Innovation Alley was undoubtedly one of the highlights of Cambridge Tech Week. The exhibition space at Cambridge Corn Exchange brought together 50 of the brightest early-stage companies, along with larger tech firms, to showcase their cutting-edge use of technology to solve a wide range of problems and challenges facing us today. Innovation Alley gave us the opportunity to shine a light on the work of these start-ups, providing them with a platform to promote their work and meet with potential investors and future business collaborators.
‘Start-Up of the Year’ was awarded to Cellexcel for their innovative technology for water resistant materials. Steven Curtis, Chief Operating Officer at Cellexcel Ltd, said: “2024 has been an amazing year for Cellexcel. The recognition from Cambridge Tech Week judges reflects the traction we have gained helping companies adopt biomaterials in their products. We could not have accelerated our technology development so quickly without the help and support from UEA and Norwich Research Park and we look forward to being part of that community for many years.”
The ‘People’s Choice’ Award, voted for by attendees at Innovation Alley, went to Virilitas for their pioneering work in leading the change in men’s reproductive health. Dr Daniel Marcu, Co-founder and Managing Director at Virilitas and Senior Research Scientist at UEA, said:
“One in six couples face infertility, with diagnosis often taking over 3 years. Our technology bridges this gap, empowering men and couples on their reproductive journey. Winning the People’s Choice and Founders Live Awards at Cambridge Tech Week is a profound honour, showing strong support for our mission and demand for our innovative solutions. We are thrilled to drive innovation and change in male fertility.”
‘Start-Up of the Year’, Runners-Up were Lambda Agri and VyperCore. Lambda Agri produce an innovative paint that converts unused sunlight to light used for photosynthesis, spray coatable on greenhouses for a 20% increase in crop-yield. Monica Saavedra, CEO and Founder of Lambda Agri, said: ” This award is a lasting reminder of how lucky we are to be surrounded by such as supportive Start-up ecosystem here in Cambridge!”
VyperCore’s technology accelerates the performance of existing data center software by up to five times, and reduces the ever-growing power consumption of these large infrastructure sites while also securing them against cybersecurity threats. Russell Haggar, VyperCore CEO, said “We were delighted to win this award, from what was a very strong field. This is a testament to our team’s major strides forward over the past year, and our bold yet realistic vision to revolutionise the processor industry. We are proud to be based in Cambridge, and look forward to growing our presence here as we expand further.”
Julie Schofield, Associate Director Business Partnerships at UEA, Headline Sponsors of Innovation Alley, said: “UEA’s success and prominence at Cambridge Tech Week highlights our commitment to innovation and in supporting the pioneering work of academics and students across the world-leading Norwich Research Park. It was a fantastic opportunity to make new connections and showcase the innovative thinking and groundbreaking tech being nurtured at UEA.
Julie added: “I was particularly thrilled to see Cellexcel and Virilitas scooping both top prizes at the Innovation Alley awards – this alone shines a light on how high the calibre of expertise UEA has to offer is. I look forward to strengthening the relationship with Cambridge Wireless and to fostering new relationships made, and continuing to promote UEA across the East, England and beyond.”
Faye Holland, Founder and Director of cofinitive and #21towatch, Lead Partner for Innovation Alley said: “What a phenomenal event of a scale and attendance level we’ve not seen before – and all focussed on innovations coming from Cambridge and across the East of England. The five companies in the People’s Choice pitches covered all types of technology – from cleantech to health tech to space tech – they were all deserving winners for me. And what a delight to see Cellexcel continue their winning streak from first winning #21toWatch earlier this year – it is certainly a great year for them.
“We were thrilled to be Lead Partner, and it will take us months to get through all the conversations and opportunities resulting from Innovation Alley alone,” added Faye.
Innovation Alley was kindly supported by UEA (Headline Sponsor), with Lead Partner cofinitive, co-sponsors: Appleyard Lees and 42T, and additional sponsors: St John’s Innovation Centre, Zetter, Mantlespace (The Bradfield Centre), Cambridge Consultants, Cambridge Enterprise, Cambridge Management Consulting, Cambridge Tech Podcast and Cambridge Dining Company.
The afternoon included a number of pitch events to introduce founders to potential investors and founder-focused workshops on how to successfully pitch for investment. Thank you to: Cambridge Future Tech. Barclays Eagle Labs, Plexal, UKTIN, KPMG and UHY Hacker Young for facilitating these. Cambridge Angels and Cambridge Capital Group also offered founders informal Office Hours’ in the Advisory Lounge, where entrepreneurs could drop by an seek advice from experienced investors / entrepreneurs. The pitch sessions, workshops and Advisory Lounge added to the richness of offer to investors and founders attending on the day.
Finally, many thanks also to the Innovation Alley judging panel: Simon Thorpe (chair); Caroline Hyde, Cambridge Enterprise; Dr Soraya Jones, UEA (IA headline sponsor); Faye Holland, cofinitive (IA partner); and Michaela Eschbach, CEO of Cambridge Wireless, organisers of Cambridge Tech Week.
Find out more about Cambridge Tech Week: www.cambridgetechweek.co.uk
