Making Growth Funds Work Harder: Unlocking More Impact from Every Pound | 10:00am - Thu 5 Nov
Subject: Making Growth Funds Work Harder: Unlocking More Impact from Every Pound
Format: Online interactive presentation - followed by optional facilitated breakout discussion
Date: Thursday 5 November 2026
Time: 10:00-11:15 AM
Booking: Register here
About
Public sector teams are under pressure to deliver more impact from every pound. Budgets are tighter, internal capacity is stretched and expectations around accountability, accessibility and economic outcomes continue to grow. This is on the back of historically high levels of business support funding and funds intervention into local economies which has been relied upon to encourage businesses to take risks and grow. What happens to these risk and growth investments in the absence of these interventions?
Across the UK, combined authorities, local authorities and growth partners are managing increasingly complex funding portfolios. From Local Growth Funds and devolution monies to investment funds and place-based programmes, the challenge is not simply securing funding - it's ensuring it reaches the right businesses, at the right time, in the right way, and delivers measurable economic impact.
Join UMi's Chief Investment Officer, Simon Goon, for a practical, thought-led webinar exploring how commissioners and public sector teams can design growth funds that go beyond deployment to deliver sustainable, recyclable impact.
Questions we'll explore:
How do you ensure growth funding reaches businesses that traditional finance often overlooks?
What role should investment readiness play in fund design?
How can public funds create longer-term, recyclable impact rather than one-off interventions, especially with significantly smaller budgets?
How does the evidence required by commissioners need to evolve to demonstrate economic impact and value for money in light of changing macro and micro economics?
How can finance, business support and economic development objectives work more effectively together?
This is not a supplier pitch or tender briefing. It is a insight-led presentation and strategic conversation for people shaping, reviewing or rethinking growth funds in a changing public sector landscape.
What attendees have said
"The session with Simon was extremely useful and insightful as we consider how best to use our resources to support the growth of new and existing businesses across York and North Yorkshire. Learning what has worked well in other regions, and equally what has worked less well, was particularly valuable as we explore options around access to finance and investment readiness support.
Simon's wealth of experience and expertise really came through during the session, and it was great to follow up with a more detailed one-to-one discussion. This gave us the opportunity to explore different models and approaches in greater depth and consider them within a York and North Yorkshire context.
Henry Rigg - York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority
Why now?
With new Local Growth Fund allocations, evolving devolution arrangements (albeit the overall budgets are smaller than historically) and increasing pressure to demonstrate impact, many organisations are reviewing how funding is designed, delivered and measured, in local economies that still face competitive and productivity challenges.
Whether you're managing an existing fund, designing a new intervention or preparing for the next generation of growth funding, now is the time to explore approaches that can increase reach, improve outcomes and maximise the value of future investment.
Who should attend?
This session is particularly relevant for:
Economic Development Directors and Heads of Service
Combined Authority growth, investment and business support teams
Regeneration, place and inclusive growth leads
Fund managers and programme managers
UKSPF and Local Growth Fund leads
Commissioners and policy teams shaping future funding models
Why UMi?
Since 2007, UMi has worked alongside national, regional and local government to design and deliver business support and investment programmes, helping unlock more than £1 billion in investment for UK businesses.
About the Speaker
Simon Goon - Chief Investment Officer, UMi
Simon has more than 20 years’ experience designing, commissioning and delivering business support and funding programmes. During senior roles at One North East (Regional Development Agency) and Business Durham (Economic Development Agency), he helped shape and oversee the deployment of more than £500 million of public sector investment funds, supporting business growth, investment and financially sustainable economic development across the North.
At UMi, Simon works alongside national, regional and local partners to design, govern and deliver effective funding and business support programmes, helping commissioners balance accessibility, accountability and long-term financial sustainability while maximising economic impact.
Register
This session will include an optional facilitated discussion with peers, we ask attendees to register to ensure we can bring together a relevant mix of professionals and ensure valuable discussion for everyone involved.
Booking: Register here