As official podcast partner to Cambridge Tech Week 2024, we’re delighted to run our first full episode dedicated to the event, starting with the recording of the panel at the Cambridge launch, and an interview with Russ Shaw from the London launch event.

The Cambridge event really highlighted the desire to bring the outside in – to create a #SXSW for Cambridge and the tech space, where the objective is to bring the outside in. The panellists (Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, CEO, Nu Quantum, David Moore, CEO, Pragmatic, Pam Garside, Chair, Cambridge Angels, and Harriet Fear MBE) had an open discussion about innovation, funding, and challenges of growth, as well as sharing feedback on last year’s event and their wishes for 2024.

As one of the events ‘ambassadors’, Russ Shaw, Founder of Tech London Advocates, talked about Cambridge’s global reputation for Science and Innovation – “Cambridge punches enormously above its weight in terms of its size and scale”.

And we also caught up with Douglas MacDonald, Partner who heads up the national tech sector at Mills & Reeve who are also one of the event sponsors (others include Rathbones, Cambridge Management Consulting, UK Telecoms Innovation Network UKTIN, HSBC and Cambridge Consultants).

And of course, we caught up with the man himself, chair of the organising committee Chris Bruce, to find out which three words are on the top of his mind for 2024. 

Produced by Cambridge TV.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Providing a snapshot of what it has been like trying to raise and deploy capital over the last year, is Chris Keen, Head of Emerging Companies in Cambridge, at Mishcon de Reya.

We discuss the more challenging market of 2023, but with a deal level that remained almost the same as previous years, it’s looking rosy for 2024.

From Pre-seed through to Series D, Private Equity (PE) and Mergers and Acquisition (M&A), we talk about the dynamics of deals locally in Cambridge and throughout the UK. And Chris gives some useful guidance on when to engage with a lawyer, and note, the advice is to bring it further forward than you may think.

We also find out that many advisors are providing line of sight of investment potential from the Cambridge ecosystem to investors outside of the region – so that’s great news for our homegrown tech and innovation.

Produced by Carl Homer, Cambridge TV

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s guest shares his career path from military, to a large corporate, to building a startup that supports …start-ups.

Owen Thompson, CEO and co-founder talks about Cambridge Future Tech’s ethos and how they support technical founders to grow from the pre-ideation phase, commercialise and support the business set-up.

Produced by Carl Homer, Cambridge TV.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we talk to Cian Hughes, Partner at Sure Valley Ventures to find out about the inner workings of a VC – of course it’s about providing money to startups, but also about providing a platform to access other investors, partners, and experts. Investing predominantly at mid-seed stage, Sure Valley Ventures helps to identify gaps and fill them at acritical stage of development.

We talk about

·       the different between the tech ecosystem in Silicon valley to Cambridge

·       the importance of Universities in tech ecosystems – ideas and spinout

·       access to talent

·       a can-do mindset

·       access to customers

And Cian showcases some of their portfolio companies including VividQ (see Aleksandra Pedraszewska in episode 53), whilst also giving a quick 101 on how to approach investors.

Watch out for Cian – he may well just strike up a conversation with you!

Produced by Carl Homer, Cambridge TV

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to Farbod Shakouri who is the Co-Founder and CEO at Phantom Technology, a Cambridge-based start-up elevating human capabilities with AI wearable technology.

Having spotted a trend of 3D graphics being used in applications other than games, Phantom Technology was founded in 2019 to improve the ‘contextual awareness’ issue with #AR which, in reality, is more of an AI problem.

The company is delivering high-end AR software for low-cost hardware, helping OEMs integrate Phantom OS into their products quickly and efficiently. Their special AI assistant called CASSI™ which has got the industry interested and we are expecting some significant announcements in the coming months.

Oh, and they chose to base themselves in Cambridge over Silicon Valley!

Produced by Carl Homer, Cambridge TV

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we hear from all eight finalists of The Trinity Bradfield Prize, with the live announcement of the three winners made by Sir Greg Winter at the end of the event.

The pitches covered a broad range of innovative ideas – (1) targeting T cell therapies for solid tumours (Alceus Bio); (2) developing a next-generation platform for spectral imaging (ProSpectral); (3) creating new class of biofilm inhibitors, providing an alternative to traditional antibiotic treatments (BioTryp Therapeutics); (4) a first-in-class enabling technology for X-ray imaging at lower radiation doses than today's technology (Hayden Salway); (5) creating software aimed at eradicating counterfeit/compromised, or environmentally unfriendly electronic hardware (Ethicronics); (6) developing a fully automated point-of-care sepsis test in under an hour (Cambridge Nucleomics); (7) an app where anyone can take a photo of their eye at home to help detect and monitor eye disease progression (AngioGenius); (8) a novel sensor to tackle food waste (Compound Hound).

Will any of these be unicorns of the future?

Produced by Carl Homer, Cambridge TV

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode we are joined by Pam Garside, chair of Cambridge Angels. Pam introduces us to Cambridge Angels and how they handle deals.

She shares her priorities as chair of the Cambridge Angels ‘network’, and we learn about Pam’s unique background, and her journey into investing.

We also delve into the Health tech space, and how AI and automation is revolutionising the sector but requires caution - don’t ‘move fast and break things’ as Mark Zuckerberg would advise!

Produced by Carl Homer, Cambridge TV

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Epidemiologist to business leader. A pack of crisps and a diet coke, and next thing this episode’s guest is COO of #QuantumComputing company Riverlane.

Of course, we talk about Quantum, and the huge potential and reality of what we can expect. But we also have a great conversation about:

·       availing yourself of the tech ecosystem in Cambridge – ‘the best place in the world’ to start a world-changing business

·       being a #tech #COO – from buying the milk, to negotiating contracts

·       setting up a new business –risk, change, lack of sleep – not for the light-hearted, and the importance of paying back

·       building a culture and the importance of #InternalCommunications – helping scientists and engineers flourish (including a deep snack jar)

Bek calls for more women to get involved in the #DeepTech space, but for Bek, the ‘class’ conversation is also critically important. A non-privileged upbringing taught her never to take things for granted, gave her a super-power of being able to talk to people from all backgrounds, and allows her now, not to succumb to #ImposterSyndrome. 

Produced by Carl Homer, Cambridge TV

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kieren Paterson started his career in 1998 at significant Cambridge employer Marshall majoring in engineer and technology and working with major #aerospace companies. He then moved into management within the business, and then, as part of company’s constant innovation, the idea of FutureWorx was born and Kieren found himself there.

FutureWorx looks at the Horizon Three (10+year) space and aims to identify opportunities early and then look at ideas that have the possibility of solutions created to fill the gap. If the idea is successful, it could then be spun out of, or back-in to the business ticking both the #entrepreneurship and #intrapreneurship boxes.

Their first product is LilyPad – a permanently deployed system of #UAVs located on offshore wind farms.

Kieren talks to us about how they work with the entrepreneurial community, manufacturing companies, and the larger corporations who would be interested in the R&D at FutureWorx. It’s a really great story of a way of building new businesses within an established company.

Tune in for a great story of a large company that goes through transformation to keep relevant in a very competitive space.

Produced by Carl Homer, Cambridge TV

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Stanton, Insights Manager at Deloitte returns to talk to us about the 2024 #TMT Predictions, and to look back on the 2023 predictions to see what was a hit, and what was a miss.

The four main prediction themes are:

#GenerativeAI

#Sustainability

#Media #Entertainment and #Sports

#Telecom and #Technology

Tune in for a whistlestop, and insightful tour of the insights and let us know which you think will be the biggest hit for 2024.

Produced by Carl Homer, Cambridge TV

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.