@GitlifeBiotech is laying the foundation for ownership, security and trust in #synbio
Led by Beatrix Ellis, with 25 years commercialising technology across industries, they're pioneering the future for biological asset management.
🌐 #deeptech and domain expertise combined
🚀 Early traction from real demand
🛡️ Biosecurity and regulatory tailwinds
🧬 De-risked path to market
Learn more here: lnkd.in/eNXdQNgV
I had the pleasure of speaking at the @Cambridge_Uni Future Forum alongside @Eliza Warner from IQT and @jhayward__ from @CamFutureTech. We unpacked the unique strengths and bottlenecks of the UK innovation ecosystem—and how founders can punch above their weight on the global stage.
Some key takeaways:
• The UK is second only to the US in top-tier universities, but its capital pool (particularly in the later stages) is ~17x smaller than the US’s. This mismatch means many founders under-raise and over-stretch early teams.
• Enterprise sales cycles in Europe are long—averaging 11–12 months vs. 3–6 months in the US. That gap can break startups before they scale.
• Talent is not the issue. It’s market dynamics. Israel (who boasts the highest number of unicorn founder per million) offers a compelling playbook: incorporate and raise capital in the US early, build US GTM teams, but retain deep tech teams at home where talent is high and labor costs are lower.
• Founders who decouple where they hire from where they sell are better positioned to grow quickly and raise globally.
Thanks to @SadiaCuthbert and the rest of the University of Cambridge for hosting a thoughtful, global con
CFT wins Early Stage Investor of the Year! 🥇
Thrilled to be recognised by the @BusinessGreen judges for our work uniting industry, investors and academia to support the next generation of deep tech ventures.
#deeptech#venturebuilder#greenbusinessawards
@mikebutcher, @izzyfox, Katie Underwood and Chris Wiles sat down with Owen Thompson and explored the massive potential of quantum, photonics, AI safety, and dual-use defence, but also the barriers standing in the way.
Commercialisation is tough. Government funding is slow. And traditional VC models often don’t fit.
Still, there is real belief in the UK and Europe’s technical depth and momentum is growing around patient capital, enabling tools and strategic partnerships.
The next wave of deep tech won’t just be built on breakthrough science. Crucially, it’ll be unlocked by those who know how to scale it.
#deeptech#venturecapital#venturebuilder
A spin-out has raised funding to commercialise its radically efficient approach to artificial intelligence. Founded with venture builder @CamFutureTech, @LiteralLabs is built on decades of work in logic-based computing and energy-efficient systems.
ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/lat…#Ai
#Deeptech is resilient, ambitious and still securing capital. 🚀
“Deep tech companies typically operate on longer timelines, so the immediate impact of macroeconomic declines isn’t felt in quite the same way."
Owen Thompson, in #TechFundingNews this week: techfundingnews.com/can-euro…
📣 Shortlisted! CFT has been named a finalist in two categories at this year’s UK @BusinessGreen Awards:
⚡Early-Stage Investor of the Year
⚡Owen Thompson for Leader of the Year
A big congrats to Owen and the team for this one 👏 Winners announced 11th June!
#UKGBA
Ines Almeida & Bethany Bland joined the #EnterpriseWOMEN programme at @CambridgeJBS - sharing practical advice with early-stage founders on building investor-ready models & navigating term sheets.
Proud to support this brilliant initiative. ⚡️
#venturebuilder#foundersupport
We're delighted to share that Joshua Daniel and Maxim Vreeswijk have been promoted to Venture Associates.
Since joining, both have stepped up to lead on projects across ventures, dealflow and consulting, playing a key role in our continued growth. 🚀
#deeptech#venturebuilder
Congrats to #SAIFAutonomy, named finalists in the #DualTech Challenge at #IT2EC2025!
That’s two years running for a CFT portfolio company - after last year’s win by #MissionDecisions. Great to see Tim Colebrooke back as host, catching up with SAIF’s Matthew Harris.
#DefenceTech