25 Years of Championing Welsh Technology

For 25 years, ESTnet, trading as Technology Connected, has been the leading voice of Wales’s technology industry.

Driven by the principles of professionalism, integrity, sustainability and diversity, we have not simply observed the growth of the sector. We’ve helped shape it.

From connecting industries with emerging technologies, to developing talent pipelines, influencing strategic stakeholders, and championing Welsh technology and innovation on the global stage, our mission has been clear and consistent: to ensure Wales is recognised as a centre of expertise and opportunity.

Following the announcement on 25 February 2026 that Technology Connected will cease trading on 31 March 2026, there is no better time to recognise the scale and impact of what we have achieved.

Connecting

We have connected many industries to innovation, turning ideas into deployment and ambition into action. For example:

• Blockchain Innovation Challenges – Connected organisations with tech providers developing blockchain solutions, working with the SimplyDo platform
  The Welsh Government-funded challenge saw organisations submit complex business problems, generating 17 feasibility and proof-of-concept projects across agriculture, space, carbon, finance, fishing, energy, medicine, film, steel, and transport.
  
  
• Factory of the Future – Connected tech companies with manufacturing organisations
  Delivered in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs, the summit findings showed that 49% of businesses implementing AI or IoT reported immediate productivity gains, reinforcing that knowledge-sharing and access to skills are key to future-proofing Welsh industry.

Developing

We have built pipelines of talent, reversed brain drain trends, and inspired and informed the next generation through our programmes:

• Talent4Tech
  Designed to attract the “tech-curious” and showcase pathways into the sector, Talent4Tech has become a catalyst for change. In 2025 alone, we engaged over 1,200 pupils and students, directly connecting emerging talent with industry demand.
  
  
• Year in Industry Programme (Cardiff University & University of South Wales)
  Before our intervention, 75% of technology students left Wales for their placements. Through our work with industry partners, that statistic was reversed: 78% chose to stay in Wales.
  
  
• Kickstart Scheme
  We secured fully funded employment opportunities for young people at a critical time during Covid. Our first cohort of 22 young professionals were given structured, supported pathways into meaningful career opportunities in technology.
  
  
• Cardiff Capital Region Skills Board
  Our Managing Director, Avril Lewis MBE, has served as a strategic advisor to the CCR Skills Board, ensuring that regional skills plans are aligned with real industry demand and future-facing technology priorities.

Influencing

We have provided evidence, insight and leadership to shape strategic decision-making at the highest levels, through the work of the:

• Technology Leadership Council
  Our advisory body united senior leaders across the sector to represent a collective voice for Welsh industry, informing and influencing key stakeholders on the significance of technology on economic and societal development.
  
  
• ICT Sector Landscape Report (2016)
  This landmark report identified a sector contributing £8.5bn to the Welsh economy. It provided the evidence base to position Wales as a global centre of excellence in Compound Semiconductors, and identified key strengths in Cyber and Digital Technologies. It remains a benchmark reference point today.
  
  
• TEMASC – Technology Enabled Manufacturing And Service Campus
  We created a vision for the original concept for TEMASC in Blaenau Gwent as part of the Welsh Government’s £100m Tech Valleys programme. This was strategic infrastructure thinking, embedding technology-led regeneration at scale.

Championing

We have consistently placed Welsh technology on national and international platforms through flagship initiatives including:

• Wales Festival of Innovation (2016)
  In partnership with Innovate UK and KTP, the festival gave attendees a front-row seat to Wales’s leadership in enabling technologies, showcasing, in real time, the innovations powering and transforming key industry sectors.
  
  
• Emerging Tech Fest (2019 & 2020)
  Held in North Wales, the Emerging Tech Fest, a partnership with several organisations of which Technology Connected was key, created a platform to explore cutting-edge digital transformation, connecting thought leaders with practitioners shaping the next wave of technology.
  
  
• Wales Technology Awards (previously ESTnet Awards)
  For over a decade, the Wales Technology Awards have stood as the industry’s most prestigious celebration of excellence, honouring the ingenuity of our technology organisations and the bold visionaries whose innovation continues to shape and elevate the sector.
  
  
• Wales Tech Week
  And of course, our pièce de résistance – Wales Tech Week – ideated, created and delivered by Technology Connected. The event was an international statement: Wales competes on the world stage.
  
  Visionary, inclusive and immersive, the international tech summit showcased Welsh technology on the global stage, convening industry leaders, investors, innovators and policymakers. In 2025 alone, Wales Tech Week welcomed over 4,200 attendees from more than 50 countries – a bold demonstration of the scale, strength and global ambition of Welsh technology.

A Legacy That Endures

This impact was not accidental. It was built through partnership, persistence and belief.

We extend our sincere thanks to our Board, our Technology Leadership Council, our partners and sponsors, and every organisation and individual who has stood alongside us.

Most importantly, we thank the Welsh technology community: the entrepreneurs, engineers, educators, investors and advocates who turned connection into collaboration.

While Technology Connected will close its doors, the foundations we helped build remain strong. The companies are stronger. The talent pipeline is deeper. The global profile of Welsh technology is bolder.

For 25 years, we championed Welsh technology.

That legacy will continue in every business scaling globally, every student who chooses Wales, and every innovation emerging from this amazing industry.

Thank you for being part of our story.

The Technology Connected Team