The Lady Mayor of the City of London, Dame Susan Langley, will today host a Defence & Resilience Tech Scale Up Showcase event at Mansion House. It will bring together some of Britain’s most promising defence and dual-use technology companies with investors who can help them grow and stay in the UK.

The event will see 21 companies present to almost 300 investors, with participating businesses collectively seeking £350 million of scale-up investment. It is the fourth in the Lady Mayor’s Scale Up Showcase series and the first to focus on defence and national resilience.

Against a backdrop of war in Europe, daily cyber threats and rapid advances in artificial intelligence, and data-led warfare, the Showcase is designed to connect the financial firepower of the City with the technological innovation of the next generation of British start-ups.

Keynote speakers include Luke Pollard MP, Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry, and General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Senior military officers, defence innovation leaders and representatives from the National Security Strategic Investment Fund are also expected to attend.

The Government’s Strategic Defence Review set out the need for a step-change in UK defence, including faster innovation, greater industrial partnership and a stronger focus on technologies such as AI, drones, cyber capabilities and autonomous systems. The Defence & Resilience Tech Scale Up Showcase responds directly to that challenge by helping high-growth British firms access the capital, networks and commercial opportunities they need to scale.

Lady Mayor of the City of London, Dame Susan Langley, said:

 “The City’s ecosystem of deep pools of capital, world-class talent and unrivalled global connectivity makes it a special environment for turning innovation into capability. At a time when the UK and our allies face a range of serious security threats, from war on our continent to cyber-attacks, disinformation and risks to critical infrastructure, that ecosystem has an important role to play.

“Meeting these challenges will require more than government action alone. It will require the ingenuity, pace and ambition of our technology and defence sectors, backed by the capital and expertise needed to scale. Today’s event does exactly that: bringing together some of the best of British defence and resilience innovation with the investors who can help turn ideas into capability, capital into resilience and innovation into greater security for us all.”

Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said:

“Ukrainian companies are able to respond quickly to the needs of the battlefield and develop new types of weapons based on real combat experience. No other country can offer more relevant experience for the development of new weapons, their modernization and new ways of using them. However, the lack of technologies and funding does not allow us to take the initiative from Russia and its partners.

“Therefore, we call on our partners to increase financial and technological investments in weapons production in Ukraine, not only to reduce Russia's military potential but also to strengthen their own defence capabilities.”

Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP said:

 "With war in Europe and the threat from Russia growing, re-industrialising and building sovereign defence capability has never been more urgent – and that means real investment in British industry. 

"At the Scale-up Showcase, we're bringing together the innovators and investors who are turning that investment into lasting industrial capability. From missiles to drones, British SMEs are strengthening our Armed Forces and driving growth and jobs across the UK, while supporting our allies including Ukraine.”

The companies taking part were selected from a competitive field of defence-related businesses introduced by organisations across the UK innovation and investment ecosystem. Each company will pitch twice, with delegates allocating virtual investment currency to the firms they believe show the strongest promise.

Supporters for the Showcase include Alantra, Amadeus Capital Partners, AWS, BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, Dalton Cyber, Goodwin Proctor, HSBC Innovation Banking, Leonardo, RCK Partners, Sky News, Think and Grow, Women Empowering Defence and the Worshipful Company of Entrepreneurs.

Gus Machado, Master, WCIT, the London Livery Company for the Tech Sector

“We are delighted to organise this event, the fourth in a series of Scale-up Technology showcases at Mansion House. This event is our biggest one yet and the interest shown by both companies and investors indicates the vital need for innovation in the nation’s defence.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

·       The Defence & Resilience Tech Scale Up Showcase takes place at Mansion House on Wednesday 9 September 2026.

·       The event is organised on behalf of the Lady Mayor by the Entrepreneurship Panel and Armed Forces Committee of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, the City of London livery company for the tech sector.

·       The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile, dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally successful UK.