Dear Mr. Prime Minister: Michaela Eschbach, CEO At Cambridge Wireless

“Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

Britain’s innovation economy is ready to scale – if the government can deliver stable policy, long-term investment, and faster paths from research to deployment.”

– Michaela Eschbach, CEO at Cambridge Wireless

The first thing you need to know about running a business in Britain today is that…

British businesses are not short of ideas; they are short of certainty and often much-needed investment. We consistently hear from our members that what they need most is a stable environment where they can plan, hire, invest and scale without policy swinging beneath them.

The barriers are too familiar: inconsistent regulation, slow planning and procurement, and investment that is too cautious for companies trying to grow from R&D to successful, fast-growing scaleups within the UK, let alone successfully scaling globally.

The biggest challenge facing UK founders that politicians don’t completely understand is…

We work with hundreds of technology businesses around the UK and the biggest gap is that founders don’t just need encouragement; they need a system that helps them scale. Too many politicians still underestimate how hard that is in the UK. Raising capital, hiring good people and navigating tax and regulations are extremely difficult in the current climate.

These aren’t just abstract complaints; they create daily friction and ultimately lead founders to decide to grow elsewhere. That was proven in a recent TechUK survey that found that only 14% of UK founders think that the UK is easy to scale in.

The promise I would most like to see your government keep is…

The promise I would most like this government to keep is simple: make Britain an easier place to start, scale, and stay. That means stable policy, competitive taxes, sensible regulation, and commitment to investment. In short, demonstrating real backing for the businesses that create jobs, exports, and innovation.

Please don’t…

Do not treat growth as something that the government can announce into existence; it has to be earned through consistency, confidence, and a business environment that rewards investment, risk-taking, and innovation. Additionally, look through the noise that the latest technology trends create. Avoid focusing on a singular technology while making other fundamentally important technological developments second class, as it will stall innovation and overall growth.

What would make the UK a more attractive place to build and scale a company is…

The UK becomes more attractive when innovators can move faster from idea to deployment. That means access to talent, growth capital, supportive procurement processes and infrastructure that enables businesses to scale. We need to foster the idea that the UK is a place where you can go to grow. We should be making it easier for companies to commercialise innovation here rather than encouraging them to look elsewhere for growth opportunities.

What gives me confidence in Britain’s future is…

What gives me confidence is Britain’s deep tech talent, world-class universities, and strong research base. We can see just from the discussions being had in our Special Interest Groups by tech leaders that we have the ingredients to lead in AI, semiconductors, connectivity, and quantum – what matters now is turning that strength into more scale-ups that stay and grow here. The government has already started to send clear signals about some of the deficiencies that need to be tackled, and technology will be a huge part of solving those.

What worries me most about the next five years…

What worries me most is that the AI conversation becomes so dominant that we underinvest in the technologies that make AI and broader digital innovation possible. Britain’s strength lies across a diverse technology landscape including connectivity, semiconductors, quantum, cyber security and advanced manufacturing. To remain globally competitive, we need a balanced technology strategy that supports the entire innovation ecosystem.

If you take one thing from this letter, let it be this:

Britain will only win if it reestablishes stability after years of revolving door politicians, it becomes an easier place to build, back, and scale world-class companies and it doesn’t lose sight of the bigger technology landscape and opportunity that sits alongside AI.

 My hopes and dreams for 2030…

By 2030, I’d want to see a clear change in behaviour: more UK startups choosing to stay, scale, list here rather than look abroad, and an investment environment that facilitates that growth. I’d love to set an ambitious growth target for a healthier market and see 50 high-growth companies floating on UK markets in that time, provided the government also delivers the conditions that make it possible: deeper capital pools, simpler regulation, and more reasons for founders to list here.