Techspace x Antler launch Failure Friday to change the culture around sharing failure

LONDON, March 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Techspace, the flexible office provider where innovative and ambitious tech companies thrive, and global early-stage VC firm Antler have partnered up to bring you a series all about failure, and how success is often built on a foundation of learned lessons. The pair have teamed up to bring 'Failure Friday' to their respective communities and alumni, which is an ongoing event series aimed at sharing the lessons founders have learned on their path to success.

If at first you don't succeed, as the saying goes, try, try again, and these two growth communities have paired up to bring ambitious teams a series of events dedicated to sharing the lessons founders learned before they made it. As a concept, Failure Friday takes inspiration from Digital Brighton who previously ran 'Church of Fail' for creatives, so it goes to show the idea is still a great one and with 'failing fast and often' being a collective mantra of many successful growth stories, you could argue it's even more relevant to the technology ecosystem.

The sharing of stories is as valuable now as it ever has been, with Antler's Associate Director Darren Murphy praising the concept as "...a space to share, and talk about the things they messed up and the lessons they learned along the way". People in all walks of life love to present you their highlights and downplay the dark times, but Failure Friday sees successful founders and C-levels sharing the mistakes they made along the way in the hope it inspires new founders and change-makers to never give up.

While sharing stories of failure is by no means novel, it remains an incredibly valuable practice for new and experienced entrepreneurs alike. You learn more from falling and getting back up than any other part of your professional life, and Antler are acutely aware of the challenges founders face as a day zero investor. This simple shift of perception from invisible to visible failure is just one of many ways Antler supports new and exciting projects run by exceptional founders.

As Antler combines with Techspace for what both hope will be a long-term series, it is easy to see why the partnership is so complimentary. With Antler bringing the entrepreneurial community teeming with new ideas, and Techspace bringing more established startups and scaleups to the fold. This depth and variety of insight means the stories of failure are captured from both ends of the scaleup journey, providing a great deal of value to those just starting out and a moment of reflection and giving back to those who've been there and done it. A circular, paying-it-forward philosophy that seems to fit the narrative we've come to expect from the close-knit nature of the technology scene.

Although hosted initially at Techspace's Shoreditch location, The Loading Bay, this is very much the embryonic stages of the partnership but with Antler's prolific European presence and Techspace's thriving community in Berlin, there's certainly potential for the series to expand into Europe.

For a taste of what Failure Friday can offer, you can watch the VOD of our first session below. Where we were lucky enough to be joined by Charles Armitage, CEO of HealthTech startup Florence and Lara Stallbaum, Co-Founder and CPO at ecommerce video pioneers Twirl, who entertained and informed the crowd with tales of their own early failures.

Of course, if you're an Antler or Techspace member (or alumni) make sure you don't miss the next event on 24 February. Or tune in on YouTube for the recordings.

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