Collaboration, founders and entrepreneurs – career path of 2025’s Most Influential Woman in UK Tech

Buying into the North

When taking on Tech North Advocates in 2016, Global Tech Advocates and Tech London Advocates founder Russ Shaw ran an event in Manchester to look for individuals to run and grow the organisation’s northern arm in the UK.

Timperley recalls sitting next to co-founder Volker Hirsch at the event: “We were sat next to each other and the licence was £1. I said to Volker, ‘Have you got 50p?’. The rest is history.”

Timperley explains that she and Volker have an “ethos” for Tech North Advocates, which includes “joining the dots”, “making introductions”,  and “supporting the tech ecosystem”.

“I love working with very early-stage founders, but then also working with them throughout that journey”

Naomi Timperley, Tech North Advocates

But Timperley highlights that it also runs slightly differently to its London and Global counterparts, involving itself with other organisations’ events in the ecosystem rather than running its own.

With a remit that covers areas such as Greater Manchester and Leeds, Timperley describes the large number of tech initiatives across the North of England and the Midlands – including startup and scaleup community Venture Community in South Yorkshire and Baltic Ventures and Lyva Labs in Liverpool – which are often overshadowed by London’s tech ecosystem.

Timperley claims the North has “so many awesome tech communities and ecosystems [that] are massively supportive, not only in their regional areas but also of other areas”, and it’s this support that has guided her through the challenges she has faced as a result of online stalking.

A valuable support network

For the past four years, Timperley has been stalked across a range of social media platforms, with the perpetrator writing posts, sometimes as long as 20,000 words, containing false “cruel, hideous accusations and comments”.

Timperley is not the only target, and she and another victim went to the police about the harassment, with social media platforms offering no support.

The woman in question has now been sentenced to time in prison, but before her sentencing, she continued harassing Timperley online, not even stopping when she had been initially charged, breaking bail several times.

“It’s not just the messages or the posts, but it’s the emotional, psychological and professional toll that takes on victims. So yeah, it’s been pretty hideous,” says Timperley.

“I know that I wouldn’t have got through this if I didn’t have the support and resilience within the community that I’m part of.”

Setting founders up for success

Next on the horizon is the newly launched End Game, which works with founders to decide their trajectory as they set up their businesses.

Timperley set up the venture company with several other “seasoned” founders who have successfully navigated through fundraising and exits. She describes End Game as “founder-led”, specifically working with founders of all types, whether they are scaleup founders or those who aren’t sure where they’re headed.

Giving back to the community she has spent the past 15 years working with is important to Timperley, who claims that during that time, she has mentored around 600 people, mostly through working with programmes offering support to founders and entrepreneurs.

“It has been brilliant because I’ve learnt loads as well,” she says.

Timperley is asked regularly whether she would change anything about her career. “Absolutely not,” is her answer. “I kind of weirdly believe in fate, and I’m glad that I’ve said ‘yes’ to lots of things. Everything has purely been by accident.”