Paying It Forward: The Trailblazing Cambridge Entrepreneurs Engineering the Next Wave of Global Innovators

Cambridge’s global reputation for science and technology isn’t just built on invention. Innovation is actively engineered and fine-tuned here in the city – and nowhere is this more evident than on the Impulse programme, the University of Cambridge’s flagship entrepreneurship initiative.

Impulse curates a limited cohort of around 40 participants a year from all over the world, selected for their technical invention, entrepreneurial potential and societal relevance. With direct access to investors, IP experts, business coaches, and a global network of peers, these innovators are immersed in an environment designed for rapid learning and real-world outcomes.

What sets Impulse apart from other entrepreneurship programmes is its unique powerhouse of mentors – a richly diverse and multi-disciplinary pool of world-class tech and entrepreneurial legends who know exactly what it takes to translate frontier research into market-defining ventures, and who are all committed to supporting the next generation of science and tech innovators.

These top-tier mentors and principal contributors include Hermann Hauser, co-founder of Arm and Amadeus Capital Partners; Cobra Beer founder, Lord Karan Bilimoria; serial entrepreneur/ Analysys and Abcam founder David Cleevely; chip revolution veteran (and Arm’s first COO), Jamie Urquhart; seasoned entrepreneur/ Abcodia’s founding CEO & CSO, Julie Barnes; and hugely successful entrepreneur/ technology investor Phil O’Donovan,  who co-founded Cambridge Silicon Radio Ltd (CSR), growing it into a FTSE 250 company with an annual revenue of $1billion. (See more in Breakout at end of release.)

Impulse’s mentors don’t just offer advice – they co-create, challenge, champion and connect, matching next-generation ambition with past experience. And it’s this tried and tested model of connecting tomorrow’s visionaries with yesterday’s trailblazers, creating durable mentor-founder relationships, which has propelled Impulse to become one of the UK’s most effective springboards for smarter innovation and successful technology entrepreneurs.

Take the example of Impulse alum, Steve Brierley OBE, founder of global quantum computing venture, Riverlane. Mentored by Jamie Urquhart whilst on the three-month entrepreneurship programme, Steve received philosophical interrogation, market realism and strategic shaping as well as generic advice, which proved pivotal in Riverlane’s growth from lab spinout to international quantum contender.

And there have been many more successes. Since its inception in 2016, the Impulse programme’s 300 alumni have launched 61 ventures (tackling everything from carbon-neutral fuels to neuro-degenerative diagnostics), created 1,000+ jobs, raised £300M+ in investments and funding, and secured impactful partnerships across health, AI, sustainability, quantum and clean tech.

Over 60% of the programme’s alumni go on to commercialise their ideas, with the majority receiving investment within 12 months of completing the programme.

Applications for Impulse 2026 will open on Monday 10^th November 2025. The Round One application deadline is 2^nd February 2026. Round Two application deadline is 2^nd March 2026. Fellowships are available for certain technology and research areas. To find out more: https://www.maxwell.cam.ac.uk/apply-impulse

Successful Impulse alumni and their mentors include:

Dr Steve Brierley OBE/ Class of 2018

• Founder, Riverlane
• Focus: Quantum computing (quantum error correction solutions).
• Funding: $120.7m to date (including $75m Series C in August 2024).
• Offices in UK and US. As of 2025, remains one of the leading UK quantum computing startups.
• Impulse mentor: Jamie Urquhart

Credit: The Impulse Programme

Jean de La Verpilliere/ Class of 2017

• Co-founder, Echion Technologies
• Focus: Fast charging niobium-based anodes (XNO®) for Li ion batteries.
• Funding: £52.1m to date (including £29m Series B in June 2024, then £10m follow on in Nov 2024).
• Running a production plant (~1 GWh/year capacity).
• Impulse mentor: Jamie Urquhart

Credit: The Impulse Programme

Dr Marc Rodriguez Garcia/ Class of 2017

• Co-founder & CTO, Xampla
• Focus: Natural, biodegradable materials as sustainable alternatives to traditional plastics.
• Funding: $34.5m to date (including $14m Series A in Sept 2025).
• Impulse mentors: Abel Ureta-Vidal/ Miranda Weston-Smith

Xiao Ai/ Class of 2017

• Co-founder/ CTO, QLM Technology Ltd
• Focus: Developing ultra-compact, high-precision quantum optical sensors.
• Funding: £15.1m to date (including £12 m Series A in July 2025.
• Impulse mentor: Steve Barlow

Stefan Engl/ Class of 2019

• Co-founder & CEO, DeepOpinion
• Focus: Enabling teams to build AI bots and automate away repetitive cognitive processes for text and documents, without code.
• Funding: €15.5m to date (including €11m Series A in Sept 2024 to advance Enterprise Automation with AI agents).
• Impulse mentor: Paul Bailey

Carmen Palacios-Berraquero / Class of 2018

• Co-founder & CEO, Nu Quantum
• Focus: To scale up quantum computers by building a quantum networking unit that interlocks smaller quantum computers into an overall larger network.
• Funding: £9.7m to date (including £7m pre-Series A round in November 2023)
• Impulse mentor: Jane Blennerhassett

Credit: The Impulse Programme

Ben Porebski/ Class of 2019

• Co-founder, CEO, CTO, Sortera Bio.
• Focus: accelerating the discovery of biologics via its proprietary Deep Screening platform/ dedicated to delivering transformative solutions in biologics discovery to meet the needs of patients worldwide.
• Funding: £7.5m Pre-Seed in June 2025
• In July 2025 announced collaboration with AstraZeneca to develop their foundational technology and Deep Screening capabilities.
• Impulse mentor: Abel Ureta-Vidal

Credit: The Impulse Programme

Pahini Pandya / Class of 2018

• Co-founder, CEO, Panakeia Technologies.
• Focus: Making cancer diagnosis simpler, faster and cheaper by eliminating the need for multiple tests.
• Funding: £7.96m to date.
• Impulse mentor: Nicholas Ibery

Credit: The Impulse Programme

Benjamin Droguet/ Class of 2020

• Founder & CEO, Sparxell
• Focus: The world’s first 100% natural, high-performance biodegradable colour platform creating next generation colours, glitters and effects (shimmer and sparkle) for limitless creative possibilities.
• Funding: $5.2m to date (including $1.9m EIC Accelerator Grant in February 2025).
• In partnership with Positive Materials, is launching a dye-free textile ink available in matte and shimmer versions, with commercial orders for all-over printed cotton jersey starting in September 2025 in Europe. Sparxell was named a ChangeNOW Change100 winner for 2025 and received the jury’s ‘Coups de Cœur’ recognition in the fashion category at the ChangeNOW Summit in Paris, highlighting its impact and innovation in sustainable colourants.
• Impulse mentor: Steve Barlow

Ismail Sami & Zhuangnan Li/ Class of 2022 

• Co-founders, Molyon
• Focus: Molyon is creating the next-generation energy storage system: long-life lithium-sulfur batteries that have twice the energy density of existing lithium-ion batteries on the market.
• Funding: $4.6m seed funding in November 2024.
• Impulse mentor: Steve Temple

Credit: The Impulse Programme

Sanzhar Taizhan/ Class of 2022

• Founded TaiSan,
• Focus: Quasi solid state sodium-ion battery materials with novel polymer electrolyte.
• Funding: £1.3m pre seed in 2024.
• Recently awarded Department for Transport’s “Best Growth Potential” award.
• Impulse mentor: Richard Green

These are just some of the outstanding mentors and principal contributors working ‘behind the scenes’ on the Impulse programme.

• Michael Anstey, VC Partner, Cambridge Innovation Capital – Deeply experienced in biotech and venture investing, Michael bridges the academic and commercial worlds – guiding researchers through the high-stakes journey from lab bench to market.

• Paul Bailey, Maserati 100 listed entrepreneur & Founding Partner/ Managing Director of Bailey Fisher Executive Search. Paul brings unique insight into building world-class leadership teams – and, as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Cambridge enterprise and Managing Director a t Martlet Capital, he guides participants on talent strategy, goernance and scaling human apita to match ambitious commercial growth.

• Steve Barlow, successful serial entrepreneur/ angel investor, co-founder of Argon Design Ltd and Alphamosaic Ltd. A key figure in Cambridge’s deep tech scene, and with a track record of taking semiconductor and embedded systems companies from inception to high-value exits, Steve’s advice on product-market fit, IP Strategy and scaling technical ventures is invaluable.

• Julie Barnes, a WISE Enterprise and Innovation Award winner, who lends deep expertise in translational neuroscience, diagnostics, and women-led innovation in STEM. A seasoned scientific entrepreneur, Julie is a mentor who fuses data science, diagnostics and drug development with a fierce commitment to advancing women in STEM and innovation.

• Pilgrim Beart FIET, deep tech entrepreneur well known for his $100m exit with BG Hive. Pilgrim excels at scaling from TRL 4 to TRL 9 and shares his battle-tested wisdom on commercialisation and product strategy – especially with startups tackling the most complex, ‘hard tech’ challenges.

• Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE, entrepreneur, global policy leader and former CBI president. Best known for founding the multi-award-winning Cobra Beer, Lord Bilimoria brings unmatched insight and entrepreneurial vision into brand-building, global scaling and policy engagement.

• Jane Blennerhassett, DeepTech entrepreneurship expert with over 25 years’ experience in developing deep science and technology from IP to startup; non-executive director of Siloton, whose sight-saving technology underpins the diagnosis and treatment of every major eye disease.

• Simon Bransfield-Garth, serial entrepreneur, sustainable tech CEO & World Economic Forum Pioneer. A serial entrepreneur with a passion for technology and its use to address some of the world’s most challenging problems.Through Azuri Technologies, Simon brings real-world experience in deploying clean energy at scale in emerging markets, helping founders to think beyond invention to global impact.

• Dr David Cleevely CBE, celebrated entrepreneur, investor, and policy adviser. Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013 for his services to technology and innovation, David has founded, co-founded and supported over 60 companies and organisations, including Analysys, Abcam, the globally acclaimed Raspberry Pi Foundation, Cambridge Angels, Cambridge Science Centre, Cambridge Ahead, Cambridge Wireless, and the Cambridge Network.

• Richard Green, serial entrepreneur, investor, Cambridge Angel, chair (Nyobolt, DeepForm, 8Power, RoBok, Satavia). Richard has taken deep tech ventures from seed to IPO, including listing on the London Stock Exchange. He mentors participants on commercialising complex hardware/software products, navigating scale-up funding and balancing technical ambition with market realities.

• Deborah Harland, Biotech VC. From GSK to SR One, Deborah’s experience in investment and drug development makes her a formidable advisor to companies navigating the clinical and regulatory maze.

• Dr Hermann Hauser, ‘Cambridge Cluster’ luminary, co-founder of Acorn Computers and ARM, and the architect behind Amadeus Capital. An Impulse Advisory Board member, Hermann brings a systems-level understanding of scaling deep tech from lab bench to public market.

• Julian Hildersley, co-founder of Forefront RF, a respected component supplier into multi-band smartphones, wearables, and IoT devices. An experienced business leader with roots in systems engineering for mobile phones, Julian has led teams to launch several world-first products into new markets attaining substantial market shares. With experience in technology consulting, major multinational product companies and the full start-up life cycle, he shares how leadership and culture drive behaviour and results. As well as inventing eight patents, he has negotiated multimillion-pound licence and development agreements from both sides of the table.

• Nicholas Ibery, health and life sciences VC with a background in clinical medicine and corporate law. He started his career as a surgeon and subsequently, as a sector specialist, has held senior roles in a number of leading European private equity and venture capital firms.

• Fiona Nielsen, genomics pioneer and social impact strategist, mentors founders on equity structure, mission alignment, and regulatory navigation. Fiona’s mentorship spans commercial, technical and ethical challenges, especially in the fields of data science and biotech, and alongside practical advice on founder equity and mission-driven startups.

• Phil O’Donovan, entrepreneur and angel investor, Phil shares with participants his experience and knowledge of founding a technology startup and growing it into a FTSE 250 market leader. His company, CSR launched its first Bluetooth device, the single-chip BlueCore01™ in 2000, and within four years became the largest global market supplier of Bluetooth chips with annual revenue of $1billion. By 2015, CSR employed more than 2,000 people in 27 offices in 13 countries and had shipped 4billion chips. CSR was acquired by US company Qualcomm in September 2015 for $2.5billion.

• Dr Andy Richards CBE, healthtech entrepreneur/ investor, chair of Owlstone Medical and a founding member of Cambridge Angels, brings strategic insights from over 30 biotech ventures helping participants align innovation with market need and investment readiness.

• Steve Temple, primary inventor of Xaar technology which has been at the forefront of inkjet technology innovation, and CTO from 1993-2007 covering Xaar’s listing on the LSE. Steve helps participants navigate product architecture, technical feasibility and digital deployment challenges, and advises on building robust, scalable systems and integrating core tech stacks with business strategy.

• Abel Ureta-Vidal, serial entrepreneur, founder of Eagle Genomics, co-founder of Sofi Health and former CEO of Octiocor, a spinout from Cambridge University. Also a former investor as investment director at CMS Ventures and venture partner at Nina Capital. With a background in biology and software, Abel specialises in healthtech startups, always including a combination of life sciences, data, software and AI.

• Jamie Urquhart, former COO of ARM, provides unparalleled insight into how technical integrity and commercial vision can shape a £40billion global company, guiding participants through the critical inflection points from prototype to global market. His experience spans technical leadership, IP strategy and forging partnerships that enabled ARM’s worldwide adoption.

• Miranda Weston-Smith, BioBeat founder, has helped numerous startups attract investment and define strategy. Miranda was instrumental in launching the Cambridge Network and continues to connect all entrepreneurs with female biotech leaders through BioBeat.