Sister Manchester

Hi Tokyo, it’s Manchester calling 🌎

Next week, Venture Café Manchester is hosting the regional round of the global pitch competition, Pitch2Tokyo – which will culminate in global finals in Japan next year!

Hosted in the run up to the Venture Café Global Gathering, Pitch2Tokyo will see startups compete for the chance to represent Manchester in the February 2026 Tokyo finals – offering startups the chance to connect with the international innovation ecosystem and showcase their ideas to a global audience from 80+ countries.

This marks the Venture Café Manchester’s second Thursday Gathering (held in partnership with Sister and the Advanced Research + Invention Agency) connecting Manchester’s innovation community and ecosystem – an initiative which we couldn’t be prouder to support.

Only one week to go – join us next Thursday to hear local startups present their entrepreneurial stories and ideas! 💡

📍 Renold Building
🗓️ Thursday 20th November
🕑 5pm – 8pm

Find out more and book your free spot here: https://sistermanchester.com/events/venture-cafe-tokyo-bound-manchesters-bridge-to-international-innovation

We’re delighted to announce that the Renold Building has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Mix Interiors Awards North 2025, Positive Impact Category! A huge congratulations to the brilliant design team at Space Invader who completed the refurbishment.

Together with Space Invader, our aim was to prioritise sustainability in the refurbishment of the Renold Building while honoring its heritage and past history as a centre for teaching excellence.

Formerly part of The University of Manchester’s North Campus, the transformation of Renold pushes the boundaries of what is possible in terms of sustainable re-use and material innovation.

Here’s how sustainable re-use shaped the interior fit-out of the building:

📦 Sculptural lighting fixtures made from recycled cardboard tubes and reclaimed fluorescent lights

♻️ Reclaimed aggregate from the demolition diverted from landfill and used in the café counter

📖 Tables constructed from the the building’s former lecturer desks with legs made from reclaimed scaffolding

🔄896 m² of original timber flooring retained and given a new lease of life

This ethos reflects the resourceful, creative problem-solving we champion at Sister. We’re excited to be spotlighted amongst other great projects driving positive change in the North.

Find out more about the awards and our nomination: https://www.mixinteriors.com/award-entries/mix-awards-north-2025-5-15k

What’s on at Sister’s Renold Innovation Hub this November? 🗓️

We have a busy month ahead, packed with exciting events from robotics and AI to open mic’s and community gatherings!

Find out how to get involved and check out our full events calendar for the month below ⬇️

🧠 Pro-Manchester: “AI is Everybody’s Problem & Opportunity” 🗓️ Tuesday 04 November | 12pm - 1:30pm
Join pro-manchester for a discussion cutting through the jargon to focus on what AI means in real business terms and how it can help businesses tackle challenges.

🎥 Re-imagining Sinners Film Screening & Quiz 🗓️ Wednesday 05 November | 6pm - 9pm
Join Urban Muse for a special screening of Sinners followed by a discussion & quiz exploring the film's themes.

🎉 We Are Young: Celebrating The Past, Shaping The Future 🗓️ Thursday 06 November | 5:30pm - 8:30pm
An evening with Young Manchester celebrating the inspiring youth sector in the city.

🤖 Parallax Presents: Applied AI on the Road - Manchester 🗓️Thursday 13 November | 6pm - 8pm
Explore the real-world impact of AI, without the technical jargon.

💻 CHERI Alliance: CHERITech Conference Manchester '25 🗓️Friday 14 November | 9am - 5pm
Dive deep into CHERI technology, exploring cutting-edge implementations and innovations.

🛰️ The Space Elevator: Manchester, Graphene & A Bridge to the Stars 🗓️Wednesday 19 November | 6:30pm - 8pm
Join The Manchester Lit & Phil event to discover Graphene’s potential and if it can help build the future Space Elevator.

🗼Venture Cafe: Tokyo Bound Manchester’s Bridge to International Innovation 🗓️ Thursday 20 November | 5pm - 8pm
Join the Pitch2Tokyo Competition at Venture Café Manchester's second Thursday Gathering, in partnership with Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA), and Sister.

🎤 Black Creative Trailblazers Open Mic Night 🗓️ Friday 21 November | 6pm - 9pm
A night of creativity and community showcasing emerging musicians, poets, and performers.

🤝 Greater Manchester Combined Authority Development Forum 🗓️ Tuesday 25 November | 10am - 12:30pm
Hear the latest updates and connect with fellow innovators at the 2nd Greater Manchester Development Forum.

🏆 Cradle: Robotics Innovation Showcase - Where Research Meets Reality 🗓️Thursday 27 November | 9am - 4:30pm
Join CRADLE Robotics and AI and celebrate the latest in robotics and autonomous systems, including future funding opportunities.

Book your place here: https://sistermanchester.com/events

Venture Café Manchester has officially landed at Sister! 🎉

First launched by founder and chair, Tim Rowe, in 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts, the Venture Café Global Institute is building a global network of innovators from Tokyo to London to Berlin.

Marking the opening of their second UK location, last week we were thrilled to host the launch of Venture Café Manchester, in partnership ARIA (Advanced Research + Invention Agency), right here in our Renold Building.

This was the Manchester Café’s very first Thursday gathering, bringing 300 people together for an evening exploring:

📍What the Venture Café Global Institute will bring to Manchester

🤝 Collaboration opportunities with Sister and ARIA

💡 Interactive workshops and an ‘Innovation Showcase’ of technologies

🗣️ Networking with like-minded innovators across industry

Venture Café Manchester aims to grow Manchester’s innovation community and ecosystem through their monthly Thursday gatherings, a mission we couldn’t be prouder to support at Sister.

Want to join the next Thursday Gathering on the 20th November at Renold? Find out more below and check out some of the launch event photos!

🔗 Find out more about Venture Café Manchester here: https://venturecafemanchester.org/

"Sister is a place where world-changing ideas are born."

Brad Topps, Project Director at Sister, recently spoke with Dana Leigh at TechRound, about how Sister is bringing a new era of breakthroughs to Manchester.

💡In the article, Brads explains how Sister creates an environment where growth thrives by supporting early-stage businesses from the outset with no and low-cost workspaces. This allows them to refine their ideas before connecting with a broader network of investors and funders.

🤝 Brad also highlighted that we're building an inclusive, purpose-driven community at Sister, which will host the UK’s next wave of innovators right in the heart of Manchester.

📈 As a 15-year commitment, Sister is dedicated to laying the groundwork for a successful future, promising long-term impact with over 10,000 new jobs and 1,500 new homes for the city.

🗣️ So what is Brad’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? “Build a team with the right skills. Universities and innovation hubs like Renold - Sister’s first building - can be great places to find emerging talent and connect with experienced advisers who’ve been through the journey before.”

Read Brad’s full article here: https://techround.co.uk/interviews/bradley-topps-project-director-at-sister-manchesters-billion-pound-innovation-project/

Our Community Drop-Ins are back! Meet our Community and Social Impact Manager, Karen Jelenje in two places this month:

🗓️Wed 22nd Oct at S4B Brunswick Bonanza (12-2pm)
📍Brunswick Parish Church, Brunswick Street, M13 9SX

🗓️Thurs 23rd Oct at Sister (2pm-5pm)
📍Renold Building, 32a Altrincham Street, 7JR

No booking required - everyone is welcome to join. ☕️🤝

Our drop-ins are for community groups and residents to learn about Sister, connect with our team, share ideas and discover more about our goals for creating social impact.

We hope to see you there 😊

Some brilliant news to share – a warm welcome to Dr. Karim Bahou, who has been named our new Head of Innovation at Sister! 👏

Karim joins us to lead the development of Sister's global ecosystem, with an initial focus on expanding the early-stage start-up community in our Renold Building.

Karim has a PhD in organic chemistry from Imperial College and before joining us, held academic research and senior consulting roles fostering collaboration between government, academia, industry leaders and SMEs to drive technological innovation.

A note from Bradley Topps, Project Director at Sister:

🗣️ "Karim will be at the forefront of shaping this next phase of the project, identifying gaps and driving forward collaboration between key groups in our network to ensure we provide innovative entrepreneurs with the support they need to succeed."

It's a pleasure to have Karim leading this next phase of innovation and growth, and we can't wait to see the ecosystem develop under his leadership! 🙌

🔗 https://sistermanchester.com/news-and-insights/dr-karim-bahou-head-of-innovation-

Sister’s first-ever Social Value Networking Breakfast was nothing short of spectacular! ✨

Hosted by our Community & Social Impact Manager, Karen Jelenje, at the Renold Innovation Hub last week ☕🤝 this was an inspiring morning exploring: How we can drive meaningful cross-sector collaboration to build long term impact for our local communities?

Here’s a snapshot of what we got up to ⬇️

👥 40+ attendees – from VCSEs, the public & private sector
🚀 This marked the official launch of Sister’s Social Value Pillars
☕ Coffee, pastries, connection, & conversations on social impact
💡 Reflected on our ambitions & journey over the past year since launching Sister
🗣️ Heard from individuals who have delivered long-term social value programmes and
🤝 Explored how we can build meaningful relationships with neighbouring communities

Huge thank you to all our speakers, panellists, and attendees 👏 Liz Bamber (Director of Place at Sister) | Abbey Jones (Real Worth) | Christos Tsaprounis (AutoTrader) | Bethany Adam (Bruntwood SciTech) | Dee Lowry (Manchester City Council) | Devika Kapoor (DK Coaching) | Leah Howard (Overbury plc) | Adeola Adelakun and Ronke Jane Adelakun (Black Creative Trailblazers) | Samuel Remi-Akinwale (Young Manchester) | Local charity, Lifeshare.

Your energy, honesty, and ideas made this event one to remember!

🔗 Find out more: https://sistermanchester.com/news-and-insights/insights-social-value-networking-breakfast-

📸 Check out some of the morning’s great photos – captured by Fiona Finchett.

Let’s keep this conversation going.

We’re one week into a new month! What’s on at Sister’s Renold Innovation Hub in October? Check out our full events calendar for the month below ⬇️

🤝 Greater Manchester Business Meet-up 🗓️ Tuesday 07 October | 9.30am-11.30am

🎥 The Cultural Welcome: Multilingual Poetry Film Screening 🗓️ Monday 13 October | 5pm-7pm

🏗️ Building a Greener Future 🗓️ Tuesday 14 October | 8.30am-10am

🚀 Venture Café Manchester Launch 🗓️ Thursday 23 October | 5pm-8pm

We’re proud to also be marking Black History Month (BHM) with three community-led events celebrating this year’s theme “Standing Firm in Power and Pride” in partnership with inspiring local organisations.

🏆 BHM: Black Futures Awards 2025 🗓️ Friday 24 October | 6pm-10pm

🎥 BHM: “Looking for Langston” Film Screening 🗓️ Monday 27 October | 6pm-8pm

🎨 BHM: More than Creatives #3: Wellbeing for Creatives and Freelancers 🗓️ Thursday 30 October | 6pm-9pm

Book your place for all of the above events via the link in the comments.

Only 2 weeks to go until our Social Value Networking Breakfast! 🚨

How can businesses truly work better for people and the planet? 🌍

Join us for coffee, pastry, and insightful discussions on this and more at the Renold Innovation Hub on Monday 29 September, 9-11:30am.

Bringing together businesses, VCSEs, the public sector, and community organisations to explore how we can collaborate for meaningful impact, this will be a fantastic opportunity to connect, share ideas, and explore doing business with purpose.

Here’s what we’ve got lined up ⬇️

☕ Networking sessions with refreshments
👋 Welcome from the Sister team, sharing our vision
🚀 Launch of our new Social Value pillars and ambitions for the year ahead
🗣️ Two panel discussions: “Making Social Value everyone’s business” and “Building partnerships that last”

Book your free ticket here: https://sistermanchester.com/events/sister-social-value-networking-breakfast-

Photo credit: Finchett Photography