SME XPO, which organises an annual SME investor event in London, has rebranded itself to Scale, adding in a new platform addition to the event offering year round support and resources for small and medium-sized businesses.
Scale
Launching this summer at www.scale-london.com, Scale will bring together content, capital, and community through curated sessions, leadership dinners, and strategic growth forums.
Programming will focus on three core scale-up pain points:
- Access to Capital – investor readiness, negotiation strategy & non-dilutive funding
- Access to Talent – attracting & retaining high-value teams
- Access to Markets – customer acquisition & international expansion
Structured across five key pillars; Summit, XPO, Sessions, Hub and Ventures, Scale will support a year-long campaign of high-growth activity, culminating in SME XPO 2026.
Sam North, co-Founder at SME XPO, added: “Founders told us loud and clear that they want year-round access to ideas, investment, and each other.
“Scale is the natural evolution of SME XPO, building a permanent home for the UK’s most ambitious entrepreneurs.”
SME XPO said the launch of Scale aims to build on the momentum of its popular and growing SME XPO event in London, and will be a new year-round platform designed to support scale-up leaders beyond the show floor.
In June, SME XPO 2025 welcomed more than 4,000 entrepreneurs, investors and innovators to ExCeL London for two days of high-impact learning, funding conversations and peer-to-peer inspiration – confirming its place as the UK’s leading event for scale-up success.
Now in its fourth year, SME XPO 2025 saw record exhibitor participation, with 125 businesses showcasing tools and services to power scale-up growth – a 20% increase on 2024 – along with more than 80 keynote speakers and panelists.
Show attendees included a highly engaged audience of decision-makers:
- 86% were classified as scale-up businesses (up from 77% last year)
- 74% were founders or directors actively leading growth
- Over 6,500+ meaningful business connections were made
The standout feature of this year’s event was the Gold Pass programme, which saw almost 1,000 high-growth founders participate in closed-door roundtables, curated networking and ‘Meet the Investor’ sessions delivered in partnership with the EIS Association.
These invite-only experiences addressed key pain-points for scale-up leaders: access to capital, markets, and talent.
Helen Omoh-Mensah, Director of Tembo Marketing and an SME XPO exhibitor, commented: “A fantastic event and a great opportunity to meet entrepreneurs and have meaningful conversations”
Kathryn Burn, Founder of Pyjamily, said: “A great opportunity to network and mix with like-minded people. There are lots of great brands here to connect with”.
Theo Paphitis, Retail Entrepreneur, TV Dragon and #SBS Small Business Sunday Creator Chairman and Owner, added: “Events like SME XPO continue to be a fixed date in the diary to take time out of the office to meet potential investors, solve hiring pain-points or form new partnerships.
“Always a great buzz and energy in the air with a fully engaged cohort over the two days”
Despite the current economic headwinds, Scale said that the scale-up community remains bullish, with 62% of attending businesses seeking investment in the next 12 months. It added that more than 50% of 2026 exhibition space is already reserved due to strong demand.