>> SIGN UP: TxP #3: Tech & Policy Meet-Up [Eventbrite] <<<

Other info:

• For now, we'll be alternating between panel discussions & drinks meet-ups. Keen to hear ideas for discussions, so please submit/upvote here!

• If you have a venue we can use in 2022, hit reply! (Thanks to those that have already offered!)

See you in December,
Andrew
@andrewjb_