Meet Chris. He’s worked in tech for a long time. He started out in the 90s as a business consultant, he acquired a struggling IT company in need of turnaround. After transforming this to success over the following 10 years he then founded an e-commerce retailer in 2003.
Meet Morgan. He lives and breathes tech. Morgan knows what he’s talking about because he’s an an ex-tech founder himself, with 20 years’ experience in starting and growing multiple businesses of his own.
The Launchpad Pop-Up Store 2025 brought new life to Sheffield city centre by turning an empty unit into a festive retail space. Over four weeks, local makers were supported to test selling in a physical store for the first time. Thirty-one Sheffield businesses took part, many representing diverse communities. More than 8,000 people visited the store and supported local traders. The pop-up showed the value of creating low-risk opportunities for independent businesses to grow.
Carolyn works with Business Sheffield as a tech scale-up advisor. Carolyn has worked in the tech sector for 20+ years and led technology teams for well-known names including BBC, easyJet, ITV and Sony Music both in the UK and across Europe and now provides fractional technology strategy support to mid-sized businesses.
A University of Sheffield spin-out company has secured major investment from leading deep tech investors to bring its high-performance infrared sensors to the mass market.
Sheffield’s own Cattle Grid hit Yellow Arch to launch their debut EP!
Business Sheffield is proud to present the Launchpad Pop-Up Market, a festive initiative running from 27th November to 20th December 2025 at 108 Pinstone Street. This project, funded by the Launchpad Programme and delivered by Sheffield City Council, offers free, short-term retail space for early-stage makers and craft businesses to showcase their products, test new ideas, and engage with the community during the busy holiday season.
Printed by Us is an award-winning social enterprise that empowers vulnerable individuals through the craft of hand screen printing.
We are thrilled to announce the expansion of the Tech Scale Up Advisors programme by Business Sheffield, aimed at supporting tech businesses across South Yorkshire. This initiative, funded by TECH SY, will extend this service to Doncaster, Rotherham, and Barnsley, providing invaluable support to local tech startups and growing companies.
Fargo meets The Office meets James Bond in this high-octane, darkly comic thriller about justice, power, and just how deep the truth can be buried.
National newspaper, The Sunday Times, once again released their annual guide of the best places to live in the UK and Sheffield's Nether Edge was listed as one of only eight Northern residential areas to make their 2024 list.
Sheffield has been named as the UK Food Capital of the UK, according to a report by hospitality provider, Accor, as they reviewed the very best locations to indulge your taste buds and identified the best spots for different cuisines.
Radisson Blu has been selected by Sheffield City Council as the preferred hotel brand for its flagship Heart of the City II hotel on Pinstone Street, overlooking the Peace Gardens.
Sheffield is celebrating after being named on the longlist to become UK City of Culture 2029 – important recognition of the city’s ambition to showcase its creativity, talent and identity on a national and international stage.
Business Sheffield's Andy Sorsby helps Blake UK with a successful application for a Business Productivity Grant.
An open studio festival in May showcasing over 140 emerging and award-winning artists and makers at 83 exciting venues in and around Sheffield. This year it will take place over two weekends, 2 - 4 May and 9 - 10 May 2026.
An annual ranking of the Top 25 Cities in the UK (outside of London) for starting a business, the Startups Cities Index is the most exhaustive research project of its kind. Sheffield was revealed as the ultimate winner, thanks to the city’s strong performance across business support, talent attraction, low cost of living, large working population and fantastic transport links.
On the first two weekend of May each year, Open Up gives people the opportunity to visit artists, creatives, studios and inventive people at the places where they work in neighbourhoods across the city and beyond.
Despite getting to ride the world over, Sheffield is still my favourite place to ride. Why would I live anywhere else? Look at it. The people. The mountain bike scene. The trails. Sheffield is the best place in the world to ride a bike.
Sheffield is set to deliver an exciting follow up to the UK's first-ever Child Health Technology Conference in May 2022, with a host of international speakers set for the second edition.
Having been named one of the 51 coolest neighbourhoods in the world by TimeOut last year, Sheffield's Kelham Island continues to attract more positive press, as The Sunday Times has now named it one of their Best Places to Live in the UK in their 2023 guide.
Showcasing 27 small businesses, the Launchpad Pop-Up Store celebrates Sheffield’s independent spirit, bringing together early-stage makers to showcase their work and connect with the community. You’ll find handmade gifts, sustainable products and unique items perfect for the festive season.
Airing on German Breakfast show programme, ZDF’s Volle Kanne, the 13-minute city piece was broadcast in two segments and took German viewers on a whistle-stop tour or Sheffield’s key attractions, vibrant places and green spaces.
Peak Cycling are a small, friendly, independent cycle guiding and training company operating in the Peak District. They have an extensive knowledge of the trails, tracks and roads in the Peak District. They can take you on classic wild Mountain bike trails, quiet roads away from busy traffic, or secret gravel tracks.
Sheffield has the highest number of trees per person than any other city in Europe and so, there are some impressive natural displays in city through the seasons, especially during the autumnal months of the year.
Meet Katie, part of our business support team looking after young start-ups, SMEs and everything in between.
Celebrating 40 years in music, Omar Lyefook MBE—one of the UK’s most celebrated soul artists—returns with his new album Brighter The Days.
Do you have what it takes to be a Ninja Warrior? Tackle this fun-packed course inspired by the hit ITV show and find out. There are obstacles the whole family can enjoy whether you start as a Ninja in training, or you’re a bit more of a master. Can you beat the wall?
Is Sheffield the UK’s most exciting food city? Quite possibly, as an increasing number of the city’s restaurants and bars have been popping up in national listings and awards. Here we take a look at those attracting the attention...
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This is Pete McKee's first foray into the world of augmented reality. Full of nostalgia and perfect to celebrate the football history of Sheffield, with some new characters, a dash of retro music, and a nod to the 'Soccer Kid' hit computer game developed here.
2024 promises another huge line-up of exciting events and festivals happening across Sheffield, from large music festivals and international sporting events to food & drink celebrations, outdoor markets and lots of family fun.
If brunch is your favourite meal of the day, these places won’t disappoint! From a classic full English fry-up to stacks of pancakes and avocado on toast, or maybe even just a really good cup coffee...
Tim tells us why Sheffield is a place where start-up independents have a chance.
The first digital media piece by Sheffield-born, renowned artist Corbin Shaw, celebrating the spirit of this brilliant city.
Augmented reality brilliance on top of the Diamond - the University of Sheffield's school of Engineering, in Sheffield city centre.
Augmented reality brilliance on the rooftop of the Graves Gallery and Central Library in Sheffield city centre.
Augmented reality brilliance on top of this Grade II listed building in the Heart of the City in Sheffield.
As David puts it, “You know when you’re struggling with formatting in Word or Google Docs, and you end up wanting to throw your laptop out of the window in frustration? Papermill lets you focus on the content: you write what you want to, drop in other bits like images, tell Papermill what you want it to look like, and it does the rest.”
Richard represented Sheffield as an MEP for 5 years and an MP for 27 years, including Minister for Sport, and is very active in the city today.
Rory graduated with a first class BSc Chemistry degree from the University of Sheffield, and now uses data driven decisions to help guide software product-development, working as a Product Manager at Sheffield-based Ed-Tech start-up Tutorful.
Thanks to support from the UKSPF Digital and Productivity Grant, Bullion, a local bean-to-bar chocolate maker, doubled their output and scaled up their business!
Augmented reality brilliance along the top of Sheffield Hallam University's Owen Building, in the centre of Sheffield.
Conference Sheffield and a selection of our fantastic venue partners, are exhibiting at The Meetings Show 2025, taking place 25 -26 June at ExCeL London. They would love the opportunity to tell you about our wonderful city and all it has to offer your next event!
Five Sheffield businesses have made it onto prestigious lists compiled by Tech Climbers, recognising the top-performing IP-rich, product-led tech businesses driving innovation in dynamic and expending regions across the UK.
In 2018 The Times declared Sheffield the Northern Capital of Cool. In 2022 The Observer Food Monthly awards gave 5/6 Runners Up spots across the Food and Drink categories to Sheffield establishments. So are we now the Northern Capital of Food too?
Sheffield inspires the development of one of the fastest growing sports in the world. From the roots of UK rock climbing in the 1880s, through to creating the routes for the inaugural climbing event at the Olympic Games 2020. We are 'home' for the originators of the sport, current Team GB Climbing athletes, designers and manufacturers, making us the Climbing Capital of the UK.
The Sheffield tech ecosystem has developed significantly over the last few years with more tech businesses relocating and scaling in the city - in fact, in 2022 Startups has ranked us the best city in the UK to start a business.
There are two things Sheffield is world famous for: our greenspace, and our beer. We thought it was worth celebrating this by giving you some top places to run, walk or ride AND find a proper pub to start, end, or break up your adventure.
As the hospitality scene has gone from strength to strength in Kelham Island, more retail too is now also beginning to pop up across the district.
Business Sheffield, together with Launchpad and other business support services in the city, have helped a number of local start ups and scale ups succeed in their ambitions.
Business Sheffield are thrilled to announce a brand new series of 7 Business Start-up Power Hour workshops! In these FREE hour long in-person sessions you will be given the opportunity to ask questions and really learn about the main aspects and tools you will need to start up your business. You can book into one or more workshops in the series, depending on your needs.
The spirit of independent brewing in this nation has been shaped by Sheffield, inspiring a movement that has given us one of the best reputations in the world, for a sector that is also worth £1.8 billion to the UK.
Sheffield's creative undercurrent has enabled Steve to set up a number of social enterprises.
A round up of Pride events celebrating Sheffield's LGBTQ+ communities taking place in June and July 2024.
Sheffield boasts some fantastic taprooms and bottle shops — perfect for stocking up and taking a taste of the city's beer scene home with you.
The son of a legendary Sheffield designer, Corin tells us what the city means to him.
The Sheffield Innovation Spine is about essential growth, through increasing capability for existing businesses, and encouraging domestic and foreign direct investment to take up the opportunities the Spine will present in the heart of the iconic and unique Outdoor City of Sheffield.
As we prepare to bid farewell to the year, we round up 22 (see what we did?) of our favourite 2022 additions to the Steel City food, drink and events scene.
Sheffield has been a nationally significant centre for online learning and educational technologies since even before the decision to site the University for Industry here in 1998. Since then, there has been a steady stream of talent and new businesses born of this activity, developing resources and platforms for learning across many different industry verticals.
Meet Floyd- recent recruit to our LaunchPad Business support team looking after all things start up.
Sheffield has loads of great options to help you make the most of cosy season in the city. Whether you're pairing it with a brisk walk in our great outdoors or sipping a cheeky cocktail in a hidden bar, we've rounded up some of the city's cosiest corners for you to enjoy.
Business Sheffield shares impact of Launchpad 3 programme. We’ve helped ambitious entrepreneurs set up and run successful businesses, supported SMEs under three years old, and micro businesses of any age, to take the next step and grow.
The Sheffield Rules inspired the modern game, the World's First Football Club is still here, along with the World's Oldest Ground, and the World's Oldest Cup Match. It's certainly no overstatement to say that Sheffield helped shape the most popular sport in the world as we know it today.
2025 promises another huge line-up of exciting events and festivals happening across Sheffield, from large music festivals and international sporting events to food & drink celebrations, outdoor markets and lots of family fun. Get planning your adventures in Sheffield with our event guide.
2026 promises another huge line-up of exciting events and festivals happening across Sheffield, from large music festivals and international sporting events to outdoor markets and lots of family fun. Get planning your adventures in Sheffield with our event guide.
Stage 2 of the 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ raced into Sheffield, along winding country roads, up infamous Sheffield hills and through the city’s streets. Retrace the route and give it a go!
You'll find an ever expanding value chain which is delivering specialist training to support growth in the sector, and a thriving network of over 100 companies, incubators and organisations; all of which make-up our digital media and technology ecosystem.
As one of the craft brewing capitals of the world, there's a lot of folk in Sheffield who know a thing or two about making, selecting and drinking some of the finest brews - be they sours, stouts, IPAs, APAs or straight up bitters.
Ferrio help businesses of any size and tech capability level connect their software applications and data.
The Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District (AMID) spans the border of Sheffield and neighbouring town of Rotherham, and was the first of it's kind in the UK. This 2,000 acre, already decade-old cluster of inventiveness, alongside the world-leading heavy industry and engineering expertise still present in the city, inspires and powers the future of a £200 billion sector in the UK alone.
Across the city's hill and valleys, Sheffield is made up of clusters of vibrant neighbourhoods, all with their own unique charm and vibrancy. Here you'll find friendly independent businesses to eat, drink and shop in, unexpected green spaces, colourful street art and fascinating heritage...
The first ever net zero transatlantic flight will take off from the UK next year as part of a pioneering research project to fly across the pond using solely sustainable aviation fuel.
A guide to some of Sheffield’s best coffee spots, whether you want to linger and enjoy the vibe or grab something on the go. Some places offer full geek-level tasting notes and precision brewing, others just serve a great cup of coffee.
Sheffield has a number of distinct assets within the Sport, Health and Wellbeing arena and, thanks to the rich heritage in medical technology development, the city is home to one of the UK’s largest Medical Devices clusters. Our manufacturing expertise means we also have one of the largest concentrations of orthopaedic, medical device and surgical instrumentation companies in the UK.
Following the recent extensive archaeological research, including unearthing evidence of former steel works dating back to the 19th century and the remains of Sheffield Castle itself, the project is now moving into Phase 2 which will see redevelopment of the park and events space.
We are known all over the world as a leading centre for engineering research, advanced manufacturing (or 2.0, as some call it), light weight technologies and specialist materials - and, perhaps most importantly, having the knowledge and skills base from our Universities to excel in prototyping and R&D too.
Every different type of business has its own favoured route for presenting itself in the best light. Whereas traditional retailers might spend hours crafting the perfect ‘shop window display’ or product brochure, in the digital era, attention and resources are lavished on perfecting websites or indeed carefully curating an Instagram feed with on-brand imagery.
A young entrepreneur is lighting up a bright new future for himself after sniffing out an opportunity to apply his creative flair to the age-old tradition of candle making by capturing the spirit of Sheffield in wax form.
Each year, as Hillsborough Park gets ready to host the main Tramlines Festival, the rest of the city also gears up to stage a whole host of music events for all tastes. Taking place in various Sheffield venues 26 - 28 July 2024.
Sheffield City Centre is undergoing significant change.With so much regeneration happening, it can be hard to keep up with all of the exciting developments, so here you'll find the latest news of what’s new and what's happening next.
A Universal Basic Income, or UBI Lab is a citizen-led group exploring and advocating for Universal Basic Income. What many people don't know - even if they might have heard about UBI as a concept - is that it is borne out of Sheffield and facilitated by the social enterprise Opus.
Levellers are an English folk rock and anarcho-punk band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 1988. Taking their name from the Levellers political movement, the band released their first EP in 1989 and LP in 1990, with international success following.
Channel 4 has teamed up with Remarkable TV and commissioned a new peak-time interior design contest based in Sheffield, in which competitors will take part in a series of design challenges to win their own dream apartment.
Sheffield has ranked joint 7th most popular English city for international association conferences in the International Congress and Convention Association’s (ICCA) annual Country and City Rankings, and 12th in the list of UK cities.
Us Sheffielders are known for being friendly and welcoming, making Sheffield a fantastic city to live in whilst you get to grips with student life - plus we are the UK's most affordable student city!
High on Derwent Edge, Dovestone Tor has a wilder feel than most crags in the area. The longer walk in, and the fact that the sharp, gritty rock can sometimes be green, mean that it’s rarely busy up here – a perfect place to escape the crowds on a dry, sunny day.
Sheffield has been awarded formal accreditation as a Social Enterprise Place for its commitment to developing and supporting social enterprise to thrive by Social Enterprise UK.
A tech spin-out from the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre has seen customer traction rise and attracted £1.3m in their second funding round after using a Business Productivity Grant to create a ‘fit bit for UK manufacturing.’
Sheffield has been listed at No.1 by TimeOut magazine as the most underrated city break in the UK. The feature which included 12 cities such as Glasgow, Durham, Bristol and Liverpool, sited Sheffield's affordability, travel time from London and best-of-both-worlds offer as major perks.
Whether he’s playing at the student music society, heading to a gig or performing at an open mic night, games design student Joel lives to the beat of the city.
The newest chapter in Sheffield’s story as a thriving food destination – this venue is way more than just another food hall, complete with dedicated BBQ, sushi and counter-top dining spaces, four vibrant bars, AR Darts, children's play area and outdoor rooftop terraces, while also incorporating a cookery school and community kitchen.
Sheffield City Council is working with the team from Steel Yard Kelham to create the hub which will be made out of shipping containers and feature food vendors, shops, toilets, living walls, outdoor seating and a big screen.
The Business Sheffield team is made up of our permanent staff and a wide array of specialists who you can speak to directly to get support, advice and help. You can take a look at more information on any of the advisors to see what they specialise in and how to get in touch.
"Sheffield has an amazing mix of shops, restaurants and cafés that mean that everyone's individual shopping preferences are met!"
Meet Anne, HR Business Consultant. With 20 plus years’ HR experience in the private sector, Anne offers pragmatic advice and practical support.