Entrepreneur Lawrence Jones is the 18th and final speaker confirmed for Insider's North West Business of Digital & Technology 2015 conference on 13 October.
The co-founder and CEO of UKFast will be joining a stellar line-up of speakers at the Bridgewater Hall including: Scott Fletcher, chairman and founder of ANS Group; Paul Gouge, CEO, Playdemic; Richard Law, CEO, GB Group; Michael Dimelow, VP strategic business development, ARM; Dale Huxford, of Squire Patton Boggs, who has previously worked in Silicon Valley; Anish Kapoor, CEO, AccessPay; Alistair Shortland, founder, Textlocal; and Dominic Clark, founder and CEO, Tyres on the Drive.
The free half-day conference will look at the lifecycle of a digital company, from start-up to sale.
Few sectors have experienced the same rate of growth as the digital and technology industry. GP Bullhound recently published a report on 'unicorn' companies – technology companies set up since 2000 with a valuation of $1bn (£644m) or more – and found the average time it takes to create a unicorn is just eight years.
The report also identified 12 North West 'foal' companies, which have the potential to be the next generation of unicorns. UKFast, GB Group and RealityMine are among the foal companies and they're all speaking at the conference.
Insider's digital technology conference will shine a light on the disruptors and innovators. Attendees will hear from the funders and leaders of some of the region's fastest-growing tech companies.
The event is being sponsored by: GP Bullhound; Metronet UK; Pennine Telecom; Blackburn with Darwen Council; Squire Patton Boggs; and UKFast.