Tech Climbers Returns To Spotlight The Liverpool City Region’s Top Innovators With 2026 Nominations

CITY OF LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOL CITY REGION.

The Annual Tech Climbers Campaign Has Opened For Entries In The Liverpool City Region, Inviting Founders And The Wider Community To Nominate Fast-Growing, Product-Led Technology Businesses For Its 2026 List

(Credit: Supplied/Image was provided to The Liverpudlian with permission to share, courtesy of the Publicist on behalf of their client. We make no claim to this content).

Tech Climbers is returning to Liverpool, the city where it first broke ground, with a new campaign to uncover and celebrate the Liverpool City Region’s leading technology businesses.

The annual initiative showcases top-performing, product-led firms in growth regions across the UK, aiming to connect founders with influential regional networks, introduce emerging innovators to leading advisors and investors, and build a supportive community around the city’s tech ecosystem.

“With the newly launched Liverpool City Region Growth Plan, Liverpool’s innovation credentials are gaining recognition on a European stage.” - Anna Heyes, Founder of Tech Climbers and B2B Business Director at Tangerine.

AI-Led Entries & Liverpool City Region Hub Developments

Last year, entries were dominated by artificial intelligence, with 83% of submissions featuring AI capabilities. Since then, Liverpool has seen renewed momentum, which The Liverpudlian has covered. Including 1,000 new jobs have been announced through Kyndryl’s investment in a new Liverpool hub, and the city has also been recognised as a leading innovative city at the European Capital of Innovation Awards.

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How Tech Climbers Works

Tech Climbers invites the community to nominate or enter businesses for a place on the list. Every entry includes a free ticket to the list-reveal event, where the final cohort is announced following review by an expert judging panel. Businesses that secure a spot are also profiled in partnership with UKTN and invited to an exclusive winners’ dinner, offering further opportunities to connect with influential figures across the region.

Liverpool Tech Climbers 2026 Opens For Entries

Liverpool Tech Climbers 2026 opened for entries with a launch event on 10 February at the Cotton Exchange in Liverpool.

Sponsored by Bruntwood SciTech and Gather, the breakfast event brought the region’s tech ecosystem together for founder conversations, specialist guidance, and reflections on Liverpool’s reputation and emerging opportunities across the Liverpool City Region.

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‘Liverpool’s Innovation Credentials Are Gaining recognition’

Among 2025’s Tech Climbers were MyCardium AI, a cardiac diagnostics innovator, who were named overall winner at the 2025 Merseyside Independent Business Awards, and Gaia Learning, a neurodiversity-focused EdTech platform, which won Technology Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2025 Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Anna Heyes, Founder of Tech Climbers and B2B Business Director at Tangerine, said: “With the newly launched Liverpool City Region Growth Plan, Liverpool’s innovation credentials are gaining recognition on a European stage.”

Anna added: “79% of our entrants stated they were actively looking for funding, and with Liverpool’s new accolades, the region is primed for increased visibility and new investment over the next 12 months. We’re proud to be telling the stories of the innovators taking new technology to market from the region, and we can’t wait to hear more about their progress this year.”

Active, early-stage businesses gaining momentum in the region are also highlighted in a dedicated “Ones To Watch” list, showcasing companies with clear potential for rapid growth and future impact.

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‘Advice genuinely accessible for new founders’

Daniel Hayhurst, Partner at Brabners, said: “We’re passionate about supporting Liverpool’s tech ecosystem, and it’s inspiring to be in the room with the founders creating the most exciting scalable innovations.

Daniel added: “Initiatives like Tech Climbers give us, as partners, the opportunity to make advice genuinely accessible for new founders. This week’s launch event showcased the region’s collective ambition and its commitment to identifying and solving the barriers that stand in the way of tech startups.”

Cathy Long, Founder of Aposto, added: “Visibility is fundamental for startups, and that’s why Tech Climbers’ events matter so much. Every event and campaign puts you in the room with the right people and helps you to build a network that you can actually lean on. Being able to ask questions and receive guidance has made a real difference in my journey building Aposto.”

(Credit: Supplied/Image was provided to The Liverpudlian with permission to share, courtesy of the Publicist on behalf of their client. We make no claim to this content).

The Judging Process

Entries will be judged by a panel of partners and experts to create the final list of successful businesses that have demonstrated significant operations in the Liverpool City Region, alongside evidence of their impact, innovation and investment potential.

Headline partners for this year’s Liverpool Tech Climbers are Brabners, Marks&Clerk, Rathbones, and RSM. Ecosystem partners include Tech North Advocates, UK Tech Week, NatWest, Sciontec, Growth Platform, PXN Ventures, and LYVA Labs. National partners are HubSpot, TechUK, The Data City and Innovate Her.

Tech Climbers is an annual list showcasing the top-performing, IP-rich, product-led technology businesses in growth regions in the north of the UK.

Its mission is to showcase and celebrate scaling tech businesses across the UK, shining a light on scale-ups making positive change, encouraging sector growth by facilitating connections between influential businesses and individuals, and emphasising the impact of support, investment and networks in regional ecosystems.

Tech Climbers is powered by Tangerine Communications.

(Credit: Supplied/Image was provided to The Liverpudlian with permission to share, courtesy of the Publicist on behalf of their client. We make no claim to this content).

Businesses can submit for entry or nominate an innovative business through the Tech Climbers website, on their Liverpool City Region page.