UKTN Podcast: Autumn Statement wish list and why UK tech thrives whoever wins the election – Startup Coalition’s Dom Hallas

In the latest episode of the UKTN Podcast, Dom Hallas, executive director of the Startup Coalition, reveals his top policy wishes for UK tech in the upcoming Autumn Statement and shares his assessment of the tech legislation agenda for 2024.

Hallas has been leading the lobby group, which acts as a conduit between Westminster and the UK’s startup ecosystem, since 2018. The group, formerly known as Coadec, is pushing for greater R&D support for startups in tomorrow’s Autumn Statement.

Elsewhere in this episode, Hallas explains why he thinks the UK’s AI Safety Summit was a success and the government got the balance of attendees right, despite some criticism that startups were left out.

And now that the dust has settled on the party conferences, Hallas explains why he’s “optimistic” about UK tech policy whether it’s a Labour or Conservative government after the next general election.

The core message coming from the Startup Coalition’s engagement with Labour is “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater”, Hallas says.

He adds: “Ultimately there’s an awful lot that’s been good in the past 13 years at this point of the Conservative government, but of course there’s loads to fix.”

Hallas is also a member of the Digital Economy Council, a government advisory committee, and a member of Seedcamp’s advisory council. Hallas was a key figure in lobbying the government to save Silicon Valley Bank UK earlier this year, which resulted in HSBC acquiring the specialist lender in an eleventh-hour deal.  

Listen to the full episode here, along with all previous episodes of the UKTN Podcast.

This season of the UKTN Podcast is sponsored by HSBC Innovation Banking, which offers flexible banking solutions for startups, scaleups, growth businesses, investors and those working towards IPO.

Throughout the series, the UKTN Podcast will be speaking to some of the key movers and shakers from UK tech. We’ll learn growth strategies from both seasoned and up-and-coming founders, hear market sentiments from investors, and question policymakers on the decisions shaping technology businesses across the country.

New episodes of the UKTN Podcast are published every Tuesday morning. Sign up for our podcast newsletter to ensure you don’t miss an episode.