News and Insight - Inside Level39: December Edition

Inside Level39: What Happened in December

A look behind the scenes at the activity powering our ecosystem

As the year drew to a close, December was anything but quiet at Level39. From global conferences and partner-led showcases to international delegations and festive celebrations, the month reflected the scale, energy and connectivity that sits behind our day-to-day community experience.

At the forefront of fintech

This year, we partnered once again with FinTech Connect, one of the UK’s premier fintech conferences, held alongside Tokenize: LDN.
Amy French, Director, and Aimee Tiernan, Marketing Associate, attended the event, which brought together core fintech buyers alongside the rapidly growing institutional digital assets and tokenisation ecosystem, creating valuable conversations around the future of financial services.

We also spent time at the Startup Launchpad & Innovation Hub stage, expertly moderated by our friends Calypso Harland, CEO at FinTech Fringe, and Johnny Morris, International Trade Executive – Fintech & Cyber at London & Partners.

Johnny also featured on the C-Suite Podcast, recorded live at FinTech Connect to mark its 10-year anniversary. The episode explored the major shifts that have shaped fintech over the past decade and what might come next (listen here: 10 Years of FinTech Connect: Part 1 of 3).

Showcasing founders, investors and accelerators

We hosted a series of partner-led events, including Pitchflix’s reverse-pitch showcase, where leading and emerging VCs and accelerators presented their propositions directly to investment-ready founders.

Their rev™ London and warp™ sessions offered founders (from pre-seed to Series A) the chance to engage with accelerators, incubators and investors, explore alignment beyond a traditional investment thesis, and build meaningful connections efficiently.

Through these events, Pitchflix continues to connect founders and investors from the UK and around the world, all within the Level39 community.

Welcoming international delegations

December also reinforced Level39’s role as a gateway into London’s innovation ecosystem, as we welcomed multiple international academic delegations across the month.

SP Jain London School of Management

We welcomed the London cohort of the SP Jain School of Management for a tour and discussion focused on entrepreneurship and venture building. The group, primarily Global MBA students with backgrounds in banking, consulting, finance and marketing, were keen to gain practical insight into launching and scaling a business.

The visit was enriched by a session with fintech entrepreneur Zoe (Zee) West, Co-founder and CIO of Picnic Bank, who shared an honest perspective on the realities of founding a company, the challenges founders face, and the skills needed to build resilience and momentum in the early stages.

Chicago Booth Global Executive MBA Program

We hosted 80 students from the Chicago Booth Global Executive MBA Program for a morning exploring entrepreneurship, innovation and the evolution of Canary Wharf as a global business hub.

The programme began with networking and an introduction to Level39, outlining our role in supporting high-growth technology businesses. Students then heard from Shobi Khan, CEO of Canary Wharf Group, who shared insights into the estate’s transformation and long-term vision.

Founder perspectives followed, with Christina Di Nolfo, CEO of Collection Pot, and Paul Sheedy, Founder & CEO of unifi.id, offering first-hand reflections on scaling technology-led ventures, leadership, and the value of strong networks within the UK ecosystem.

Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education

And lastly, the University of Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education Programme. The visit combined a guided tour of Level39 with interactive sessions focused on leadership, innovation and real-world impact.

Designed to challenge and inspire experienced professionals, the day reflected Cambridge Judge’s emphasis on rigorous, interdisciplinary learning while offering direct exposure to the entrepreneurial activity and community at the heart of Level39.

Building connections and partnerships

Alongside events and visits, December was filled with strategic meetings and partner engagements that strengthened our global relationships.

Growth Day fireside chat

Amy French joined David Cronin, Inward Investment Manager at London & Partners, to share insights with founders exploring the UK market. The session formed part of the KTH Innovation Brighter Programme, supporting early-stage deep tech and AI startups from Sweden.

London & Partners Europe visit

We hosted the London & Partners’ European team, led by Markus Facklam, Director Europe & Middle East, to share insights into support structures, programmes and resources available to founders considering London as their next growth destination.

Friends at Finance Montréal

Amy French and Aimee Tiernan met with Aboubacar Any and Jean-Luc Pellerin to learn more about Québec’s financial ecosystem, their engagement with major corporations, and explored opportunities for collaboration – reinforcing Level39’s role as a connector between global innovation communities.

Tea with T-Hub, India

We were delighted to welcome Priyanka Ravala, who leads international relations at T-Hub – one of India’s largest government-backed incubators. The conversation explored opportunities to support startups expanding between the UK and India, and offered fascinating insight into the 600 AI, fintech, manufacturing and health-tech startups that call T-Hub home, alongside the programmes accelerating their international growth.

Celebrating the community

December kicked off with our Festive Celebration, bringing members, mentors, colleagues and partners together to mark the end of the year and celebrate the connections and shared successes that make the Level39 community thrive.

Beyond Level39, our team joined the Canary Wharf Life Sciences Winter Party, celebrating the continued growth of the life sciences community across the estate. We also hosted the British Neuroscience Association Festive Symposium, in partnership with Canary Wharf Group and Kadans.

The symposium brought together neuroscientists, clinicians, industry partners and students for a day of insight and discovery, from molecular breakthroughs to societal impact, before concluding with festive drinks and reflections on the vital role of collaboration and innovation in neuroscience.

Closing the year with impact

To round off the month, we shared Level39 Wrapped 2025, highlighting the scale of activity across the year. Our members hosted over 6,000 visitors, more than 265 events took place welcoming over 14,000 attendees, and 52 curriculum-led sessions were delivered by our mentor and investor network. You can explore the full wrap-up here.

December was a powerful reminder of the activity happening across Level39 every day – from worldwide conversations and founder support to the moments that bring our ecosystem together. We’re excited to carry this momentum into the year ahead.