Connect
We bring the ecosystem into the same room through our communities, sector roundtables and events across the region.
The UK's most underrated tech region. That ends here.
TechEM is the independent industry voice for the East Midlands tech sector. We exist to connect the region's tech community and make one of the UK's most overlooked tech economies impossible to ignore.
- #1
- fastest-growing tech ecosystem in the UK
- 75k
- working in the East Midlands tech sector
- 130
- university tech spin-outs across the region
- 650+
- active community members
The East Midlands tech economy isn't built on hype, it's built on industry. Pharma in Nottingham. Aerospace in Derby. The UK's largest pure-cargo airport. Tens of thousands already work in tech here. We exist to make that scale visible, those businesses connected, and the region's impact undeniable.
19 November 2026 · Leicester
HER Pitch
Our high-impact pitch competition for the East Midlands' most promising female founders. Five finalists pitch live for an exclusive business growth package, and the rapid-fire Open Mic is open to anyone with an idea. Register for your 2-minute slot.
What’s in it for you?
I run a tech business
We help founders, scale-ups and SMEs grow where they already have an edge, alongside the region's industry.
Connect to the ecosystem
Meet founders, investors, corporate partners and universities across the East Midlands.
Scale-up and growth support
Get support with investment-readiness, growth and the path to customers and capital.
Find your community
Join our free events through Built in Notts and our community event partners.
Reach the region's industries
Reach the global industries that need your tech, from pharma and aerospace to manufacturing and space.
Three things done well.
Research
We publish authoritative research on East Midlands tech, starting with the East Midlands Tech Review and AI Skills Gap Report, both due in 2026.
Influence
We bring outside eyes to the region, shaping the national and international conversation about East Midlands tech and giving grassroots founders and SMEs the exposure their work deserves.
Nottingham
Life sciences and data
Lincolnshire
Agri-tech and robotics
Derby
Aerospace and manufacturing
Leicester
Space
Loughborough · Sports tech
East Midlands Airport · Logistics
Northampton · Performance engineering
A region of clusters, not a single city.
East Midlands tech isn't one scene, it's a network of serious sector clusters, most of them invisible in the national tech story. That's the gap we exist to close.
Leicester
Space and Earth observation
One of the UK's largest space clusters, from satellite design through to downstream data and applications.
Lincolnshire
Agri-tech and robotics
Where AI, robotics and autonomy meet food and farming at national scale.
Derby
Aerospace & manufacturing
From jet engines to small modular reactors, and the UK's rail capital.
Nottingham
Life sciences and data
Global pharma and the data economy, side by side.
The evidence behind East Midlands tech.
Coming 2026
East Midlands Tech Review
The definitive annual picture of the East Midlands tech economy: its scale, sectors and trajectory.
Coming 2026
AI Skills Gap Report
Where the East Midlands AI skills shortfall is, and what employers, universities and policymakers should do about it.
Shape the future of East Midlands tech.
Founding Patrons fund the independent industry voice the East Midlands tech sector has never had. It's a defining role in the region's tech agenda: a seat at the Founding Patron Forum, first sight of the research that shapes policy, and your name behind the work to put the region on the map.
Partners
Universities, industry bodies and communities delivering the region's tech agenda alongside us.
Supported by
Organisations backing the independent voice for East Midlands tech.
Meet the Founder
Martin Sandhu
Founder, Tech EM
Martin Sandhu is a technology entrepreneur, founder and adviser with over 20 years of experience across software development, digital products and business leadership.
He founded Tech EM to help strengthen the East Midlands technology ecosystem, bringing together businesses, founders and industry leaders to build relationships, share knowledge and create opportunities for the region.
What's happening.
Community event · Leicester Startups
Accelerator Demo Day & Christmas Mixer
Wed, 9 December 2026
View event →