These past few months have been a busy time at Liberty towers, culminating with the delivery of a special event just last week to announce the launch of a brand new report exploring the impact of AI across the UK tech industry.
Launched and delivered in partnership with Tech Funding News and Vanson Bourne, the Mind The Gap 2025 report surveyed more than 200 senior business leaders from across the UK technology sector, asking their views and perspectives on how AI is impacting a number of key areas, including funding, skills and DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion).
A first glimpse at the research was shared with a select audience of 60+ leading figures from startups, venture capital firms, investment groups, and policymakers at a special ‘Mind the Gap: The Future of Equitable AI in UK Tech’ event held at Rathbones’ London HQ.
Vanson Bourne and Liberty presented a sample of some of the key findings from the research to kick off the event, including:
• 40% report that diversity or bias in investor circles limits their ability to raise funds
• 69% say they are being held back from adopting AI by a shortage of skills and talent
• Just 10% of organisations believe DEI is fully embedded in their culture and decision-making
A dedicated panel session chaired and moderated by Akansha Dimri, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Tech Funding News, then explored topics including diversity, innovation, and the future of equitable AI in the UK tech industry.
Panellists featured several voices from the UK’s tech and investment landscape, including Danielle Le Toullec, CMO at Erevena and Advisor at Unlock VC; Ted Chalouhi, Founder and CEO of Duku AI; Luca Cartechini, CEO and Co-founder of Shop Circle; and Kenneth Kashif Thomas, Principal at BackFuture Ventures.
Elena Davidson, CEO at Liberty Communications, commented: “It was fantastic to partner with the Vanson Bourne and Tech Funding News teams to work on a project exploring the impact of AI in the UK tech industry from a number of new perspectives. As the findings show, there’s no shortage of AI hype, but the money is going to the teams that can demonstrate early results. This is why clear, jargon-less, data-backed storytelling is fast becoming a startup’s strongest asset.”
Anyone wanting to read the findings of the Mind The Gap 2025 report can access it here.
