Tech Events in Sheffield

This event will be a special Lightning Talks Night, featuring 5–6 short talks from members of the local developer community sharing tools, ideas, projects, lessons learned, and technologies they’ve been exploring.

⚠️ This will be an in-person event, the venue is TBA.

Agenda:

• 🍕 Pizza/Drinks (18:15 - 18:30)
• 🗣 Introduction (18:30)
• ⚡ Lightning Talk #1 - Units Of Measure by David Betteridge
• ⚡ Lightning Talk #2 - Intro to Local AI by Daniel Heartly
• ⚡ Lightning Talk #3 - Semantic Search & MongoDB by Kevin Smith
• ⚡ Lightning Talk #4 - TBA by Peter Gillett
• ⚡ Lightning Talk #5
• 🍻 Social @ Pub (after the talks)

👉 What are Lightning Talks?
Lightning talks are short, fast-paced community talks lasting around 10–15 minutes each. They’re a fantastic way to share knowledge, ideas, experiences, demos, tools, side projects, lessons learned, or even just something interesting you’ve discovered recently.
This evening is all about giving members of the community an opportunity to:

• Share knowledge and help others learn
• Try public speaking in a relaxed and supportive environment
• Show off something cool they’ve been working on
• Spark conversations and ideas with fellow developers
• Get involved in the local tech community

You do not need to be an experienced speaker to take part — some of the best talks come from people simply sharing something practical or interesting they’ve recently worked on.
Possible topics could include:

• A library or framework you’ve been enjoying
• AI tooling or developer productivity tips
• Cloud, architecture, or DevOps ideas
• Lessons learned from a recent project
• Fun side projects
• Quick technical deep dives
• Things that went wrong and what you learned from them

Whether you want to give your first ever talk or share something you’re passionate about, this will be a fun, relaxed, and community-focused evening.
Interested in speaking? Message one of the organisers with your talk idea!

Bringing together the Northern tech ecosystem together so we can collaborate to compete.

The Northern Tech Summit is happening in Sheffield on 21–22 October 2026, bringing together founders, investors, policymakers and ecosystem leaders from across the North of England.

Hosted at the world-famous Crucible Theatre, the summit will to explore how regional collaboration can accelerate innovation, investment and growth. This year’s programme will focus on strengthening connections between Northern ecosystems, sharing data-driven insights, and highlighting opportunities for the North to compete on a global stage.

Across two days, expect lively discussions on key challenges and opportunities facing the tech sector, a startup showcase and networking opportunities, and sessions shaped by regional priorities and insight.

The summit brings together a diverse audience of startups, scaleups, investors, public sector leaders and ecosystem specialists, creating space for meaningful collaboration and practical action. Hosted by TECH SY, the ecosystem development programme for South Yorkshire on behalf of SYMCA.

Day one (Wed 21st) will be a fast-paced event at the Crucible theatre 10am - 3pm, with a focus on sectors and addressing challenges and opportunities for better tech ecosystem collaboration across the North.

There will also be a relaxed startup showcase event at Trafalgar Warehouse on day one from 3pm, with tickets sold separately. Head over to see local tech talent and enjoy networking drinks.

Day two (Thu 22nd) 9am-3pm at the Crucible will tackle the key talking points that can connect ecosystems across the North - both on the ground and politically - to drive positive change and growth.

Sheffield Innovation Spine is the official fringe partner of the Northern Tech Summit 2026. The Spine is an energised urban innovation district spanning 190 acres across Sheffield city centre. Fringe events to be announced soon.

Alongside the Northern Tech Summit in Sheffield, we're hosting an informal startup showcase at Trafalgar Warehouse.

TECH SY is hosting a South Yorkshire startup showcase alongside the Northern Tech Summit in Sheffield. You can expect a keynote speaker, pitching, local business demos and networking opportunities, fuelling the discussion for day two of the main summit.

Don't miss this curated showcase with founders and tech leaders with limited places. Refreshments will be provided. Head over after the Northern Tech Summit day one sessions for a relaxed evening event exploring tech and innovation in South Yorkshire, kicking off at 4pm with networking from 3pm.