Investments in impulse’s game-changing entrepreneurs top £100million

ALUMNI of University of Cambridge’s hugely successful entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship programme, impulse have now attracted more than £100million in funding and investments over the last five years.

The new figures are released as the application window opens for next year’s impulse 2023, which will run from 25 April – 14 July 2023.

The 12-week hybrid programme – which is offered online and in-person via the Maxwell Centre, the University’s hub for industry and research – is unique in serving as a catalyst for both entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, with a sharp focus on the development of high-potential technology innovation into a commercial proposition and prioritising “high-potential” business cases. It is specifically designed to simultaneously host both entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs with the newest ideas, or ideas that will challenge or evolve out of a corporate environment.

Inclusivity is at the heart of the programme, fostering collaborations with innovators and entrepreneurs from a variety of disciplines, industries, countries and ethnics. Aimed primarily at technology innovators, applicants come from a range of areas including PhDs, PostDocs and researchers across the different fields of physical sciences, technology and life sciences, as well as early-stage entrepreneurs and researchers/engineers/managers from large corporates and organisations.

Recent game-changing alumni include quantum computing pioneer, Steve Brierley, founder and CEO of Riverlane; Marc Rodriguez Garcia, CTO of Xampla, recognised as a world-leader in plant protein materials for commercial applications; Dr Ruizhi Wang, founder and CEO of HexagonFab, who is working to speed the discovery and production of next-gen bio-pharmaceuticals; and Jeroen Verheyen, co-founder and CEO of Semarion, who is working at the interface of emerging technologies and life sciences to solve the bottlenecks in drug discovery.

Key to impulse’s approach and success is its network of passionate and involved mentors, all top-tier entrepreneurs from Cambridge’s celebrated innovation cluster, which has created a uniquely different learning environment. Dr David Cleevely, Prof Anne Ferguson-Smith, Prof Sir Richard Friend, Dr Deborah Harland, Dr Hermann Hauser and Prof Sir Mark Welland are just some off the role models sharing their industry knowledge and experience, and providing invaluable advice and guidance to those on the programme.

Programme Director, Yupar Myint says: “impulse is challenging, inspirational, global, educational and, at the same time, fun. The length of programme is designed to give invaluable time for reflection whilst maintaining the pace and bring ideas on the right path to succeed. We are passionate in helping a new generation of science and tech entrepreneurs succeed.”

Prof Sir Mark Welland, Director of the Maxwell Centre, says: “impulse provides researchers and scientists with the ideal environment for those all-important chance encounters, sparking and inspiring fresh generations of science and technology entrepreneurs as has clearly been evidenced.

It is here that the cross-pollination of ideas, technologies and industry knowledge of like-minded individuals, from both entrepreneur and business worlds, enables the participant to reach their full potential and, importantly, transform their research into a viable business.”

All applicants must complete the application form at: https://www.maxwell.cam.ac.uk/impulse-2023-application and attend an interview before they can be accepted onto the programme. Partner sponsored places are also available for certain technology and research areas. For further information, please email impulse@maxwell.cam.ac.uk