Cambridge Innovation Capital

Our focus on the Cambridge ecosystem and privileged relationship with the University of Cambridge provide us with unparallelled access to emerging opportunities in one of Europe’s leading innovation hubs.

We have raised in excess of £500 million from a geographically diverse range of institutional and strategic investors and have invested in 40 companies, whose innovations are set to transform the lives of many. Our commercial objective of creating value is central to our business, but our motivation is broader: we are driven by a desire to use our expertise to support companies and the wider innovation ecosystem to impact society positively.

We predominantly invest in early-stage companies (with potential for follow on in growth rounds) that are based in the Cambridge ecosystem or with substantive links to it, or businesses based on University of Cambridge IP, wherever they are located. Potential investee companies need to offer world-class IP, visionary entrepreneurs, be potential category leaders, an established growth pattern and scalability, a clear path to commercialisation and a robust plan for use of funds.

CIC adds value to its portfolio companies through multiple aspects. Firstly, we leverage the operating experience, sector expertise and global network of our team to support portfolio companies in overcoming challenges and capitalising on opportunities. This may involve defining a company’s overall strategy, attracting co-investors, addressing management team issues, supporting customer identification and traction, and increasing operational efficiencies. Secondly, we utilise the network and expertise of our board and Advisory Panel, which consist of world-leading academics, industry leaders and successful entrepreneurs; portfolio companies can use our board and Advisory Panel to seek advice and access various networks. Lastly, CIC hosts educational seminars on relevant topics, such as ESG workshops and company creation, and collaborates with professional services firms to further the knowledge of management teams in areas such as US expansion, global market insights or board best practices.

Our focus areas for investment revolve around four themes: future of compute (artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing), ClimateTech (renewable energy, energy storage, sustainable materials), MedTech (robotics, genomics, diagnostics and devices) and Therapeutics (small and large molecules, advanced therapies, digital therapeutics).