Cambridge Innovation Capital

Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC), founded in 2013 by the University of Cambridge, focuses on investing in premier life sciences and technology enterprises with ties to Cambridge. Established to offer early-stage capital to promising businesses emerging from the University and the wider Cambridge ecosystem, CIC stands as a preferred investor and a model for university-finance collaboration in nurturing scaleup communities.

Managing over £500 million, CIC has invested in 31 companies. Between January 2016 and July 2023, it supported 67 fundraising initiatives, with 54% being follow-on investments. A significant 84% of these were growth stage investments at the time of fundraising.

CIC primarily invests outside London, with 77% of its investments in regions other than the capital. Its portfolio includes disruptive, deep-technology companies in fields such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, quantum technologies, autonomous systems, therapeutics, medical technology and diagnostics, digital health, and genomics/proteomics.

CIC's notable scale-up beneficiaries include CMR Surgical, Congenica, PragmatIC Semiconductor, and Microbiotica.

In its collaborative efforts, CIC has partnered with key ecosystem players like the Babraham Research Campus to launch new accelerators. One such initiative is Start Codon, founded in 2019 for life sciences and healthcare businesses, aimed at expediting the journey from research to product development. This includes investment, mentoring, and access to resources like lab space. Additionally, CIC has played a pivotal role in establishing and co-owning Deeptech Labs, an accelerator for technology businesses that helps bridge the gap from translational research to 'Series A' readiness.

In September 2022, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Cambridge Enterprise, and the University of Cambridge introduced Innovate Cambridge. This initiative seeks to craft an inclusive, ambitious innovation vision for the Greater Cambridge area.

The CIC team contributes extensive domain knowledge and operational experience to its portfolio companies, encompassing backgrounds as entrepreneurs, scientists, operators, and investors. They adopt a hands-on approach, including board participation, business planning and development, executive recruitment, commercialisation, and scaleup guidance.