birmingham

with Asia Sharif (Software Engineer, NatWest Group) · Julia Gray (Full Stack Software Engineer, Griffiths Waite)

The strongest speaker line-up on the Birmingham calendar this month. Asia Sharif, a software engineer at NatWest Group, tells the story of going from teaching herself to code in lockdown to a multi-award-winning career in data and cloud in fintech — she has mentored over a hundred women into engineering roles and takes the TEDx stage in Manchester this September. Julia Gray, full-stack engineer at Griffiths Waite, follows with a lightning talk on why human connection wins in an AI-driven world, drawn from building custom AI products for large enterprise by day. Talks, food and drinks, and a genuinely warm room. Spaces are limited and the RSVP list is already deep.

An informal, no-pitch networking evening for Birmingham's AI and machine learning community, hosted by Network One at The Cocktail Club on Temple Street. Whether you're an AI founder, ML engineer, data scientist, product person, investor or simply curious about where the technology is heading, this is a relaxed space to meet others working on and exploring AI across the city. Expect a friendly mix of technical and non-technical attendees, a complimentary welcome drink, and genuine conversation rather than sales patter. Doors from 6pm.

The Birmingham Network's recurring tech evening at The Cocktail Club, bringing together startup founders, tech professionals and early-stage investors for informal connection over drinks. No pitching slots and no panel — the format is deliberately conversational, with a capped guest list to keep the room workable. A dependable option in a quiet late-July week for anyone wanting to meet the Birmingham tech scene without a formal programme.

Network One brings its nationwide business community to Birmingham for a relaxed evening of open networking at The Cocktail Club on Temple Street. Aimed at founders, small business owners, solopreneurs, freelancers and anyone building something with purpose, the format is deliberately low-key: no pitching, no awkward group intros, just natural conversation over a welcome drink. A good option for tech professionals and early-stage founders looking to widen their local network. Doors from 6pm.

with Stuart Pearson (Organiser, fizzPOP Makerspace C.I.C.)

fizzPOP, Birmingham's makerspace, is running its weekly public open night again from its Coventry Street base. Come and take a tour, see the electronics room and workshop facilities, and find out whether membership makes sense for you. Free and open to anyone — makers, hardware tinkerers, and software people curious about the physical side. Hosted by organiser Stuart Pearson.

Birmingham Indies runs a relaxed monthly gathering for anyone in, adjacent to, or aspiring to the games industry — programmers, artists, designers, audio people and hobbyists. It meets in the Map Room upstairs at Cherry Red's, a short walk from New Street. Tickets exist only as a reminder; you can simply turn up. The group maintains an active Discord and Bluesky between sessions, and runs a clear code of conduct. Birmingham has a real games-development cluster and this is where it socialises.

The weekly Friday after-work fixture for Birmingham's tech crowd, held upstairs at The Wellington on Bennetts Hill. Developers, data scientists, security people, product managers, students and career-changers all show up — the crowd skews practitioner rather than founder, and it is one of the better places in the city to hear about roles before they are advertised. £3 online only, no tickets on the door. Ask staff for Tech Social if you can't find the group.

The NatWest Accelerator's monthly open networking hour at its St Philip's Place hub — coffee, short introductions and shout-outs, and a light activity such as Coffee Roulette, Walk and Talk or Breakfast and Brainstorm depending on the theme. Free and open beyond the Accelerator cohort, which makes it one of the easiest ways into Birmingham's founder community. Curated by the Accelerator's community manager, so the room is actively worked rather than left to chance.

Network One's fintech edition is the sharpest of its vertical evenings for a Birmingham audience — a city with real payments, insurance and banking-tech depth. The room mixes fintech founders and product teams with developers building payments and blockchain tooling, finance professionals moving into tech, and early-stage investors. No pitches and no panels by design: three hours at Albert's Schloss with a non-alcoholic welcome drink and capped attendance. In a first week of August with almost nothing else on, this is the one to book.

with Stuart Pearson (Organiser, fizzPOP Makerspace C.I.C.)

fizzPOP, Birmingham's makerspace, is running its weekly public open night again from its Coventry Street base. Come and take a tour, see the electronics room and workshop facilities, and find out whether membership makes sense for you. Free and open to anyone — makers, hardware tinkerers, and software people curious about the physical side. Hosted by organiser Stuart Pearson.

The Birmingham Network's flagship evening for startup founders, tech entrepreneurs and investors, held at Albert's Schloss on Chamberlain Square. Informal, drinks-led, and capped so the room stays workable — the emphasis is on real conversation rather than a stage. A steady fixture that keeps running through the summer when much of the Birmingham calendar goes dark.

Network One's small-business and entrepreneur edition runs alongside its fintech evening at Albert's Schloss, aimed at owners and founders of smaller ventures rather than the venture-backed track. Low-pressure format — no pitches, no panels, capped guest list, non-alcoholic welcome drink included. Worth pairing with the fintech room upstairs if you want breadth in a very quiet first week of August.

The weekly Friday after-work fixture for Birmingham's tech crowd, held upstairs at The Wellington on Bennetts Hill. Developers, data scientists, security people, product managers, students and career-changers all show up — the crowd skews practitioner rather than founder, and it is one of the better places in the city to hear about roles before they are advertised. £3 online only, no tickets on the door. Ask staff for Tech Social if you can't find the group.

Network One brings its nationwide business community to Birmingham for a relaxed evening of open networking at The Lost & Found. Aimed at small business owners, startup founders, solopreneurs, creators, marketers and freelancers, it's a no-pitch, no-awkward-intros format built around natural conversation over drinks (a non-alcoholic welcome drink is included). Part of a UK-wide community spanning 20+ cities, it's a friendly way for anyone building or growing a business in the city to make genuine connections. 18+; spaces are capped.

The Birmingham Network hosts its Wednesday business mixer at The Lost & Found, bringing together entrepreneurs, SMEs, consultants, agency owners, product and digital professionals and corporate decision-makers for real growth connections. The evening runs on an easy format: arrival and check-in, icebreaker networking, an optional 60-second pitch round, then free-flowing conversation over a complimentary welcome drink. With 70+ curated events and 3,000+ engaged professionals behind it, it's a dependable spot to build leads, referrals and collaborations across Birmingham's business community. Spaces are capped.

Birmingham Tech Social's weekly Friday afterwork mixer at The Wellington is a relaxed way for the city's tech community to meet over drinks. It draws a genuinely technical crowd — software developers and engineers, data scientists and analysts, cybersecurity professionals, product managers, tech founders, graduates and career-changers — with no talks or agenda, just conversation, job leads, skill-sharing and peer mentorship. Tickets are online only at £3 (nothing on the door). A dependable, low-key fixture for anyone in tech, AI, data or IT in Birmingham.