Frontier Tech Across Borders

London FinalFormat: In person, closed-door pitching contest

Investors x Founders only

​Apply to Pitch in the London Final APPLY

Previous London editions:

  • Welcomed Finalists from across the Globe selected from over 170 applications.

  • 18 institutional funds on judging panels with many more in attendance. Check the funds in previous editions

  • Over $50K worth of additional value from Prize Partners

Ten finalists will be selected to pitch live in front of an international panel of investors and partners.

Frontier Tech Across Borders is a closed-door pitching contest for founders building in frontier AI, deep infrastructure, bioscience, and defence technology. The London final brings together a curated group of founders to pitch live, including the winner of October's Global Heat (online), in front of an international panel of investors and partners.

This is not an open pitch competition and founders are requested to submit their applications to pitch in order to be selected to attend.

All attendees are selected by invitation and curation, and the session is closed to the public.

What happens on the night

  • A curated group of founders pitch live, including the winner of the Global Online Heat

  • An international panel of investors and partners, in a closed-door session

  • Founders join by pitching only — there is no observer seat

Startup Founder - Is this for you?

Seed stage, Series A, B+. Solid traction. Early institutional or VC backing. Building in one of the themes above, with genuine cross-border ambition.

Startup applications: APPLY

Format

  • Structured pitch 4 mins pitch + 3 mins questions, closed room

  • A panel of investors and partners

  • 10 finalists selected to advance from the applicants

Applications Deadline - 31st October midnight

  • Invitation only — request an invite

  • Partners and investors interested in a judging seat or broader involvement: contact [email protected]

Meet our Judging Panel (more profiles to be confirmed in the coming days):

Jeff Jiang - Investor Seraphim VC

Jeff is an investor on the investment team at Seraphim Space. Seraphim is the global leader in SpaceTech investment searching to invest in the brightest minds and smartest ideas which will provide trailblazing, high-value solutions that disrupt, transform and improve life as we know it.Across the Seraphim Space investment funds, Seraphim Space Accelerator and Seraphim Space Investment Trust, they are the first organisation to support space entrepreneurship from inception to exit.

Total Investment Raised by Portfolio $13.5b+ | 6 Portfolio IPOs

Craig Fagan - Partner Ashurst Perkins Coie

Craig's practice is grounded in his experience working on the client side as General Counsel at global fintech Bud, where he worked closely with founders as part of the executive team to scale the business and learned important insights as the lead on global expansion, fundraising and equity transactions.Craig is now a Corporate partner advising founders and investors on growth capital, M&A, and venture capital transactions.

Fabrice Bienfait - Senior Partner ETF Partners

Fabrice is a Senior Partner at ETF Partners, the Environmental Technologies Fund. Founded in 2005, ETF is Europe's original venture capital firm dedicated to sustainability and impact, backing entrepreneurs building the intelligence layer that makes modern infrastructure cleaner, safer, and more efficient.

Across its funds, ETF Partners invests at the convergence of digital technology, sustainability and impact, with portfolio exits including Enablon (acquired by Wolters Kluwer for €250m) and MWR InfoSecurity (acquired by F-Secure for €120m). Fabrice joined as a Principal in 2008, became a Partner in 2015 and Senior Partner in 2023, and sits on the boards of Riverlane, Normative, AIPERIA and shipzero.

20+ Years Backing Sustainable Innovation | Ranked 19th in Sifted's 2025 Top European VC Firms

Patrycja Maksymowicz - Founder / CEO sclr labs

Patrycja leads sclr labs, London's venture growth infrastructure supporting scale-ready ventures through commercialisation, international expansion, and access to institutional capital. Over three decades she has built and led teams from 5 to 450+, architected growth strategies for VC-backed startups and blue-chip clients including LEGO, BMW, and Scania, and supported over 350 ventures across 15+ countries through sclr labs.

Prize Partners:

Ashurst Perkins Coie works alongside founders, high-growth companies and investors throughout the business life cycle, along for the journey from early-stage fundraising through growth-capital rounds, international expansion, strategic transactions and exit.

With 52 offices across 20 countries and regions, the firm combines global reach with a deep understanding of the commercial challenges facing scaling businesses. Its multidisciplinary team advises on fundraising, corporate governance, M&A, strategic partnerships, product development, regulatory compliance and intellectual property. Drawing on decades of experience within the venture ecosystem and extensive investor relationships, the firm enables founders to refine their fundraising strategies and connect with suitable capital partners.

Dress code: smart casual

📸 Event photography By attending, you consent to being photographed and filmed for promotional use. If you'd prefer not to have your photos used or details shared, please let us know, and we’ll respect your preferences.

We look forward to seeing you at the event