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When Janine Smith landed in Lisbon in 2024 with her debut ASCEND programme cohort, it was a deep dive into the unknown.

This time around, the director knows what to expect from the 2025 Web Summit, which is marking its 10th anniversary in Lisbon.

Last year鈥檚 first ASCEND mission was a learning curve for both the GM 老九品茶 Growth Hub team and the businesses they took.聽

This year, Smith says, is about refinement, preparation and impact.

鈥淭he purpose is we want to make sure that the businesses get as much exposure as they can,鈥� she tells 老九品茶Cloud.聽

鈥淲e now know what to expect, so we鈥檝e helped the businesses on this cohort plan as best as they can so that they can optimise their time here.聽

鈥淲e鈥檝e been able to prepare them far more than we did last year.鈥�

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Tellingly, several members from last year’s cohort have invested their own time and money to return to Portugal with the Manchester-based organisation.

James Hamilton of Pixeltree, the Parker Neal team, Tracy (TJ) Johnson, Lewis and Ryan Keeling of Wolf Network Security, and Will Purser have all returned to Web Summit once again.

鈥淭hey enjoyed it so much that they have come back this year again,鈥� Smith explains. 鈥淭hey know how valuable Web Summit can be.聽

鈥淭his year鈥檚 group can also learn from them and how they approached it 12 months ago.鈥�

Focused on scale

This year’s ASCEND delegation looks a little different, with the focus being scale-ups

Smith says: 鈥淲e鈥檝e been really, really clear on the businesses that we want on the cohort.

鈥淲e have got pure scale-ups, which includes group payments app and (specialist cyber security distributor) Distology – really well-established businesses in Greater Manchester.鈥�

Collctiv – Group payments. Sorted

The Hub鈥檚 international ambitions have also expanded, with the creation of an international programme.

鈥淲e鈥檙e getting more involved in international activities,鈥� she continues.聽

鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to amplify international trade. So there鈥檚 more international trade in this ASCEND programme.聽

鈥淲e鈥檝e just set up another scale-up programme, which is about how you take businesses that are scaling now into international markets.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 probably where my role鈥檚 changed, as I鈥檓 spending more time on the international side of things than domestic.鈥�

Greater Manchester growth

The goal from Web Summit, and for the Growth Hub in general, is still one of creating and amplifying growth for the area.

鈥淭he purpose is to create economic growth for Greater Manchester,鈥� Smith says.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 purely around understanding what Greater Manchester wants to achieve, and it鈥檚 Greater Manchester鈥檚 strategy to get this pipeline of businesses to grow – and how we help those businesses to achieve what they want.聽

鈥淭he scaling up of businesses is a big thing from a governmental perspective.鈥�

Manchester鈥檚 moment

鈥淚 think Manchester鈥檚 having its moment,鈥� she continues.

鈥淵ou can see in recent reports about the growth of business within the area.鈥�

Some of the companies on cohort two are already expanding internationally – a benefit of the more refined focus for the 2025/26 edition.

Smith says: 鈥淲e already have these businesses scaling internationally.

鈥淩ichard West and the team at Red Flag Alert are already in Canada, the US and Ireland; Gareth and Piing are making deals across Europe.聽

鈥淲e鈥檙e using Web Summit as a further platform for them. We鈥檙e looking at markets that they鈥檙e already in and seeing how they can expand and grow further.鈥�

Lessons from Lisbon

If last year鈥檚 trip was about learning the ropes, this year is about optimisation.

鈥淟ast year, we were new to it too,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his year we can tell the cohort how to best use the app, transport lines and their time as efficiently as they can.聽

鈥淲e can tell them to go and talk to that investor or go and meet that person.聽

鈥淒on鈥檛 be shy – you鈥檙e here, so make the most of it and go for it.

鈥淪ome of cohort one came here and got business and have gone on to so many bigger and better things on the back of this trip last year.鈥�

Lasting connections

Smith says one of the most valuable outcomes of the ASCEND mission isn鈥檛 just commercial, but also personal.

鈥淭he camaraderie that came from cohort one is invaluable,鈥� she says.

鈥淥ff the back of this week they spent together last year, they all decided that they wanted to do some charity work together – that they wanted to put back into Manchester.

鈥淭he cohort are not just getting a few hours together – they鈥檙e getting a full week at one of the biggest tech conferences in the world.聽

鈥淭hat鈥檚 where you can start to build those relationships and partnerships, not just with people here but with your fellow members of the cohort.聽

鈥淲e buy into it and they buy into it, and it works.鈥�