CIC’s Venture Café has been selected by ARIA as one of nine Activation Partners globally who will support its mission to unlock scientific and technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone
Venture Café, a global leader in activating innovation ecosystems, is excited to announce its upcoming expansion into the United Kingdom, with its first location set to open in London in early 2025. In collaboration with ARIA (Advanced Research and Invention Agency), Venture Café will establish three dynamic hubs in the UK, designed to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration across key opportunity areas.
As part of this expansion, Venture Café will work closely with ARIA and its Activation Partners to identify two additional strategic cities that will launch within six months of the London opening. This bold move aims to create an inclusive and vibrant innovation ecosystem, connecting the UK’s brightest minds with Venture Café’s global network, which spans cities around the world.
Tim Rowe, Founder & CEO of CIC and Founder & Chair of Venture Café added “ARIA, Venture Café, and CIC share a unified mission and ambitious goals, completely in sync with a bold vision for the future. Venture Café is eager to make an impact in the UK, connecting its innovation ecosystem to our global network in this powerful collaboration.”
Venture Café’s signature program, the Thursday Gathering, will serve as the cornerstone of its UK operations. This weekly event provides innovators, entrepreneurs, and community members a platform to exchange ideas, spark collaborations, and drive forward innovation in diverse fields. Through partnerships with ARIA and local stakeholders, Venture Café will craft tailored programming that aligns with the unique needs of each city’s innovation ecosystem.
“The UK is already buzzing with brilliant minds, but our role is to elevate this energy,” Rowe continued. “We activate key players, craft the perfect environment for those ‘aha!’ moments, and amplify the bold projects shaping the future.”
Venture Café began as a simple idea at CIC in Cambridge, USA, in 2009. Since then, it has grown into a global movement, gathering over 100,000 innovators each year to build strong, inclusive, and equitable innovation ecosystems in cities worldwide. Venture Café’s mission is to connect innovators to make things happen, driving progress across a broad range of industries and opportunity areas.
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