March 2026: A month of innovation and community across South Yorkshire
- Emi Bagshaw
- Feb 17
- 4 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
March is shaping up to be one of the most active months we’ve seen across the region’s tech and innovation ecosystem; spanning grassroots meetups, investor events, design thinking workshops, a female founder showcase and UK Tech Week activity.
Whether you’re a founder, policymaker, investor, or part of the wider ecosystem, there’s something meaningful happening almost every week, so get some dates in your diary. They won't break the bank either, as most of the meetups and events are free to attend.
Wednesday 5 March: Sheffield Women in Technology
18:00-20:00, Sheffield Technology Parks
Sheffield Women in Tech returns with a workshop on imposter syndrome run by Amanda Cookson from Northern Value Creators, with limited places available.
Thursday 5 March: Tech Events across Doncaster, Chesterfield & Sheffield
CyberSIPs Doncaster - 26.1
09:30–11:30, Highfield Coffee Social, Doncaster
A warm, no‑nonsense breakfast meetup for small businesses, freelancers, and tech‑curious attendees. Expect threat‑modelling 101, email security basics, and plenty of friendly conversation over a brew.
Rise & Thrive - Mercia
13:00-16:00, Kapital, Sheffield
Mercia are inviting women in business to their next “people and panel” Rise & Thrive event in Sheffield. Join them to spark conversation, connection and new opportunities, with lunch provided.
Event link: Rise & Thrive Form
Tech Exchange Chesterfield - March Meetup
17:00–20:00, The Pig & Pump, Chesterfield
A buzzing, zero‑sales local tech meetup where developers, creatives and founders swap stories, dig into challenges and share real‑world solutions. Just down t' road!
NUX Sheffield
18:00–20:00, Sheffield Hallam University
Human‑centred design meets real‑world uncertainty. Talks from Paul Bailey (UX consultant) and Blessing Mbipom (IBM) on navigating complexity and asking better questions. Pizza included.
Event link: https://buff.ly/b8fxDTy
Tuesday 11 March: Climb Tour Sheffield
15:00–19:00, The Diamond, Sheffield
Climb UK brings its national tour to Sheffield — a high‑energy half‑day of founder‑focused insights, honest conversations and curated networking for those building and scaling ambitious businesses.
Thursday 12 March: Barnsley Startup Meetup Returns (evening edition)
17:30-19:00, Spiral City, Barnsley
Refreshed format for March moving to an evening slot at a local pub. Expect deeper conversations and the same supportive founder‑led atmosphere.
Wednesday 18 March: Economic Insights for SY from British Business Bank
08:00–10:00, The Mowbray, Sheffield
A deep dive into the economic landscape, featuring finance market analysis from the British Business Bank Economics Team and a fireside chat with Chief Development Officer Richard Bearman.
Event link: http://r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/45HG-14RR
Culture Club Sheffield
17:00-19:00, NVM, Sheffield
Sheffield's Culture Club networking event is at the National Videogame Museum this month with demos from game designers, where you can network with culture sector workers, creatives and freelancers.
Thursday 19 March: UK Tech Week
Digital Forge × Lifted Ventures: Female Founders & the Capital Gap
10:30–13:30, Cutlers’ Hall Hospitality
A powerful half‑day gathering exploring the structural funding gap for women founders, featuring investor perspectives, practical insight and community‑building.
Event link: https://luma.com/33htghuz
Venture.Community Innovation Showcase
13:00–17:00, Electric Works, Sheffield
Part of UK Tech Week, this showcase brings together local founders and ideas from across the region. Enjoy quick-fire presentations, demos and more.
Sheffield Digital Senior Leaders Dinner
17:45–21:00, The Sheffield College
This once a year opportunity will focus on talent and the next generation of tech as you take a seat with local leaders in tech and digital, joined by the T-Level students of The Sheffield College. For more details including menus contact: emma@sheffield.digital
Allentra US Market Entry Roadshow - Manchester
8:30–14:00, Bloc @ Bruntwood SciTech, Manchester
For founders eyeing the US market, this roadshow offers practical, straight-forward guidance on regulatory pathways, expansion strategy and scaling internationally.
Event link: https://allentra.net/usa/
Tuesday 24 March: Meet the Investors
techUK & British Business Bank - Meet the Investors: Sheffield
14:00–17:00, CMS Charter Square, Sheffield
Hear from leading funders who work across the UK and ask them questions, and learn about current investment trends.
Event link: Meet the Investors: Sheffield
Thursday 26 March: Innovation Skills & New Connections
Sheffield Startup Social
18:00-20:00, Hideaway, Sheffield
A relaxed, free meetup for founders, builders and anyone working on something new. If you’ve got an idea to pitch in one minute, just message the organisers beforehand.
Event link: Startup Social: Sheffield Tickets
CLEAR IDEAS Creativity & Innovation Skills Workshop
09:00–17:00, Sheffield University Management School
A full‑day applied workshop led by Professor Kamal Birdi, teaching the CLEAR IDEAS method for turning creative thinking into implementable strategies. Ideal for teams looking to embed structured innovation practice.
Sheffield Digital Meetup Calendar
Not all March events have been announced yet, but several popular meetups release dates at short notice, especially for new or emerging community groups such as the Monthly GameDev Meetup and dotnetsheff software meetup. https://sheffield.digital/meetups/
You'll also find workshops and networking events for businesses from the local Business Support teams in Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley, with a few networking breakfasts and expos coming in the next couple of weeks in Sheffield and Doncaster.
March 2026 is packed with opportunities to connect, learn, and shape the future of South Yorkshire’s ever‑growing tech ecosystem, from informal meetups to strategy conversations during UK Tech Week. We hope to see you out and about!
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