The London startup scene. With thousands of events taking place every year, London is a thriving ecosystem of events, workshops, and communities all designed to help you succeed and get you where you want to go. With more European headquarters in London than in any other city on the continent, and the number of tech companies set to reach over 61,000 by 2026, London is the place to be for budding entrepreneurs.

We have identified 7 of the best London tech meetups and startup communities that are definitely worth your time, so you can keep driving towards success and focus on growing your business.

1. #ThisIsHR

Created with the aim of starting discussions, building relationships, and increasing the profile of London’s growing HR scene, #ThisIsHR is working towards establishing London as the HR Tech capital of Europe. Bringing together a dedicated community of HR professionals, people, leaders, and tech start-ups, the event looks to challenge assumptions and champion how people are managed through technology.

A free and community driven event, #ThisIsHR provides people working in HR with the opportunity to discover new solutions, meet new people and make new friendships. With a dedicated group of attendees and speakers, #ThisIsHR is truly all about community.

2. Startup Grind – London

The largest of the independent startup companies Startup Grind is responsible for connecting over 1 million entrepreneurs in 400 cities across 150 countries. With global sponsors including Google for Entrepreneurs and Oracle, Startup Grind has helped millions of entrepreneurs connect, educate, inspire, and grow.

With monthly events led by successful entrepreneurs, innovators, and educators who are committed to sharing tips, tricks and lessons learned, and a worldwide community ready to help, the networking opportunities Startup Grind can provide to inspire entrepreneurs is endless.

3. Big Data London

A free to attend conference and exhibition, Big Data London is the UK’s largest data and analytics event, providing opportunities to discuss the big questions and share ideas with likeminded individuals.

With a world class line up of over 130 speakers, 80 exhibitors, and multiple live-demos, attendees of Big Data LDN are provided with the answers they need through focus on the practical steps they should take if they want to succeed. With many of the developers in attendance interested in exploring opportunities with startups, Big Data London is a great event for growing businesses.

4. Geek Girl Meetup

Geek Girl is a community of passionate women in tech, design and startups, who organise a London meetup every 6 weeks. The community also runs blogs, podcasts and events addressing inequality in the tech startup scene, and providing inspirational stories, expertise and advice.

If you want to network over breakfast and hear from female role models in the industry, find out more about how to join the Geek Girl movement.

5. Hardware Pioneers

A community of over 10,000 pioneers building IoT products, Hardware Pioneers hold free monthly meetups on all things tech. With most events limited to just 200 participants, Hardware Pioneers present a fantastic opportunity to entrepreneurs to learn, develop, and gain feedback in a calmer and more intimate setting.

With a community made up of startup founders, executives, engineers, developers and more, Hardware Pioneers is the best option on offer for entrepreneurs who want feedback on their ideas. As a part of the Hardware Pioneers community, you will find yourself networking with some of the most innovative companies in the world including Unilever, Virgin, Amazon and more.

6. Product Tank

Product Tank is a monthly meet up designed by the creators of Mind the Product, the world’s largest project community. Mind the Product started out in London in 2010 and has now grown to consist of over 150,000 global members in 155+ cities around the world, including London’s leading project management conference.

Product Tank is a buzzing event full of opportunities to learn more about design, technology, and business. It brings together product and project specialists from companies big and small, so if you are looking to learn more from the very best in the industry, then this could be the event for you!

7. Tech Citizen

Formerly Tech City Coffee, Tech Citizen is an great meet-up for early-stage startups to get access to the resources and finance they need. By providing a unique opportunity for innovators to interact with, learn from, and be inspired by investors, this event gives attendees to receive expert feedback on their ideas.

The meetup also equips attendees with the skills needed to help them navigate London’s competitive climate. Exposing attendees to the connections and brand awareness needed to attract the attention of funders, Tech Citizen paves the way for startups to get in and get going.

Looking for more?

With thousands of events taking place in London every year there’s something for everyone, whatever your specialism. With endless opportunities to meet potential investors, customers, and talent, you’re sure to leave motivated, energized and ready to keep pushing for success. Sign up for Eventbrite and Meetup.com, and share your interests for regular notifications when something is happening in your area.

At Sussex Innovation Croydon, we highlight some of the best startup events taking place in South London – many of them in our own building! If you’re a Croydon native and want to find out what’s happening on your doorstep, keep an eye on our Events page or sign up for our newsletter for the latest updates.