Brilliant impulse alumni continue to dazzle as application window for 2024 programme opens

ALUMNI of University of Cambridge’s hugely successful entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship programme, impulse continue to shine as the application window for the new 2024 intake opens.

The 12-week hybrid programme – aimed primarily at early-stage founders, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, researchers and Postdocs across all aspects of technology and life science – will run from Tuesday 23 April – Friday 12 July 2024.

Meanwhile, impulse’s Class of 2023 are already showcasing their brilliance:

Dazzling the fashion world is London-based Cyan Williams, co-founder and CTO of sustainable textiles and bio-materials company, Radiant Matter. Cyan is aiming to reduce the fashion industry’s reliance on toxic, synthetic materials (eg standard PVC sequins) by bringing sustainable colour and next-gen sparkle to haute couture. In April, supermodel Cara Delevingne was featured wearing a Stella McCartney jumpsuit adorned with Radiant Matter’s renewable polymer cellulose bio-iridescent sequins in a cover shoot for Vogue magazine.

Cyan says: “impulse was a great programme with a strong focus on deep tech. To have access to a well-selected group of inspiring and helpful advisors and to meet so many great founders on similar journeys was incredible. The programme’s timing was perfect for Radiant Matter to meet investors before we opened our pre-seed round and gave us the confidence to go into this phase of our company with the right tools.”

Another impulse 2023 alumni is founder Andrew Kadis. His startup, Cambridge Vision Technology, is focused on detecting early-stage Alzheimer’s Disease. Whilst notoriously difficult, this is essential for maximising the efficacies of emerging drugs which have shown that, if administered early during the Mild Cognitive Impairment Stage, can help to slow the devasting progression of the disease. Cambridge Vision Technology’s solution is a hardware device and integrated software platform which is also addressing the unmet need for biomarker technologies capable of accurate, cost-effective, non-invasive mass screenings.

Andrew says: “When I first started the impulse programme back in March [2023], my venture was little more than a science-project. Eight months later, my startup has transformed into a finely-honed business venture with significant funding, a sound IP-strategy, and a clear route-to-market. These outcomes are a direct result of the extensive network I built during the impulse programme. I do not exaggerate when I say that impulse was a transformative experience for me, personally and for my company.”

Riverlane, Xampla, Vector Photonics, Siloton, Abselion, Tenyks, About:Energy and Semarion are just some of the multi-million pound companies founded and run by impulse alumni. Earlier this month [November 2023], Vector Photonics and Siloton were both included in Sifted magazine’s list of 13 Photonics Startups To Watch According To Investors.

impulse’s record for honing astute business heads and minds, and driving exciting, commercially viable innovations and enterprises is unparalleled – and its increasing reputation means that it attracts nearly half of its participants (45%) from outside the Cambridge area.

Key to this widening appeal is impulse’s top-tier mentoring scheme which provides a uniquely beneficial learning environment and the opportunity of being mentored and guided by legendary trailblazers from Cambridge’s famed innovation cluster. These include Arm co-founder Jamie Urquhart, award-winning geneticist Prof Anne Ferguson-Smith, Cambridge Silicon Radio Ltd co-founder Phil O’Donovan and eminent physicist Prof Sir Richard Friend.

Yupar Myint, Head of impulse says: “Our statistics show that one in every two impulse participants will succeed in transforming their game-changing innovation into a commercial technology business Our success rate is so high because we are a committed team passionate about helping the next generation of science and tech entrepreneurs succeed.”

The impulse programme is run out of the Maxwell Centre, the University of Cambridge’s hub for industry and research on the West Cambridge Science and Technology Campus. Operating since 2016, The Maxwell Centre forms part of the world-renowned Cavendish Laboratory and provides a centrepiece for industrial partnership with the physical sciences and engineering.

To discuss participation in the impulse 2024 programme and for all other enquiries, please email impulse@maxwell.cam.ac.uk. Partner sponsored places are available for certain technology and research areas. Deadline for all applications is Sunday 10^th March 2024.