We don’t need to tell you that funding is the biggest challenge facing small to medium dev studios in 2025. If you’re heading up a team right now, chances are you’ve been asking yourself a lot of questions recently: Where can I find a grant? How do I make my studio attractive for financing? Are VCs even investing anymore?
TIGA’s Start-up, Scale-up and Grow Conference is here to help – find out more and book your tickets here.
Whether you’re taking your first steps as a founder or running a studio that’s been around the block, SSG can answer all these questions and more by connecting you with funding experts.
Today, we’re delighted to share details of three speakers heading to the conference, each highly experienced in games industry investment and financing.
Colin Macdonald – UK Games Content Fund
Colin is one of the hardest working and most recognisable faces in the UK games industry. He produced the early Grand Theft Auto games, enjoyed a multi-award-winning spell at Channel 4 and co-founded Realtime Worlds, where he helped secure $100 million in investment.
Colin is now the portfolio manager of the Content Fund at UKGTF CIC (UK Games Talent & Finance Community Interest Company), helping SMEs in the games industry grow through the provision of grants.
At SSG, Colin will take part in a panel session covering details on the Content Fund. He’ll explain how it works, what the fund looks for and how much is available. He’ll also give tips and advice on applying to help give you the best possible chance of success.
Chris McCourt – Mercia Ventures
Chris McCourt is investment director at Mercia Ventures, where he invests in ambitious businesses in the tech and media industries. With a particular focus on businesses based in the North, Chris led Mercia’s investment in Radical Forge in October 2024.
During SSG, Chris will join a panel of experts who will discuss venture capital and loan opportunities in the games industry.
Thanks to his extensive background advising small to medium businesses, Chris will be on hand to shine a light on what it’s like to work with VCs, reveal the kinds of investments that Mercia makes and help with funding strategy, including building VC relationships and how to avoid common pitfalls.
Emma Cooper – Innovate UK Business Connect
Joining Chris on the panel is Emma Cooper, Knowledge Transfer Manager – Creative Industries for Innovate UK Business Connect, an agency dedicated to helping businesses grow through funding. Emma has over 20 years experience in interactive entertainment, having spent a long time making things with technology before stepping into this role.
Innovate UK has made £25 million in loans available to micro businesses and SMEs. These loans are intended for highly innovative late-stage R&D projects with the best future potential.
During the panel, Emma will explain which competitions are available to the games industry, define R&D in this context, advise whether this funding is right for you and discuss best practices when making an application.
Rounding up
The Start-up, Scale-up and Grow Conference is an essential destination if you’re running a UK dev studio and need advice on funding.
More speakers are on the way, including angel investors and studio founders who have recently successfully raised finance, so keep an eye out for our next blog post.
In the meantime, you can book a ticket (free if you’re a TIGA member!) and find more information on the conference here.