Another four speakers have been confirmed for BusinessCloud’s FUEL Manchester 2026 event on October 28th.
Founders Fergal O’Connor, Thomas Keighley, Sid Sethi and Gabriel Erinle will join the breakfast panel of the ground-breaking event at No.1 Circle Square in Manchester city centre.
FUEL Manchester is an innovative event created to fuel business growth for promising startups and scaleups.
It’s two events in one, beginning with a whistle-stop discussion of some of the big questions facing businesses and finishing with a series of exclusive, invite-only masterclasses for a cohort of exciting companies.
The event is sponsored by GM Business Growth Hub and S&W, with support from Bruntwood SciTech.
Register for breakfast panel & networking
O’Connor, a star of our Founder 250 list, is the CEO and founder of Buymedia – a data-driven, AI‑powered advertising platform. Founded in Galway in 2015, Buymedia expanded to the UK, launching a head office in Manchester in October 2025. It has been ranked as the 4th fastest-growing tech company in Ireland, and 73rd in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Keighley founded Urfuture alongside fellow Founder 250 figures COO Jayel Williams and CCO Holly Hobbs in Preston and moved to Manchester at the start of this year. The HR startup raised £1.7m in seed investment in April as it looks to replace CVs and job boards with tech solutions for the AI era.
Sethi, from Delhi, India, founded Specscart after his glasses broke while studying for a key exam during his Masters at The University of Manchester. Finding the industry was dominated by a small monopoly of companies, he started the business in 2018 with a focus on fashionable, low-priced eyewear, sustainably-made in its in-house Bury HQ and delivered within 24 hours. A Forbes 30 Under 30 alumni, he is targeting the £10m turnover.
Erinle spent 17 years helping to shape some of Manchester’s best-known developments – then decided it was time to back himself. The former Allied London estates director, who played key roles at Spinningfields, St John’s and Leeds Dock, swapped managing landmark estates for starting his own company GAME FM, which stands for Go A Mile Extra Facilities Management.
Janine Smith, director of GM Business Growth Hub, and S&W tax director Gary Fenemore-Schenk will also join the panel alongside former England rugby league head coach Shaun Wane and founders Sam White (Stella Insurance), Laura Earnshaw (myHappymind) and Phil McCabe (Hybrid Solutions Group).
FUEL Manchester 2026 will be chaired by award-winning executive editor Chris Maguire.
Companies interested in joining the cohort for the masterclasses – which span funding, growth planning, people & performance and technology – can express their interest here. There are a total of 25 spaces available.
S&W supports fast-growing businesses and founders helping them disrupt and dominate their sectors, with comprehensive services across accountancy, tax and advisory services. It helps navigate complexities and unlock opportunities across every stage of business with award winning services and advice.
GM Business Growth Hub is Greater Manchester’s business support organisation. It has been helping ambitious companies in the city region to increase sales, innovate, raise finance, develop their workforces, become environmentally sustainable, embrace digital transformation and go global since 2011. More than 90,000 organisations have already benefited.