Clair Heaviside
Chief Creative Officer
at
Embryo
Starts
Panel Session
Finance
Investment
Operations
Scaleup
Delegate
Location: Stage 3
-
Thu, 2 Jul 2026
·
14:15 – 14:55
(Europe/London)
(40 minutes)
To Buy or to Build: Different routes to business growth
There is no single route to scale. This session explores the realities of buying, building, being acquired and growing without equity funding, with honest lessons from founders who have taken different paths.
This is a candid founder conversation exploring different routes to business growth, from acquisition-led expansion to organic scaling.
Bringing together leaders with first-hand experience of buying businesses, being acquired, pursuing acquisitions that did not work, and growing without equity funding, the session will offer an honest look at the choices, risks and trade-offs involved in building a business.
The discussion will move beyond theory to explore how founders make growth decisions in practice, what they learn from both success and setback, and how different routes can shape the future of the company.
Who should attend
This session is for founders, CEOs, investors, senior leaders and advisers interested in the realities of business growth.
It will be especially relevant for those thinking about how to scale, weighing up different strategic options, or trying to understand the benefits and risks of acquisition, organic growth and external funding.
Why it’s relevant
There is no single route to scaling a successful business. Some founders grow through acquisition, some build steadily and organically, and others discover that strategies which look right on paper do not always deliver in practice.
This session is relevant because it brings together contrasting real-world experiences and helps the audience understand that growth can take very different forms depending on the business, the market, the timing and the ambition of the founder.
It will help leaders think more carefully about the route that fits their own business, rather than assuming there is one standard path to scale.
What you’ll take away
You will hear practical and honest insight into different approaches to growth, including what can make acquisition attractive, why deals and integrations can fall short, and what organic growth can achieve without outside equity.
You will also gain a broader understanding of how founders make growth decisions, what trade-offs they face and what others can learn from their successes and setbacks.
Hosted by
Naomi Timperly
Speakers
Daniel Vendyback
Managing Director - Angel Investor
at
Back Gardens Limited - Rally Yard Limited
Kate Cooper-Fay
CEO
at
Cooper-Fay Harris
Ross Green
CEO
at
Embryo
Partners & Exhibitors
Headline Partner
Event Partner
Tour Partner
Award Partner
Exhibitor
