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An update about our NEXT GEN initiative

About SMR, Careers, Hiring, Next event, SMR | March 21, 2023 | 2 min read

A lot seems to have happened since we ran our first NEXT GEN event in Nov 2022, there’s no denying that it’s a particularly challenging time right now – we hope you’re all doing well. With this in mind, we wanted to give everyone an update on what’s been happening and our future plans for the NEXT GEN initiative.

Originally we had intended to run a NEXT GEN event in May 2023, to coincide with our next Silicon Milkroundabout event. We wanted to build on the momentum we started last year and act on feedback we received from attendees, growing the event but only featuring companies who are actively hiring.

However the stark reality of finding a sufficient number of tech companies hiring at entry level right now proved to be much, much harder than anticipated. We’ve seen a global slow down in tech hiring right now which looks like it’s also having an effect on those just starting out just as much as it is with those who have more experience.

As a direct result of this, we’ve had to make the difficult decision to postpone the May NEXT GEN event until things pick back up again (which they undoubtedly will!). We’re genuinely gutted (and not just saying it), as we know how hard it is out there at the moment and believe that you should all be given that lucky break to kick start your careers.

We are still committed to NEXT GEN and helping provide the guidance and connections to you all to help you get started. Although it looks unlikely we’ll run an IRL event this year, we are actively planning some other initiatives to help you move in the right direction.

These include:

A dedicated NEXT GEN jobs board

A community for you to share experiences, challenges and successes amongst yourselves

Webinars to help you navigate the right career path

Blogs and other useful articles providing help and guidance

Newsletters + updates

Please feel free to sign up and stay tuned for future updates and of course, when we resume our live IRL NEXT GEN events.

We wish you all the best and hope to see you online soon, if not at a future event.

The Silicon Milkroundabout team

Key changes to our event on 13 + 14 May 2023: here’s what to expect

About SMR, Hiring, Next event, SMR | March 20, 2023 | 2 min read

Well, 2023 is turning out to be quite the year isn’t it, especially for tech! There’s no denying that it’s a particularly challenging time right now – I hope you’re doing ok. Based on this I wanted to give everyone an update on what this means for our next Silicon Milkroundabout on 13 + 14 May 2023 and some hopefully welcome improvements 🙂

I’m sure no one will be surprised but we’ve seen a sharp slow down in companies hiring for tech roles right now. As a direct result of this, we’re running a smaller event with approximately 40-50 hiring companies. We hope you understand the reasons why.

While the event may be slightly smaller, it will be just as mighty! The good news is we’ll have those prized companies that are actively hiring right now and that includes some of the very best in tech within the UK including; Playstation, the LEGO Group, Starling Bank and Citymapper.

Silicon Milkroundabout will still be held at the Old Truman Brewery and at the same location but we’re using a different space on the ground floor. You’ll be well signposted as the entrance is very close to the one previously used and you’ll find us on the other side of the building in Elys Yard.

One key change to be aware of, is that we’ll be running each day as 3 x 90-minute sessions for which you’ll need a ticket to. We’ve listened to your feedback and we’re hoping these staggered timed sessions will improve the flow of the event and your overall experience chatting to companies. It should also create an easier and more relaxed environment with less queuing!

During the application process, you will now get to choose your preferred 90-minute time slot which we’ll do our best to accommodate. We’ll be checking tickets so please make sure you stick to your time slot.

The time slots are:

11:30am – 1:00pm

1:30pm – 3:00pm

3:30pm – 5:00pm

You’ll notice that we’re also starting and finishing a little earlier but I would suggest being there at the start of each time slot to make the most of your 90 minute slot.

We’ll be opening each day with a women in tech brunch session to celebrate and show support for women, non-binary and non-conforming individuals. We’ll be putting on a spread with some tasty treats, collaborating with Triangirls and encouraging women from hiring companies to attend, allowing for fantastic networking opportunities. All sessions are open to everyone so please feel free to apply to the time slot that best suits you.

We know a Silicon Milkroundabout just isn’t the same without those little added extras you know and love so expect –

free bar + soft drinks
free barista coffee from our friends at Routes Coffee
our friendly team ready to welcome you
plus the bonus of some company swag (hello the Lego Group!)

Whilst hiring plans for some companies may have slowed down, we’re bringing together some of the best tech teams out there, all in one space – and they’re hiring!

Applications for 13 + 14 May 2023 are now open, so please feel free to apply here.

Hope to see you in May,

Liam CEO

Introducing our Women In Tech Session

About SMR, Hiring, SMR | March 16, 2023 | 2 min read

Saturday 13 + Sunday 14 May 2023 | 11:30am – 1:00pm

A brunch session to celebrate, showcase and support women in tech

We’ve partnered with the incredible team from Triangirls who will be on hand to chat to you about the communities they’ve built to support women in tech and how you can get involved. Of course no networking session is complete without some refreshments so we’ll be serving up a tasty selection of brunch treats and mimosas while you make your way around the event.

In order to advance the conversation on diversity and inclusion in tech, we’re actively encouraging women, non-binary and non-conforming to this first session to engage with fellow job seekers and speak with companies who are committed to increasing representation within the workplace. You’ll get the chance to learn about their DEI initiatives and speak with women from their teams – it’s an awesome opportunity to network and ask questions!

Although women in tech have made important strides in recent years, there is still much work to be done to achieve gender equality in the industry. With more women entering and making significant contributions to the field, it’s important that we celebrate this and use this time to openly discuss the barriers or restrictions that women find when entering a new role.

We hope that this session will not only be beneficial for attendees but also for the exhibiting companies to receive invaluable feedback.

When will the session take place?

The first session of each day at Silicon Milkroundabout

Saturday 13 + Sunday 14 May 2023 | 11:30am – 1:00pm

What is the purpose of the session?

We’ll be opening each day with a women in tech session where we’ll be collaborating with Triangirls to celebrate and show support for women, non-binary and non-conforming individuals. We’ll be encouraging exhibiting companies to bring their female team members for this session plus giving them the chance to talk to those attending about what they’re doing to improve equality at work.

What to expect

A welcoming and inclusive environment where attendees can grow their network with like-minded people, learn about job roles on offer from some of the best companies in tech and speak with reputable women-led initiatives working to support their community. We’ll provide some light brunch options, mimosas + fruit juices plus, as usual, we’ll have unlimited free coffee from our faves at Routes Coffee.

What if I can’t make the WIT session, can I still attend the other sessions at the event?

Of course, you can apply for a ticket to any of the sessions on each day (relevant to your skillset.) The format will be the same however we’ll stop serving brunch around 1pm. You can still grab a drink or coffee from our free bar and coffee station and if you haven’t checked out Brick Lane’s Food Market, we’d recommend it!

Is this session for women only?

No, this session isn’t exclusively for women and we invite everyone to attend.

International Women’s Day 2023

About SMR, Hiring, SMR | March 8, 2023 | 3 min read

We’re highlighting 7 incredible companies founded by women, building products + services for women… and guess what? They’re hiring!

Daye

Daye exists to bridge the gender gap in medical research and innovation. Their goals are to bridge the gender gap in medical research, and product innovation, by designing products rooted in science and inspired by women’s intuition.They strongly advocate for gender equality in healthcare, recognising that gynaecological health is a vital aspect of overall human health, despite historical bias in medical research towards male physiology. We were thrilled to see that Valentina Milanova 🇺🇦, Founder of Daye was featured in Red Magazine UK‘s round-up of female trailblazers to celebrate #IWD 2023.
From Digital Marketing to Senior Design Engineer, check out some of their roles here

Peanut

A favourite of our very own Managing Director, Laura Jones, Peanut was created with the idea that no one should have to navigate womanhood alone. Especially the hard parts. Their mission is to provide a social network for women to connect across fertility, pregnancy, motherhood and menopause. So far, over 3M women use Peanut monthly to build friendships, find support, and learn from one another.
If you haven’t listened to CEO and Founder, Michelle Kennedy speak before, may we highly recommend Holly Tucker’s Conversations of Inspiration podcast on banishing the taboos surrounding motherhood.

Hertility

Hertility is a women’s health company built by women, for women. They’re shaping the future of reproductive healthcare by pioneering unique diagnostic testing that provides data-driven and advanced insights into reproductive health, fertility decline and the onset of menopause. They provide expert advice, education and access to care – all from the comfort of your home.
Definitely one to keep an eye on, check out their roles here.

Elvie

Elvie is a health and lifestyle brand developing smarter technology for women. Their first product, Elvie Trainer, is an award-winning app-connected Kegel trainer that helps women strengthen the pelvic floor via fun, five-minute workouts. Launched in October 2015 to great acclaim, they’ve taken the wellness industry by storm!
We’ve been lucky enough to host Elvie at our events and on our discussion panel – they’re always looking for ambitious, smart people to join. Take a look at their roles here.

Frendo

When you’re dealing with chronic pain, life can be overwhelming and isolating. FrendoApp is your community, social network, health tracker and insight tool, all in one app. Empowering endometriosis patients and those with suspected endometriosis symptoms. This month marks endometriosis awareness month – there are more women and AFAB individuals living with endometriosis than asthma & diabetes.
Launching this year, you can take a read of Dearbhail’s story and what led her to starting Frendo here.

Hormona

A complete hormone toolkit in one app. Hormona is your own personal hormone assistant giving you personalised, evidence-based, scientific advice to help you better understand and live in harmony with your hormones. Track your symptoms, and get tailored tips and valuable insights into your hormonal health.
They’ve been awarded one of the 50 Most Impactful Companies to work for in the UK and continue to commit to creating a workplace environment where all employees feel that they are making a genuine impact on an important cause. Keep an eye out for job roles here.

Vira Health

There are 3.8 billion women in the world. They’re on a mission to make personalised menopause care the norm, delivering immediate relief as well as reducing the long-term impact of osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia.Their core product is Stella – an app that supports women through menopause with personalised treatment plans backed by the latest science and support from trained experts.
If you’re a Frontend Developer, Data Scientist or Cloud Engineer – take a look at their current openings added today on LinkedIn!

Big News!!!

About SMR, Next event | September 20, 2022 | 2 min read

Silicon Milkroundabout presents… NEXT GEN

A new event to support the next generation of tech talent.

Friday 18 November 2022 | The Truman Brewery

We are excited to announce that we will be introducing a brand new event called NEXT GEN on 18 November.

Our NEXT GEN event is our way of creating change by doing what we do best. We recognise the current high demand for mid-senior level roles is leaving out a huge portion of incredible potential hires because companies aren’t as open to hiring juniors, grads or career changers. This isn’t sustainable and needs to change. These groups will eventually become the future teams who will continue to grow and make companies successful (if they are not too put off beforehand). We have to do better to help support, guide and nurture them.

This is also a really exciting opportunity for tech companies to give back and help support the next wave of tech talent coming through.

Who’s it for?

People looking to work in software engineering, data science, design, marketing and product:

Juniors with < 12 months relevant tech work experience.

Recent higher education graduates

Coding bootcamp graduates

Career switchers with transferable skills

The focus of the event

The NEXT GEN event will help candidates navigate their way into a tech career by

Meeting face to face with companies
Find out what they look for in people they hire and how to up skill
If they have a grad scheme, training programme or supportive career development opportunities.
What the hiring process is like and how to best prepare
Offer insights in CV advice

PLUS answer any other burning questions they might have.

As well as meeting the companies, attendees will also be able to

Enjoy drinks at our free bar
FREE PIZZA
Live DJ

Our NEXT GEN event will be held at The Truman Brewery on the Friday 18 Novenber! Applications are now open, tickets are limited so sign up now to avoid missing out.

To apply just complete the normal event application form.

Help to Grow Initiative

About SMR, Hiring, Next event | August 22, 2022 | 2 min read

Since SMR 1.0 we’ve felt it vital to give a helping hand to charities, SME’s and Startup companies in our tech community. SO we have introduced a Help to Grow initiative to offer highly subsidised (50% off) exhibitor spaces for these teams.

We would like to invite early stage startups and charities who fit the criteria to apply to the initiative for our next event on the 19 + 20 November. We recognise the current climate is heavily swayed towards larger brands so we’d like to encourage and show support to these smaller, grassroot companies, who are looking to expand their teams.

Why we feel it’s important

We want to stay true to our roots – we were a startup once and are proud to say that a lot of our values and the way we operate are still with a startup mentality. The startup community is a pretty special one to be a part of, everyone wants to help one another. So here we are! Doing what we can to help 🙂

Startups have a real infectious energy to them. Typically it’s a fast paced environment with lots of passion behind the work they do. Online magazine, Entrepreneur, wrote a piece called “Why everyone should work for a startup at least once” and we couldn’t agree more! It’s a quick learning curve with the article backing that the world of startups is an excellent breeding ground for skills which allow you to survive recurring economic slowdowns.

Career-wise, working for a smaller or more agile company such as a startup or charity can propel you upwards much faster than climbing the highly structured ladder of an established company.

The charity sector might sound daunting but you can guarantee a sense of fulfilment through the meaningful work that you’d be a part of. The Guardian wrote an article “Why you should work in the charity sector” providing an interesting perspective on areas some might not have considered within the space.

Both startups and charities often offer flexible and hybrid working. The pandemic has reset expectations around presenteeism and proved that working at home can be as productive. Many candidates report better work life balance, improved well being and more time spent with family, as positive effects from remote working

We also want to make sure Silicon Milkroundabout is accessible to companies no matter what stage they are at, this will also help ensure the event showcases a diverse range of companies and therefore attracts a diverse range of attendees.

How we will do this

Offer a limited no. of 50% off the full price of a 2 person space (early bird prices not included in offer).
This can be for a single day or the full weekend.

Check out the pricing.

Criteria Startups + SME businesses will need to meet to claim this offer:

A company will need to be less than 3 years old.
Have under 30 people in their team.
Have raised no more than £1 million in funding.

Criteria Charities will need to meet to claim this offer:

Registered charity with The Charity Commission.
Have under 100 employees.

To apply please click the link to the application form or email [email protected] for more information.

Sustainability at #siliconmilkroundabout

About SMR, Next event, SMR | April 26, 2022 | 3 min read

We are dedicated to making sure the event is sustainable and produces as little waste as possible. We know we don’t have all the answers but we are keen to learn and understand what’s needed to do better. We always want to be transparent and share how we are making steps towards this.

Here’s a run down of things we are actively doing to support this for our events:

6 reasons why there’s never been a better time to come to Silicon Milkroundabout

About SMR | April 25, 2022 | 4 min read

Whether you’re actively looking for your next role or just curious to see what’s out there, there’s never been a better time to come down to Silicon Milkroundabout this May! And here’s why…..

1. We have a mighty lineup of companies who want to meet and hire people just like you

Where else do you get to be in the same room as Amazon Prime, British Airways or Ocado??

Silicon Milkroundabout gives you the serendipity to explore companies you might not have otherwise considered. For example:

Fast growing startups such as Florence, Dojo and Google for startups

Forward thinking scaleups such as Dice, Gousto and Charlotte Tilbury

Innovative global brands such as Sky, The Guardian, Snap & Playstation

World leading data + AI specialists such as AccRux, Palantir and humanising autonomy

Companies in the public sector such as BBC, Government Digital Service and Home Office

Agencies and consultancies such as Hex Digital, UsTwo and Softwire

Plus lots more!

Why you might be wrong about public sector jobs

Careers, Interviews | May 19, 2020 | 6 min read

How brilliant user-centered design can impact the economic prosperity of our country

For some of us, the idea of a public sector job can conjure up images of officious, slow-paced formal working environments. But at the Department of International Trade things are a little different.

As one of the newest departments in Whitehall (founded in 2016) the Digital, Data and Technology team builds products in a fast-paced environment in the main free from constraints of having to work with legacy tech.

The leadership team have expertise in agile methodology, flexible working, job shares, and remote working, and are dedicated to maintaining a culture more in line with a startup than a government department.

When we asked their team what they liked about working at the Department of International Trade (DIT), the culture and the work environment were cited, but it’s the scale of the products and the impact they can have that was the most common answer. Contributing towards projects that can positively impact the economy, as well as thousands of businesses around the world, make this a public sector job which can deliver high levels of job satisfaction and some unique opportunities for career development.

We take a look at what impact the forward-thinking principles behind the culture at DIT have on the careers of the people that work there.

“We’re missing the point when it comes to mental health.” Spill’s mission to increase access to support

Guest Post | April 22, 2020 | 3 min read

London-based Healthtech startup Spill were founded in 2017 with a mission to help companies remove the barriers stopping their team’s from accessing emotional support. They set out why their platform is important right now. Note: this piece was written before the outbreak of COVID-19.

Mental health is, by all accounts, having a bit of a moment. It’s the topic of endless conferences, training sessions and charity initiatives. A raft of celebrities from Stephen Fry to J.K. Rowling have spoken out about their diagnoses. Depression and anxiety, once completely taboo subjects, are now proudly displayed hashtags on Instagram and the subject of advertising by all sorts of brands, from Ford to Lloyds Bank. It looks like the stigma around conditions like these is slowly dismantling, at long last.