The great and the good descended on London Tech Week last week for gripping talks on “Supporting start-ups to foster innovation” and “How to stay awake during talks on supporting start-ups to foster innovation” (OK, not quite, but one session offered tips on “combating the afternoon slump!”).
While Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer both did a turn, not everyone was impressed with the line-up — as one delegate waspishly commented, rival Paris event, VivaTech, “got Elon”.
Following a full house for a session on “championing purpose-driven innovation”, there was a noisy stampede of men leaving the room. Perhaps the title of the next discussion — “From Fertility to Menopause — the Role of Companies in Womens’ Health” — put them off.
![Alex Mahon of Channel 4 didn’t appreciate a walkout](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/imageserver/image/%2Fmethode%2Fsundaytimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2F6f42b8d4-0d1e-11ee-bf81-8b99fdf73556.jpg?crop=6437%2C4291%2C0%2C0&resize=400&quality=3)
Alex Mahon of Channel 4 didn’t appreciate a walkout
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Alex Mahon, chief