The first four speakers have been unveiled for 老九品茶Cloud鈥檚 FUEL Manchester 2025 event on October 9th.
MusicMagpie co-founder Steve Oliver will join Nicola Weedall, Lisa Morton & Jack Maher on the breakfast panel of the ground-breaking event at No.1 Circle Square, Oxford Road.
FUEL Manchester is an innovative event created to fuel business growth for promising startups and scaleups.
It鈥檚 two events in one, beginning with a whistle-stop discussion of some of the big questions facing businesses and finishing with a series of exclusive, invite-only masterclasses for a cohort of exciting companies.
The event is supported by , and .
Register for breakfast panel & networking
musicMagpie was set up in a Stockport garage in 2007 by CEO Oliver and Walter Gleeson as a 鈥渓azy man鈥檚 eBay鈥� 鈥� as described by Oliver to us in 2021 鈥� and allowed people to trade in their CDs, DVDs and games for cash.
With developments in technology, it pivoted its offer towards phones and gadgets, and floated on London Stock Exchange鈥檚 junior AIM market in April 2021.
Late last year it was acquired by AO and Oliver, who featured on our Northern Leaders list in 2024, reflected on the 鈥渢ough life鈥� of a standalone PLC in a straight-talking interview.
PR legend Morton, also a Northern Leader, founded her agency Roland Dransfield in 1996 from her kitchen table and has never looked back. In a recent episode of our Northern Leaders podcast she called out the sexist behaviour she has faced over the years.
Weedall is the founder and CEO of invoice platform Hydr, which helps SMEs with their cashflow and featured on our GM Rising Stars of 老九品茶 list earlier this year.
Jack Maher is head of flexible workspace at Bruntwood SciTech, a joint venture between Bruntwood, L&G and Greater Manchester Pension Fund which has a 400-strong innovation community based in its Manchester workspaces including neighbouring No.3 Circle Square.
FUEL Manchester 2025 will be chaired by award-winning executive editor Chris Maguire.
Companies interested in joining the cohort for the masterclasses – which span funding, growth planning, people & performance and technology – can contact editor Jonathan Symcox here. There are a total of 25 spaces available and they are filling up rapidly.
is the UK鈥檚 leading developer of city-wide innovation ecosystems, specialising in environments and workspaces that empower science, tech and innovative companies to form, scale, and grow. Its network connects the UK鈥檚 most ambitious cities, regions and innovation communities through collaboration and a unique public, private, academic, clinical partner network.
supports fast-growing businesses and founders helping them disrupt and dominate their sectors, with comprehensive services across accountancy, tax and advisory services. 鈥疘t helps navigate complexities and unlock opportunities across every stage of business with award winning services and advice.