Cambridge Tech Podcast

Laura Hood, Business Development Manager for Anglia Capital Group (ACG) talks to us about the angel investment network and the Halo Programme as we expand our reach to the East of England.

Our guest Mark Merrywest tells us that 84% travellers are influenced by social media and Yond brings together a way to book your holiday and activities all in one place. The programme helped to direct the seed of an idea into something funded and ready to launch.

And from the most recent cohort Alex Howard Founder of AAH Software providing clinical research, shares how his company has morphed from services to technology led.

We talk about:

• How the size of opportunities developed in Norwich might not be the same magnitude as some of the startups, but there is still applicability and marketability.
• Getting guidance on the valuation of a startup
• The importance of refining your message to the different audiences
• How important pitch practice is and the subsequent constructive discussion post-pitch – is nice feedback ever useful?

And came up with some great ideas:

• An opportunity of getting founders together in a community in Norwich/ the East
• A call for assistance with Intellectual Property
• An invitation to potential female investors, and founders, to get involved in an event in September – follow the link for more info https://www.linkedin.com/events/7211684965942489088/about/

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📢 CHARITY OF THE WEEK 📢

Wintercomfort for the Homeless is the day support service for people facing homelessness in Cambridge. They offer advice and support to help people restore their sense of dignity, of control and hope. Wintercomfort helps rebuild lives.

Visit wintercomfort.org.uk to find out how you can help them to help those in greatest need in our community.

This week we are joined by Laura Hood from Anglia Capital Group who tells us all about The Halo Programme, an investment readiness venture which takes participants through an intensive ten week series of workshops to help them prepare to take on angel investments.

We also have Mark Merrywest, founder and CEO of Yond, and Alex Howard, Managing Director AAH Software, with us to share their experiences taking part in the programme.

In an episode of two halves, we talk to Amy Weatherup about two decades leading I-Teams and her personal journey before and since.

iTeams bridges the gap between students who are experts in their own sector, and entrepreneurs and innovators who are looking to drive commercialisation and turn their ideas to reality.

Amy tells us more including three lessons she’s learnt along the way:

• Technology is far earlier than you think it is
• It’s going to cost you a lot more money
• IP and patents are only part of what you have

We then talk about Amy’s own career at the start of the commercial internet, and supporting schools to startups. We cover:

• Being a young entrepreneur
• Building a company, quickly, and keeping cash flowing
• Contracts with some of the largest electronics companies
• How securing funding has changed over the last decades
• Being open with corporates
• Angel investing
• Paying it forward

Tune in on your chosen podcast platform to subscribe and listen.

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YouTube: https://bit.ly/CamTechPodYT
Acast: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/62dfcddf4f4d8b00124d226a
CamTechPod: www.cambridgetechpodcast.com

This week we uncover a programme within the University of Cambridge – I-Teams – that over the last 20 years has unlocked some of our best innovations – from Raspberry Pi to Xampla. Tune in to hear from Programme Director Amy Weatherup who tells us all about it, and about her own personal journey from abandoning a degree and co-founding a startup, to being an angel investor.

This week we revisit our interview with Eben Upton of Raspberry Pi from 2022.

Tune in to hear about:

• Eben’s route to Raspberry Pi
• Celebrating the people that have been part of the journey
• Doing business in the pub (a very Cambridge thing)
• From managing a supply chain (please remember numbers and comments are from 2022), to moving into retail
• The weird and wonderful uses of a Raspberry Pi (and a challenge for someone to achieve Eben’s desire to get a Pi beyond low earth orbit? )
• Stories of breaking websites and thoughts on office-based working
• And of course, floating the company, on which Eben recently said:

“Nearly sixteen years ago, in the autumn of 2008, a handful of us set off on this journey together. We were driven by a shared realisation that something had gone badly wrong in young people’s interaction with technology; a shared conviction that we should do something about it; and the beginnings of a shared idea of what that something might be.

“In the years since, we’ve accomplished amazing things, as a company, as a Foundation, and as a broader movement. We’ve designed PCBs; written software; taped out chips; published magazines; filed patents; trained teachers; run after-school clubs; and seen our products taken to space, to the bottom of the ocean, and to the ends of the earth.

“We’ve sold over sixty million low-cost, high-performance, general-purpose Raspberry Pi computers to the enthusiasts and educators who remain at the heart of the Raspberry Pi movement, and to the industrial and embedded customers who today account for over two-thirds of our sales.

“And thanks to the availability and salience of those computers, and to the curriculum reform and teacher training initiatives championed by the Foundation, we have seen a resurgence in interest in computing among young people. In sixteen years, Computer Science has gone from being the easiest subject to get into at Cambridge to the hardest, a change that has been reflected across the UK higher education sector and beyond. We have engineers working for us today who got their first experience of computing on a Raspberry Pi platform.”

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In this week’s episode we revisit our interview with Eben Upton of Raspberry Pi from 2022. In our own little way, it’s a dedicated celebration to last month’s IPO – congratulations!

From a degree in the Netherlands to the first satellite launch in Costa Rica in 2018, to the UK to launch a space company, we talk to Marco Gomez-Jenkins, Co-Founder and CEO of Super-Sharp Space Systems Ltd.

Marco talks about his background, going to MBA at Imperial to learn ‘business’, which led him to Professor Ian Parry at the University of Cambridge who together with George Hawker became co-founders of SuperSharp.

SuperSharp is an Earth-imaging company developing unfolding space telescopes to capture high-resolution thermal infrared (TIR) images of the Earth. These images can be used for applications such as tackling climate change, crop monitoring, and maintaining global security, allowing high-quality affordable Earth-imaging solutions to empower the world in responding to global change.

With a space launch mid-2026, SuperSharp will have had just over 15 years of R&D funded by the UK Space Agency, Innovate UK, the European Space Agency, the UK Ministry of Defence Accelerator, plus equity investment from Cambridge Enterprise, and some individual angel investors.

Tune in to find out more about the SuperSharp journey and how the Cambridge ecosystem has helped at all stages of its growth:
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Google podcast: https://bit.ly/CTPgoogle
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YouTube: https://bit.ly/CamTechPodYT
Acast: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/62dfcddf4f4d8b00124d226a
CamTechPod: www.cambridgetechpodcast.com

Delph Netherlands, Planet Labs, Satlantis Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, , Cambridge Innovation Park

Thank you to Rathbones Group Plc for supporting .

Rathbones is a leading provider of individual wealth management, asset management and related services to private clients, charities, trustees and professional partners.

We’re off to space this week with Marco Gomes-Jenkins, CEO of SuperSharp. Having studied in the Netherlands, launched the first satellite in Costa Rica, and an MBA in London, Marco found himself in Cambridge co-founding a company called SuperSharp that wants to be the market leader of resolution unfolding optics with their infrared thermal telescope.

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Today we hear about how a business grew from research in the lab, to creating material samples for academic collaborators as customers, to a complete pivot in industry sector.

Post his PhD, Ruizhi Wang then realised he had a hammer, so started looking for a nail! He found a gap in manufacturing where a quick turnaround device was required and where his analytical instrument had a role – and Abselion was born.

Funded through grants and awards, and a bit of bootstrapping we hear about Ruizhi’s own entrepreneurial journey from prototype to the formal launch this month, his fundraising and acquisition goals, and not listening to advice.

Find us on your chosen podcast platform to subscribe and listen.

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Acast: https://lnkd.in/esg7xgq2
CamTechPod: https://lnkd.in/eB5Aznm6

to our episode with John Stenhouse FIOEE, Business Support Manager at the University of Essex, who manages the Angels@Essex programme whose purpose is to bring innovative ideas and clever founders to the investment network.
To date, the programme has worked with over 500 businesses over four years and has reached investors from all over the world.

During the INVEST IN INNOVATION Spring 2024 pitching event, eight businesses from all sectors presented, including Haroon Shaikh of KERB-E, Jarred Henderson of VermiCulture, and Mary-Jo Hill of Yakbit.

We talked to the three winners:
💻 Best Pitch Peter Schwabach – Industrial Robotic Solutions Ltd – assemble meals with robots and vision software.
💡 Best Idea – Mark Thomas Appnalysis – SaaS product for mobile app developers to help them build better apps and better roadmaps.
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Audience Choice – James Dunce BravelyCultured – Novel marine bacteria to produce green chemicals.

Tune in to hear about the experiences of pitching, being serial entrepreneurs, engaging with a coach/mentor, and what is happening next for the winners.

If you want to know more about Angels@Essex, please do email [email protected]

Tune in on your chosen podcast platform to subscribe and listen.
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From to , Ruizhi Wang shares how he had a hammer and pivoted to find the nail for Abselion’s analytical process device for . We talk about the device, the route to funding, branding, mentoring and… not listening to advice.

From an academic learning about commercialisation, to a career spanning 25 years working on novel technology, we were thrilled to talk to Ben Brown, CTO at Cambridge Mechatronics this week.

From colloids at the University of Cambridge, to ink at TTP, and jumping into the world’s best loud speaker development at Cambridge Mechatronics, Ben has much experience to share with our listeners.

Now with a focus on actuators, we learn about the magic of Shape Memory Alloy and how Cambridge Mechatronics have cornered that market globally with a list of patents that would rival Arm to Rolls Royce.

We talk to Ben about the company move from ‘hidden gem’ to a much more public profile, triggered by their first external funding round by Atlantic Bridge, Sony and Intel, and what that means to the business model and future portfolio.

Ben also shares useful lessons about building relationships in Japan, Taiwan and China, and the dynamics of doing business is the Far East.

We think you’ll agree that Cambridge Mechatronics is a great representation of a multi-disciplinary tech team of silicon, firmware, software, material scientists, physicists, and more. And with an expansion into new premises on Cambridge Science Park, and a new office in Copenhagen, they are certainly a tech company to watch.

Find us on your chosen podcast platform to subscribe and listen.

Apple podcast: https://apple.co/3P9RegV
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Thank you to Mishcon de Reya LLP for supporting .

Mishcon de Reya is in the business of providing its clients with the best possible legal advice, focusing on six core areas: Corporate, Dispute Resolution, Employment, Innovation, Private and Real Estate.

to the launch of Peter Cowley's latest book Public Success, Private Grief. Public Success, Private Grief details for the first time the succession of tragic events which have shaped Peter's life and fuelled his relentless drive and ambition.

Listen in to the fireside chat where Peter is interviewed by Louisa Preston who spent over fifteen years as a news reporter on the BBC, ITN, Channel 4 and ITV.

⚠ Please be aware that this podcast talks about sensitive issues including cancer, alcoholism, and su***de.

Tune in on your chosen podcast platform to subscribe and listen.

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📢 CHARITY OF THE WEEK 📢

Cambridge United Foundation is the charitable arm of Cambridge United Football Club. They utilise the power of sport to improve people’s lives in their community. They run a range of sessions working with different groups, from older adults to school children, and for anyone who may not have equal access to sport and activity.

To find out more about what they do, visit cufcfoundation.com

This week we talk to multi-disciplinary engineering company Cambridge Mechatronics – market leaders in leveraging shape memory alloy ( ) to design and develop miniature motors. CTO Ben Brown talks to us about their history, business model, funding, technology, and future plans.

Did you know that false barriers about studying science and technology can put children off pursuing from earlier than age 11?

Cambridge Science Centre connects everyone with science - from tots, through school years with teachers and parents, to expert communicators and supporters - in an enjoyable and inspiring way.

Originating out of a conversation between entrepreneurs ten years ago, who wondered why Cambridge didn’t have a science centre, the Cambridge Science Centre was born, and the interconnectedness of Cambridge has kept going within it for the last 10 years.

This week Cambridge Science Centre announced a new home on the iconic Cambridge Science Park, and we can’t think of a better place for it to be based.

With 6,000 square feet of 20 new exhibits showcasing , and portable exhibits taking STEM on the road, join the excitement and passion as you hear CEO John Bull and Trustee Amy Weatherup talk about their goals and aspirations.
Opening in July 2024, it’s time to galvanise the community to become part of the Cambridge Science Centre’s journey – as a volunteer, an expert, a supporter, a school leader, or as a family with a membership season ticket.

Find out more at https://www.cambridgesciencecentre.org/

Find us on your chosen podcast platform to subscribe and listen.

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Thank you to Mantle Space for supporting . If you're a startup looking to grow in Cambridge, The Bradfield Centre offers a range of flexible membership packages which put you in control of your office and home working mix. For more information visit https://ow.ly/A3ev50Q5PT7

Did you know that 800 million people are affected by kidney disease around the world, costing $2 billion to manage kidney disease in US alone?

Find out more as we talk to Founding CEO Tom Collings from Kalium Health about kidney disease and how they are addressing the global challenge.

Tune in on your chosen podcast platform to subscribe and listen.

Apple podcast: https://apple.co/3P9RegV
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YouTube: https://lnkd.in/eAg5Wv42
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We are excited to be supporting Cambridge Wide Open Day on 12th June!

With only one week to go, hear from creator Prashant Shah, o2h group and member of the advisory committee Aline Charpentier, Bruntwood SciTech.

Tune in on your chosen podcast platform to subscribe and listen.

Apple podcast: https://apple.co/3P9RegV
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CamTechPod: www.cambridgetechpodcast.com

Plan your day and register now: https://cambridgewideopenday.com/

With yesterday’s announcement that Cambridge Science Centre is moving to a new home on Cambridge Science Park, what better episode could we have next than a conversation with CEO John Bull and Trustee Amy Weatherup.

Tune in to find out what the new location means, and get a real feel for the teams continued passion for engaging more children in from an early age.

This week’s guest is Hanadi Jabado, co-founder and Managing Partner of Sana Capital, one of the first early-stage funds in Europe focusing on . Hanadi founded one of the UK's first Deep Tech accelerator programmes, Accelerate Cambridge, at the University of Cambridge where she supported 180 early-stage ventures over six years, building a portfolio with an estimated collective value of over £2bn with over £250m of risk capital raised.

We talk to Hanadi about so many things, this is not an episode to miss. Tune in to hear about this, and so much more…

• Commercialisation from academia needs constant work
• Turning ‘no’ into ‘yes’
• Making waves for women and entrepreneurship within Cambridge Judge Business School
• The birth of and the Entrepreneurship Centre – start, scale and grow a business
• Making entrepreneurs relatable
• The role and impact of being a board member, preferably an independent non-exec
• Changing the investment ecosystem with Sana Capital for and
• Targeting spinouts and ‘sneakouts’ – founders from within and outside of the University of Cambridge
• Investment capital won’t start flowing again until 2025 – quality not quantity
• Personal experiences with DEI – ‘whatever I did, it seemed like I was the only woman in the room’ – ‘it’s not about lowering the bar – it’s about widening the gate’
• The role of Deputy Lieutenant in Cambridgeshire
• Supporting those companies that ‘keep going’ with the
• Learning not to walk, but to march.

Find us on your chosen podcast platform to subscribe and listen.

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Tune in for an edit of the amazing Would I Sci to You? event - the relevant but irreverent science panel show from Cambridge Science Centre!

Join Sliced Bread host and science journalist, Greg Foot; QI’s Head Researcher, James Harkin; Youtube sensation, Holly Gabrielle; Director of Science and Entrepreneurship at the Babraham Research Campus, Kathryn Chapman; scientist entrepreneur, Jason Mellad; and renowned physicist, Isaac Newton as they face off against an array of science, research and other items host Andrew G. Farrer Ph.D. directs at them.

This isn’t a normal , but we hope you enjoy it – we certainly did!

Tune in on your chosen podcast platform to subscribe and listen.

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Acast: https://lnkd.in/esg7xgq2
CamTechPod: https://lnkd.in/eB5Aznm6

📢 CHARITY OF THE WEEK 📢

Cambridge Science Centre provides children and young people with positive, community-based STEM experiences to raise aspirations and illuminate STEM careers.

They are supported by a collaborative ecosystem of organisations and individuals, and they’d love you to join them. Find out more by contacting [email protected]

Hanadi associates Cambridge with the song “Hotel California” - You can check out many times, but you can never leave!

Join us as we talk with the business and investments icon that is Hanadi Jabado as she talks us through entrepreneurship, mentorship, investing, and much more.