🌍 Global House @ SXSW London Week 🌇
About Global House 🌍
This is your off-grid HQ to kick off SXSW London week!
A rooftop takeover designed for founders, investors, generalists, and operators shaping what’s next, not just locally, but globally.
Global House is a curated day of sharp sessions, high-trust networking, and zero-fluff programming designed for people building and scaling across borders. From an early morning brunch to a rooftop happy hour and a whisky-fuelled pitch event, every detail is built to connect ambitious builders with aligned capital, talent, and opportunity.
Important: While registration is free and required for access, it does not ensure entry. Availability, venue capacity, or private gatherings may limit access to Global House. Unless otherwise specified in the schedule, all event registrations must be completed through Luma.
NB: a SXSW London badge is not required to RSVP and attend this event.
📍 Location: WeWork Waterloo, York Road (Floors 15 & 16)
🗓 Date: Monday, 2nd June 2025
🕒 Time: 10:00 - 17:00, followed by Scotch & Pitches from 18:00 - 21:00 (last entry to the daytime session is 2:50pm)
Kindly hosted by WeWork, in collaboration with Foras Ventures and Generalist World.
Why Join? 👀
If you’re building for global markets, this is your room.
The conversations are real. The sessions are high signal.
And the people? Vetted. Community-first. Forward-looking.
Whether you’re raising your next round, hiring across time zones, or exploring new markets, Global House gives you the right rooms, the right people, and the space to move faster.
Tickets 🎟️
🛂 All-Day Passport: Free (Approval-Only)
Access to all open sessions, socials, and the rooftop area throughout the day.
✨ First Class Lounge (VIP): Free (Invitation-Only)
Priority access + entry to the VIP Lounge on Floor 16. Exclusively for speakers, sponsors and special guests.
📋 Agenda
🕒 Access opens from 10:00
We will warmly welcome you to WeWork Waterloo’s 16th floor and rooftop terrace!
10:00-11:00
🛩️ Altitude Brunch Club ☕️
Coffee, light breakfast, and smart intros to start the day.
👉🏻 11:00-16:00: Choose your Character (Panels, Roundtables & Investor Office Hours)
✈️ Clear Air Sessions ('The Sky Lounge', Floor 16, Main Stage)
Kindly hosted by Generalist World
Community-led deep dives into the key topics shaping growth today. Drop in and out as you please.
Session themes:
💸 Extending Your Runway (fundraising strategies & inclusive investing) with Dama Sathianathan, Senior Partner at Bethnal Green Ventures; Hattie Willis, Co-Founder at IfWeRaise; & Victoria Ponieman of Alma Angels
🇺🇸 Landing Smoothly in the US (US Expansion 101) with Dan Glazer, London Office Managing Partner at Wilson Sonsini
👩🏻✈️ Building a Crew at Altitude (team & culture for scale) with Cameron Smith, COO at Ivy Tech; Laura Cloherty, Founder & CEO at Lead ink; Neda Sahebelm, Founder at Keshty; & Caitlin Rozario, Founder at Interlude
🗺️ Customs & Culture (international expansion without the guesswork) with Naomi Feltham, Global Partnerships Manager at Wise; Taylor Wong, Senior International Strategy Manager at LSE Generate; Patrycja Maksymowicz, MD at sclr labs; & Andrew Cantle, MD EMEA at Think & Grow
👏🏻 Leading the Flight (female founders & leaders) with Milly Tamati, Founder of Generalist World; Emmie Faust, Founder of Female Founders Rise; Katherine Mora, Founder of Amanzi IO; Mie Oestergaard, DEI Lead at Skyscanner; & Jade Buffong Phillips, Founder of Mane Hook-Up
💼 Expert-led Roundtables ('The Layover Lab', Floor 15, Room 15A)
Group sessions. Honest feedback and expert insights.
First come, first served on the day.
We’re delighted to be presenting a range of sessions:
11:00 - 11:45
🚀 Scaling Smarter, Hiring Without Borders: hosted by Carmen Lincolne (Ivy Tech)12:00 - 12:45
👥 Community-led Growth: hosted by Ece Kurtaraner (Generalist World)13:00 - 13:45
🧘🏻♂️ Regulate to Accelerate: Embodied Intelligence for High-Stakes Leadership: hosted by Dagmara Aldridge (DA Exec/Leadership Coaching)14:00 - 14:45
📈 7 Lessons from Scaling 7 Startups: Tactical growth session with Olya Grovel (Growth Architect & Founder at Vyvra)15:00 - 16:00
✍🏻 Scaling, GTM & Investor Readiness: hosted by Patrycja Maksymowicz (sclr labs)
💸 Investor Office Hours ('Capital Corner': Floor 15, Room 15B)
A rare chance for founders to step behind the pitch deck and into real conversations.
Group sessions (max 15-20 per slot). Expect honest feedback, rare insights, and tactical takeaways.
First come, first served on the day.
We're Delighted to be joined by:
👉🏻 11:00 - 11:45, Kateryna Golushko, ULTRA.VC
Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Cyprus, ULTRA.VC is an early-stage venture capital firm with an in-house accelerator. The firm focuses on supporting impact-driven entrepreneurs aiming to create positive societal change. Combining funding with a comprehensive accelerator program, offering mentorship, expert support, and a community-driven environment to help startups achieve sustainable growth. Invests in Europe, including the UK.
Investment Focus:
Pre-seed
Initial investment of $70,000 (comprising $35,000 in cash and $35,000 in program services), with potential follow-on funding up to $300,000.
HealthTech, personal and mental well-being, education and lifelong learning, future of work, community and ethical tech.
Portfolio & Successes:
ULTRA.VC has invested in over 25 companies since Fall 2023. Invested in GIFTD, Voda, kano.care, Yung Sidekick among others
👉🏻 13:00 - 13:45, Dama Sathianathan, Bethnal Green Ventures
Established in 2012 and based in London, BGV is Europe's leading early-stage "tech for good" venture capital firm. It focuses on backing founders using technology to address pressing social and environmental challenges.
Investment Focus:
Pre-seed
Typically £60k for a 7% equity stake during their accelerator programme, with potential for follow-on
Sustainable planet, inclusive society, healthy lives
UK-focused, with a particular emphasis on diverse and underrepresented founders.
Portfolio & Successes:
BGV has invested in 177 ventures, positively impacting over 17 million lives.
Notable investments include Fairphone and DrDoctor, both of which have scaled significantly in the UK market.
👉🏻 14:00 - 14:45, Nuan Zhang, BREEGA
Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Paris, Breega is a founder-led venture capital firm known for its "founders backing founders" ethos. The firm has expanded its presence across Europe, including the UK, and manages approximately €700 million in assets.
Investment Focus:
Pre-seed to Series B.
€500k to €5 million at early stages
Software, fintech, deeptech, health tech, and climate tech.
Primarily Europe +UK, with a growing focus on Africa.
Portfolio & Successes:
Breega has invested in over 100 companies, including notable UK startups like Moneybox and Curve. The firm has been early backers of many unicorns and soonicorns, such as Exotec and Alice & Bob.
16:00-17:00
🌇 Golden Hour Rooftop Happy Hour 🍻
Drinks, views, and meaningful connections to close the daytime session.
18:00-21:00
🥃 Scotch & Pitches: Global House Edition
Whisky-fuelled global startup pitches!
Register separately
🏢 About WeWork UK ✳️:
WeWork provides flexible workspaces designed to empower businesses and creators across the UK. With dynamic offices, collaborative community hubs, and premium amenities, WeWork supports startups, scaleups, and enterprises as they grow locally and scale globally.
From London to Edinburgh and beyond, WeWork UK connects ambitious teams with inspiring environments and a network of forward-thinking professionals.
🔮 About Generalist World ✳️:
Generalist World is the global home for high-agency, multi-skilled professionals building careers that don’t fit inside neat boxes.
Through membership, free events, and practical resources, they help generalists design careers that leverage all of who they are, not just one title or lane.
Their fast-growing community includes over 20,000+ operators, strategists, and decision-makers from companies like Stripe, Notion, Wise, and the UN.
🌍 About Foras Ventures ✳️:
We drive investment and talent to the UK, using Scotland as a launchpad for global growth. With a 15K+ global network of founders, investors, and operators, Foras creates opportunities for startups, investors, corporates, governments, and academia to connect, expand, and thrive on the international stage.
Set up in the UK. Build in Scotland. Go global.
🚀 Stay tuned: two exciting new verticals are launching soon!
We are proudly powered by:
🏦 Wise - Fast, no-hassle, low-cost international payments and multi-currency accounts, helping you manage global finances efficiently. Foras community who register with Wise will receive a £10K free transfer and a dedicated account manager.
🇺🇸 Wilson Sonsini – The go-to experts for founders looking to expand into the US.
💻 Ivy Tech – Ivy 360 by Ivy Tech is a fully managed, co-employment solution that builds and embeds high-quality tech teams into your startup or scaleup, handling everything from hiring to payroll.
First month management fee is free via this link!
🗣️ Safespace Global
We have zero tolerance for harassment, discrimination, micro-aggressions, intimidation, threats, and violence, and we’re committed to ensuring that Foras events remain inclusive, safe spaces for everyone.
To ensure everyone feels safe and respected at our event, we have partnered with SafeSpace Global and implemented the SafeSpace Plus™ tool. This tool enables you to report any incidents or violations of our Code of Conduct, such as harassment, discrimination, bullying, or offensive behavior.
If you or someone you know has witnessed or experienced any of these incidents, please submit an Incident Report to let us know.
Important Info ✍🏻
Location details, floor access and agenda breakdown will be shared with approved guests.
Certain sessions and lounges (VIP areas, Scotch & Pitches, investor office hours) may be restricted or require separate approval.
All registrations are reviewed and approved on a rolling basis.
While registration is free and required for access, it does not ensure entry. Availability, venue capacity, or private gatherings may limit access to Global House. Unless otherwise specified in the schedule, all event registrations must be completed through Luma.
Please note that the schedule is subject to change at any time and is not guaranteed.
By attending this event you agree to be photographed and filmed, and we may use the footage for marketing purposes. Additionally, we will share the attendee list with our valued sponsors.
If you prefer not to have your photos or footage used, or if you do not wish for your details to be shared with sponsors, kindly let us know. We will be more than happy to accommodate your preferences.
Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to seeing you at the event!
📮 Questions? Contact hello@forasventures.com