'Something exciting is going on in South Yorkshire': Oliver Coppard opens London Stock Exchange alongside local firms
South Yorkshire is “opening the door to partners and investors” in the region’s pioneering businesses, Mayor Oliver Coppard has said after officially opening the London Stock Exchange.
Mr Coppard was invited to ring the bell to open the LSE on Friday morning as he promoted South Yorkshire to the City as a location for investment.
The two-day mission, organised by Yorkshire AI Labs and Digital Forge CIC in partnership with South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and Oberon Investments, saw Mr Coppard accompanied by representatives from local firms Exciting Instruments, Bow, FourJaw, and DigitalCNC.
Mr Coppard said: “The invitation to open the London Stock Exchange is yet more recognition that something exciting is going on in South Yorkshire.
"I’m proud to stand alongside some of our brightest, most ambitious businesses, flying the flag for a region that’s ready to lead, working with the best stock exchange in the world.
“Our visit isn’t just about celebrating success; it’s about opening doors to partners and investors.
"Our tech start-ups are now worth £3.3 billion. Sheffield is the fastest growing big city in the country over the last decade. Rotherham has seen faster productivity improvements than almost anywhere else in the UK since 2004. We’re home to the world’s first and best Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District, and one of only five places in the UK with a Defence Growth Deal.
“We’re building a bigger, better economy; and we want the world to be part of it.”
David Richards MBE, founder of The Digital Forge CIC and Yorkshire AI Labs, said: “The Digital Forge exists to connect brilliant deep tech and hard tech companies with the capital they need to grow. These are world-class businesses building real technology with global impact — the kind of companies that will power Britain’s next industrial era.
“South Yorkshire was once the Silicon Valley of the Industrial Revolution, producing 85 per cent of Britain’s steel and half of the world’s crucible steel. That same spirit of innovation is alive again today — this time in AI, robotics, and industrial intelligence.”
Bod Buckby, Head of UK Primary Markets – North for the London Stock Exchange, said: “We are delighted to help showcase the incredible innovation and ambition emerging from South Yorkshire. The event at the London Stock Exchange demonstrates the region’s ability to lead in advanced manufacturing and digital technology, and we’re proud to connect these pioneering businesses with new opportunities for growth.”
Adam Pollock, Head of Corporate Finance at Oberon Investments, said: “It is rare to see this concentration of engineering talent and scientific innovation in one region. The opportunity now is to connect these exceptional companies to the City’s capital markets so they can scale here in Britain, not overseas.”
Earlier this year, Oberon announced it was launching a new fund to invest in promising AI businesses in Yorkshire with an ambition to make at least four such investments in its first 18 months.
Oberon’s decision to launch the fund comes after its corporate team was involved in a £5m IPO of Dinnington-based IntelliAM, which is part-owned by Yorkshire AI Labs and uses AI to help major food and drink manufacturers improve productivity.
Paul Sheehan, Investment Director of Oberon Yorkshire AI EIS, told The Yorkshire Post that while the fund will consider making investments in relevant businesses across the North of England, Yorkshire is a central focus.