Inside Level39: March Edition

March felt like a true snapshot of life at Level39 – international in outlook, grounded in community, and driven by learning, connection and impact. From welcoming delegations and students eager to understand how startups really grow, to celebrating our 13th anniversary and supporting powerful conversations championing women in fintech, the energy across our floors captured exactly what Level39 is all about.

Here’s a look inside what March had in store.

Opening Doors: Global Perspectives, Local Insight

Our role as a bridge into London’s tech ecosystem was front and centre this month, beginning with a visit from 25 representatives from HK Tech 300, City University of Hong Kong’s flagship innovation and entrepreneurship programme.

The delegation came to Level39 to explore how innovative ideas are developed, supported and scaled within the UK startup landscape. Following welcoming remarks, Lalitha Aiyer, Membership Associate, and Daisy Harris, Membership & Ecosystem Coordinator, introduced Level39 – unpacking how incubators contribute to cultivating strong tech ecosystems, and what sits behind Level39’s long-term success: community, access and collaboration.

A tour of the space offered delegates a tangible sense of how founders work day-to-day, before hearing directly from Level39 members. Chinmay Khuspare, Founder & CEO of Quinine Cybersecurity, spoke candidly about startup growth planning and his journey as an international founder, offering an honest lens on ambition and resilience. Mike McCloskey, Co-Founder and Director at Utilidex, followed with reflections on his path into startups, alongside a live product demo, highlighting the value of being embedded in a supportive, connected community.

The session wrapped with an engaged Q&A, reinforcing a shared understanding across geographies.

Inspiring the Next Generation

March also saw Level39 bustling with students from two universities taking part in the Venture Crawl programme, exploring entrepreneurship first-hand during a full day of visits and discussions.

The day began with University of Sunderland students, who joined us for an introduction to Level39 led by Daisy and Lalitha. They then heard from Paul Sheedy, CEO & Founder of Unifi.id, who shared his entrepreneurial journey shaped by multiple roles, hard lessons and perseverance. Paul’s key message landed clearly that resilience is foundational, and failure is not an endpoint, but part of the process.

Later that same day, Queen Mary University of London students arrived and were welcomed with an introduction and tour from Amy French (Director at Level39), alongside Lalitha and Daisy. Students then joined a panel discussion on Founder Stories and Entrepreneurial Journeys.

Featuring Jack Percival (Managing Director, My Property Organiser), Yiran Qin (Vice President, HSBC Innovation Banking) and Dr Jorge Del Bosque (Founder & Head of Artificial Intelligence, Nanu), the conversation focused on real decision making, early turning points and lessons learned through challenge – offering refreshingly honest insight for those just beginning their entrepreneurial exploration.

The day concluded with a visit to Canary Wharf Group’s Model Suite, where Jinjie Wang (Director – Office & Life Science, CWG) shared the story of Canary Wharf’s transformation into a vibrant mixed use destination, and the future role of health and life sciences through developments like One North Quay.

Women, Visibility & Shared Momentum

International Women’s Month ran as a powerful thread throughout March, both inside Level39 and across the wider ecosystem, reflecting the collective momentum building around inclusion, leadership and opportunity for women in fintech.

At Level39, our Women at Level39: Stories That Shape Success event was a standout moment. Centred around the theme “Give to Gain”, the session was designed to be an open, genuinely valuable space for women and allies to connect through honest conversation.

In a fireside chat, Amy French, Director at Level39, was joined by Tram Anh Nguyen, Cofounder of CFTE and Chairwoman of Global Women in AI, to explore leadership, mentorship and the importance of visibility for women in fintech and emerging technologies. The discussion reinforced the power of education, confidence and community in building inclusive pathways into the industry.

Speaker talks followed from women building and leading across tech, finance and AI:

• Abantika Chatterjee (Associate Director – AI CoE, EBRD) spoke about bold pivots, building trust in AI and driving transformation at scale.
• Tamara Kostova (Founder & CEO, AllVesta) delivered a compelling call for women to build with confidence and purpose in finance and AI.
• Veronika Bond (Head of Creative and Design, CybSafe) shared her three “gives”: giving up perfection, permission and doing it alone.
• Jasmine Sayyari (CEO, Lean Health) traced her path from frontline medicine to healthtech, highlighting how visibility creates pathways for others.

The session reinforced a simple truth that progress accelerates when experiences are shared openly and communities show up for one another.

Out in the Ecosystem

Alongside activity within Level39, the team spent March actively engaging across London’s innovation landscape, bringing insights back into the community.

Amy and Aimee Tiernan, Marketing Associate, attended Grow London’s International Women’s Day, joining founders, investors and policymakers for a day focused on practical growth, upskilling and meaningful connection.

Amy, Lalitha and Aimee also joined the Women in FinTech Powerlist 2025 Celebratory Reception, celebrating a decade of recognising women making a lasting impact across fintech and financial services globally.

At the FinTech Global CX Financial Services Forum, conversations centred on evolving customer expectations, proactive service design, trust and the role of AI in shaping end-to-end customer journeys. Meanwhile, PAY360 offered a deep dive into the pace of change across payments, reinforcing the need for collaboration as innovation accelerates.

Amy also attended the City of London Corporation’s International Women’s Day Breakfast, where opening remarks from Lady Mayor Dame Susan Langley and an insightful panel explored sponsorship, mentorship and allyship – offering tangible reminders of how visibility and advocacy shape opportunity.

Celebrating Our Community

March marked a milestone moment: 13 years of Level39.

Bringing together members, alumni, partners, mentors, government representatives and friends of the ecosystem, the anniversary event was a moment to reflect on how far the community has come and to look ahead to what’s next.

From all of us at Team39, it was a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported Level39 along the way. As we move forward, our focus remains clear – supporting more tech startups and scaleups, strengthening international connections, and continuing to create spaces where this community can come together.

Impact, Collaboration & What’s Next

March closed with moments that reinforced Level39’s commitment to impact and collaboration from co-sponsoring a UN Women UK event with CWG, to supporting the East London Business Alliance discussion on growth, skills and innovation, and hosting the IMPACT Conference led by Level39 member CybSafe, exploring the human factors behind cybersecurity risk.

And finally, a welcome addition to Team39: Georgia Keilly joined us as our new Events Associate, supporting venue bookings, client relationships and the delivery of exceptional experiences across Level39.

We’re excited to keep building on this momentum as we step into the months ahead.