Spotlight - Cambridge Innovation Capital

Cambridge Innovation Capital

Left to right: Edward Inns, Edward Benthall, Eva Bellow, Robert Tansley, Michelle Lamprecht, Nick Richards, Rob Sprawson, Anne Horgan, Andrew Williamson, Ian Lane, Sylwia Szulc, Chis Tapper, Michael Anstey, Victoria Woodward

Tell us about your company?

We are Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC) – an early stage venture capital fund aiming to help build world-class companies in Cambridge. We are currently investing from Fund II, a £225 million fund for supporting Series A businesses building ground-breaking technology applied in deep-tech or life sciences. Beyond this, we are a team of 15 people all with a passion for helping Cambridge to be the best place in the world for technology-driven start-ups to build and scale. As such, we work hard to help not just our portfolio companies, but also to help foster the next generation of entrepreneurs as well.

How do you help transform the businesses your work with?

At the most basic level, we transform the businesses we work with by providing the funds they need to grow and realise their ambitions. However, we hope that we provide more than just money! When we invest in a business, we commit to that company and look to be active partners rather than providing passive capital. The advantage of investing locally is that we are never too far away from the people that we work with and can easily meet at a business park, coffee shop or pub at short notice to discuss any issues that arise in between Board meetings, or topics that may not be well-suited for discussion in the Board room. People are what will drive the success of any start-up so we hope that we can not only transform the businesses we support, but the teams behind them as well!

What are examples of some companies that you have invested in?

Two of our stand-out companies also happen to be Cambridge Science Park tenants!

Since 2015, when CIC led the Series A fundraise for PragmatIC Semiconductor, we have been a believer in the company’s ambition to create ultra-low-cost, flexible integrated circuits that can be designed into a wide variety of applications in a manner that is aligned, rather than in conflict with, efforts to address significant global issues. Fast-forward to July 2022, the company has announced its plans for PragmatIC Park, the first large-scale semiconductor manufacturing facility to be planned in the UK for several decades and the very first state-of-the-art 300mm fab in the country. We are excited to see what comes next!

In 2016, CIC participated in the Series A fundraise for a medical robotics company called CMR Surgical. The founders had a grand plan to make robotic, minimal access surgery accessible across the world and not restricted to those that could afford and accommodate the large, expensive machinery available at the time. Needless to say the company has not looked back since. Now the UK’s first MedTech unicorn and an employer of over 750 people, we are proud to have played a small part in the company’s incredible journey.

What does the Cambridge Science Park mean to you?

The Cambridge Science Park perfectly captures what has made Cambridge such a fertile ground for innovation historically. The site does not only provide top-class facilities, but an opportunity to bring brilliant people from different backgrounds and specialties together in one place, providing both a strong, supportive community and the perfect opportunity for the cross-fertilisation of ideas to drive the next wave of pioneering inventions. The home that Cambridge Science Park provides for start-ups is not just essential for enabling companies to develop, but a pivotal part of Cambridge’s formula for success. We hope that both Cambridge Science Park and its tenants continue to thrive together long into the future.