What if innovation started with the individual — and reimagined everything else from there?
Join Young Lives Innovation Lab, Par Equity, Little Journey as we explore the status quo of impact investment. Through the lens of mission-driven capital, we’ll explore how innovation and tech might shift systems—not just symptoms—and ask what it really means to build technology for people, not platforms.
This panel brings together leaders from across investment, healthtech startups, and policy to explore how we can use technology and impact-driven capital to shift systems and centre human outcomes across the UK’s most societal problems. We’ll examine:
- What happens when we build tech for people, not just products
- The role of capital in tackling challenges in UK society and shaping innovation priorities
- Where social systems are falling short, and where innovation might offer leverage
- How funding and product design can align to shift systemic challenges
Meet the panel:
-
Rachel Kirby-Ryder — CEO of
Young Lives vs Cancer, one of the UK’s leading children’s cancer charities, working to ensure no family faces cancer alone and every young person gets the support they need.
-
Dr Elizabeth Young — Investor at
Par Equity, with a PhD in Medical Engineering and expertise in healthTech and deepTech. Lizzy has also championed impact-driven ventures through her work with the
Creator Fund, supporting the Northern pre-seed ecosystem for students and spinouts.
-
Dr Chris Evans — Anaesthetist, researcher, NHS Innovation Accelerator Fellow, and co-founder of
Little Journey, an award-winning platform designed to reduce anxiety for children and families navigating healthcare.
-
Charlotte Scott — Founder of
The New Monday and
Roast My Pitch, former VC investor, and passionate advocate for creative industries, angel syndicates, and helping startups fundraise with confidence.
- Naomi Timperley (Chair) — Award-winning business consultant, co-founder of Tech North Advocates, and UK Lead for Global Tech Advocates. Recently named the 2nd Most Influential Woman in UK Tech by Computer Weekly (2024), she brings amazing experience mentoring startups, supporting innovation, and helping businesses thrive in a digital-first world
