Cambridge University’s spinout and technology founders have contributed significantly to the UK retaining the #1 tech sector spot in Europe, according to a government report prepared by Dealroom for the Digital Economy Council.
In The Next Generation of Tech Ecosystems report, Cambridge is spotlighted as the No.1 university in the world for producing successful tech founders – with 505 alumni founders each having raised more than $10 million in funding, ahead of combined Harvard and MIT in Boston in the US (499) and Oxford University (410).
The report concludes that the UK tech sector not only ended 2022 as Europe’s leading technology ecosystem, but it also retained its No.3 global position as the main challenger to the US and China, despite a global backdrop of difficult economic conditions.
With its deep tech and science focus, Cambridge University runs the 12-week impulse programme specifically for technology innovators, offering opportunities for both entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship.
Run as a mentoring programme, impulse – run by Yupar Myint (main image) – leverages decades of deep science, tech research and expertise from top-tier entrepreneurs within the city’s expansive tech ecosystem – combining innovation with standards and values to finetune and bring on a new generation of Cambridge Phenomena.
Over the last six years, impulse undertakes its own research to validate its performance, and which shows that one in every other participant (49%) succeeds in transforming their game-changing idea into a commercial technology business.
impulse 2022 cohort with mentors
impulse’s alumni include the founders/co-founders/CTOs of Riverlane, Echion Technologies, Xampla, Semarion, HexagonFab, Tenyks and Vector Photonics.
The latest figures show that, since 2017, impulse alumni have raised over £134m in funding and investments – of which over £110.8m was raised through investments with business angels/venture capitalists, and nearly £23.5m in grant funding, primarily through Innovate UK.