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The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and a team of 23 tech start-ups will be heading to Chicago and New York this month in a bid to secure investment and exports to the US market.

The trade mission, part of the mayor’s international business programme, will provide the tech companies the chance to connect with senior-level tech executives, pitch to international investors and meet with potential clients and partners.

It will also seek to highlight London’s strengths as a leading business destination for US companies that want to expand abroad.

The US is a valuable trading partner for the UK, and London is keen to show it remains open for business following the European Union (EU) referendum.

These high-growth companies have the potential to become the next global tech giants and I am delighted that they will join me in showing the world that London is open to talent, business and collaborations,” says Khan.

One of the companies heading to the US is SEaB, a company that manufactures waste-to-energy technology. Co-founder and CEO Sandra Sassow says that the international business programme has already helped the company enter the US market following its participation in an earlier trade visit to Silicon Valley.

“Now, having secured a number of customer orders in the US, the purpose of this second visit is to explore further opportunities in localising our production in the US as well as meeting with potential distribution and maintenance partners,” she says.

According to recent research from the mayor’s official promotional agency London & Partners, venture capital investment into London and UK technology companies remains strong, attracting US$1.3bn in the first six months of 2016 – matching the amount raised in the same period in 2015.

Despite the Brexit vote, London-based technology companies have continued to attract funding, raising over US$500mn since the decision to leave the EU.