Cambridge Tech Podcast

In this episode we talk about a lifelong passion with tech and ‘trying stuff out’ with founder and chair of Cambridge Spark, Dr. Raoul-Gabriel Urma.We have a rich conversation about:·       A passion for education and teaching the most spoken language in the world – computer code·       Doing more with less in the startup environment vs the corporate world·       Taking a B2C coding model to a very successful B2B model·       Tapping a market need by developing corporate AI skills, and learning how to ‘sell’·       Building data scientist sandbox environment with EDUKATE.AI·       Being bootstrapped, but with lots of support from people like Hanadi Jabado and non-dilutive funding like from Innovate UK·       The transition from CEO to Chair·       The importance of growth, development and strategic decisions·       Oh, and Raoul has his own podcast – The Data & AI Mastery podcast – check it out!!Produced by Cambridge TV

Telling us all about #EnterpriseTuesday #NorwichEnterprise we talk to Sheng Qi, UEA and Roz Bird, Anglia Innovation Partnership who introduce the Innovation Hothouse.The Innovation Hothouse is an example of co-creation and collaboration between all the agencies in Norwich Research Park who are passionate about working together to achieve further impact and innovation. Dr Soraya Jones, The Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence is supporting this initiative because she is excited about the potential of a vibrant ecosystem working together “so much more can be achieved together than in isolation”.We talk about some of the 2023 winners – TraitSeq (we also caught up with Joshua Colmer and Felicity Knowles in the episode), Virilitas, Ediform, OpauAnd we catch up with two of the finalists for 2024 - Rosaria Campilongo of PfBIO and Safir Jamal of Vida Vodka before hearing all eight finalists pitch – Knee3D, Healthium Platform, iBoxit, PathoProst Detect Test, Bioscopic, Birthview/Birth4cast.Produced by Cambridge TV

James Lee, CEO and co-founder of Wave Photonics, talks to us about how they are enabling rapid photonic integrated circuit development for any wavelength or platform.James explains how the design for integrated photonics uses the same scalable process used to make semiconductor electronics chips to make circuits for light. And he talks about the market opportunity for both tackling energy and bandwidth, and longer term with sensing and quantum.We gain great insights about:·       Quitting a job maybe too early to start a business·       You don’t have to be impossibly smart and motivated to be an entrepreneur·       Building technology from scratch·       Experiencing different universities and accelerator programmes (both sides of the pond)·       Recruiting the right people·       Experiencing Silicon Valley next-level optimism and vision ·       Targeting clients at such an early stage of a companyWatch this space as Wave develops their products and builds their go-to-market outreach. Produced by Cambridge TV

It’s not often that you get to talk to someone who has seen every press release and been part of innovation discussions for the last 35 years, not to mention who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the opportunities and challenges for our tech and science businesses.In this episode we caught up with Tony Quested and Jamie Quested to talk about not just their #BusinessWeeklyAwards, but the much broader impact and reach of Business Weekly since 1990. Here are some highlights·       Current trends include a rise in genomics, synthetic biology, and quantum computing·       The US will continue to buy up our companies, to access the brain power and innovation across Cambridge and the East of England cluster…·       …but they will now keep the business here - like Featurespace (Visa), IQGeo (KKR), and Darktrace (Thoma Bravo) – rather than lifting and shifting to the US·       The demand for 100,000 engineers by leading tech companies will require different thinking·       The importance of ‘Brain Gain’ and how 70% (£1.65bn) of fundraising in the last year came out of the University of Cambridge…·       … and how overall funding in the last year topped £2.3bn of which £1bn was for tech (remainder life sciences), and 50% of all funding went to Cambridge Science Park tenant companies·       Whether our entrepreneurs are thinking strategically enough, especially when VCs and funders may have different priorities·       And then we finally talk about the Awards, and the ability to spot the successes based on a level of due diligence that is incomparable.Produced by Cambridge TV

In the second part of our conversation with David Cleevely, we talk about the Cambridge Cluster, the vital work with government and on policy, and the phenomena of serendipity and paying it forward.David has been instrumental in the Cambridge Cluster for decades, with the founding of groups like Cambridge Network and Cambridge Wireless; creating a vision for Cambridge (a few times); the importance of marketing and having a logo; and keeping Cambridge competitive.A charitable contributor, David firmly believes that if you make some money, you should give back to the community – something Sara Allen at The Cambridge Pledge will be delighted to hear. And we hear about David’s pivotal role at Raspberry Pi and the eight years from formulating a plan to a flotation.We talk about why an active involvement in public policy and government liaison is vital, and how entrepreneurs can help to fill gaps and stop us sleepwalking into growth challenges – locally and globally.And we finish with a discussion on serendipity – the approach that will determine your path by making chance encounters happen. Tune in for a future episode when we’ll cover David’s Book – ‘Serendipity – it doesn’t happen by accident’.Produced by Cambridge TV

We talk with David Cleevely – telecoms, wireless and technology expert, a serial entrepreneur, investor in 55 companies, and an adviser to Government on both a national and local level. David is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and last but by no means least, awarded a CBE, for services to technology and innovation. As an active and respected businessman, David vigorously promotes networking, collaboration and the City of Cambridge. The episode starts with David giving his views on the 2024 UK budget announcement which included providing “funding for Cambridge to help it reach its growth potential”.We then take a journey into David’s education, career, and entrepreneurial journey including many of the investments he has made and been involved in. What you will hear as a continuous thread - and what we’ll talk about more in Part 2 - is how serendipity shapes careers.Produced by Cambridge TV

Kathryn Chapman, Innovate Cambridge’s Executive Director joins us to provide an update on the initiative which started 3 years ago to bring a strategy together that is now supported by over 200 companies and 500 individuals.Focussed on three pillars - Frictionless Innovation – Value for the Local Community – Partnering to scale across the UK - the programme under Kathryn’s leadership is now moving into the delivery phase. We talk through last week’s Innovate Cambridge Summit and some of the other progress that has been made including:·       The new narrative to ‘sell’ Cambridge·       A co-created Life Sciences strategy, including the recently announced ARIA funding·       Building the tech strategy and amplifying the tech sectors voice·       Bringing Cambridge and Manchester closer together for the benefit of the local region as well as economic growth for the UK, including an update from Lou Cordwell·       An update on ‘The Glasshouse’ – a new hub for everyone to utilise that opens in November – a front door into Cambridge as people arrive and meet in Cambridge close to the central train station·       An announcement of The Cambridge Pledge – with an insight from Sara Allen as to how entrepreneurs and businesses can pledge and donate to solve regional social problemsFind out more at innovatecambridge.com and get involved!Produced by Cambridge TV

From China to Cambridge – the story of a new type of #ElectricBike developed by Dave Henderson and Alex Murray. In this week’s episode we’re joined by Managing Director of FLIT, Alex who shares: ·       the evolution of the company·       complexities of the market for ‘#ebikes’·       the benefit of setting up in Cambridge ·       the development stages to the FLIT M2·       functionality of the FLIT M2·       design and manufacturing·       funding and go to market.We’re amazed at the number of things we didn’t know about mobility, electric bikes, ownership models and recycling which makes this episode another really interesting founders’ story.Produced by Cambridge TV