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Looking to invest in early stage opportunities?

Cambridge has a worldwide reputation as a place where new technologies emerge, companies are born and products that transform society are developed.

Cambridge Enterprise invests the University’s seed funds in new companies started by academics, researchers, staff, and students, building a bridge between research and commercial development. Early stage capital and support is pivotal to the success of new technology companies in what is often seen as a high-risk section of the investment spectrum. There are many opportunities to invest in the Cambridge Cluster, and we are always looking to speak with venture capital (VC) firms, business angel networks and other investors looking to invest in early stage opportunities.

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Investment opportunities - contact us

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Portfolio companies

We make investments across a wide range of sectors and our portfolio companies have gone on to raise over £3.1bn in further investment and grant funding. Over 20 years of seed investing at the University of Cambridge has seen a host of successes including XO1, BlueGnome, Cambridge CMOS Sensors, Lumora, Quethera and VocalIQ.

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Investing in social ventures

We support social ventures at every stage, from the initial idea to investment and beyond. We also work in collaboration with others in the University and with partner universities to create opportunities for social enterprises emerging from these entrepreneurial ecosystems.

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Investment Committee

Our experienced Investment Committee makes investment decisions regarding University spin-outs on behalf of our Seed Funds team.

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Investing in Women Code logo

Investing in Women code

We are proud to be a signatory to the Investing in Women Code, a commitment backed by the UK Government to support the advancement of women entrepreneurs in the UK by improving access to the tools, resources and finance they need to achieve their goals.

We are driven in our support for female entrepreneurship, supporting women founders in navigating the venture building and investment process.

Cambridge Enterprise Venture Partners

Our success is dependent on the strong relationships we have with our many co-investors. Cambridge Enterprise Venture Partners is a membership-only forum for investors who have an interest in early opportunities originating from the University of Cambridge. We welcome enquiries from venture capital firms, business angel networks and other similar investors looking to join.

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Cambridge Innovation Capital logo

Cambridge Innovation Capital

We have strong ties with our sister company, Cambridge Innovation Capital, for follow-on investment.

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Investment in numbers

19 pre-seed investments (2021-22)
£10.6m invested in 34 spin-out companies (2021-22)
10 seed companies formed (2021-22)
£11.8m returned to Cambridge Enterprise and University of Cambridge (2021-22)
£553.8m Total amount raised by portfolio companies across all holdings
£3.1bn In follow-on funding raised by portfolio companies since 1995
£37.8m Invested over fund lifetime
Impact Notable spin-outs: Gyroscope, BlueGnome, VocalIQ, Solexa and Centessa
4.27x Multiple across realised investments
289 Total investments made in 158 companies
£124m Current portfolio value (at 31/7/22)